A Sharjah icon

The recent restoration of Sharjah’s iconic Flying Saucer returns the Brutalist landmark to its former glory – and investigates its past in the process

- Aidan Imanova

Few buildings in the Emirates have lived as many lives as Sharjah’s Flying Saucer – a futuristic structure with a mysterious history to match. While information of its origins and owner remains unknown – only speculations exist – the building has played a vital role within the city’s urban fabric.

Sitting at the intersection of multiple residential areas near the city centre – such as Dasman, Ghubaiba, Yarmouk and Ramla – and overlooking what was previously known as the ‘Flying Saucer Roundabout’, the building was most likely built between 1974 and 1976, based on aerial archives; facing one of the entrances to the British Camp which maintained its presence in Sharjah from 1942 to 1971. “In reality, the last British Army official left the Sharjah Camp in 1976,” affirms Mona El Mousfy, founder of SpaceContinuum Design Studio, the architecture firm behind the restoration of the Flying Saucer, who adds that occupation around the building was sparse, creating a structure that was isolated from its surroundings.

“The beloved Flying Saucer expresses the optimism and forward-looking vision of the UAE genesis years,” El Mousfy recounts. “Sharjans appear to have been engaged in all phases of its occupation from 1978, when it was an isolated building on a roundabout, to its present. The building’s history and its transformations have multiple references to the growth of Sharjah and of the multiple residential neighbourhoods that surround it.”

As it stands, the Flying Saucer’s futuristic design is indicative of the city’s growing modernity at the time, which saw the erection of a number of modern buildings around the area – although none with as striking a structure as the Flying Saucer's.