Tiger Buildings, Al Taawun, Sharjah
Shajia Ansari
When we were house-hunting in Sharjah (my family felt it was time to move out of Ajman), a close friend recommended Al Taawun. She had lived there for over a year and couldn’t stop singing its praises. My curiosity was piqued. After viewing a few buildings in that area, we finally fell in love with our flat: a spacious three-bedroom home for our family of five.
What drew me to this area was the sense of community. Large families of varied nationalities live here. I was looking for a friendly neighborhood to take an evening stroll around with my mother, or even take my little niece to the parks to play with children her age. It has been an ideal case scenario for my family and our comfort. We wanted a place we could afford for the next 3–5 years, and we were fortunate to find one that offered decent space and convenience.
Since both my sister and I work in Dubai, proximity to the border was essential. By car under light traffic, the drive from Al Taawun to Dubai is about 13 minutes. The commute to work is provided by my office, although public transportation and hiring a van service are easily available.
No place is perfect. The only thing I’d change about my neighbourhood is the traffic during peak hours, especially with school runs and work commute. That said, infrastructure improvements widened roads, new traffic signals are continually underway to ease congestion.
When my friends ask me if I ever plan to move to Dubai, I always chuckle and say, Sharjah is where my heart belongs. I can’t imagine leaving my heart behind. We build our memories on its streets, whether it’s stopping at Laffah to grab a bite or the small cafes to have our favorite Karak tea. When I think of home, I think of Sharjah. – As told to Hiba Fatma
