Sharja, a seaport town of Oman, Arabia, capital of a province of the same name, on the Persian gulf, in lat. 25° 20' N., Ion. 55° 36' E., 215 m. N. W. of Muscat; pop. about 25,000. It has a wall on the land side, but is open toward the harbor, which is a narrow creek running parallel with the coast, and deep enough for only small vessels. It has a large market place in the S. end, in the middle of which is the government treasury, a stone building strongly guarded. The shops are well built, and display Indian and Persian goods, and the manufactures of the place, principally red cloaks, carpets, curtains, arms, and filigree jewelry. A large part of the population are weavers, who occupy the N. quarter. Sharja is the principal port through which are imported the goods of Persia, and it is the chief place on the coast for the sale of cotton, wool, the metals, asses, and dromedaries. It has a large trade, and but for its inferior harbor it would be a place of much commercial importance. It is virtually independent.