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A mini rainforest from the dinosaur age is flourishing in the deserts of Sharjah.
Pre-historic plants and trees that survived violent weather conditions which were believed to have been responsible for wiping out the dinosaur population from the face of the Earth millions of years ago, have found a sanctuary at the newly-opened Sharjah Botanical Museum.
And though there are no giant lizards hiding in the thick bushes of this prehistoric garden, you can still hear them grunt as you step inside the quite hall - a recording in the background plays out sounds of exotic birds and beasts as visitors peep into a dark, forgotten world. The only plant that a group of three sisters could recognise there was a white water-lily, floating in the manmade pool. “I’m more interested in dinosaurs. But it’s interesting to know what they ate – I mean, besides other dinosaurs,” said Ansu, 12, from India.
Her sisters – Angelene and Hannah, both seven – wished there was more information on display about the vegetation.
Like for example, did you know that the lily was one of the only flowering plants during the Jurassic period, around 150 million years ago? Perhaps that is why there is only one at the museum!
But 600 other plants and trees from the far corners of the planet also call the museum home. They were flown in mainly from Holland – their stopover from places such as Brazil and other countries – kept in carefully controlled conditions indoors.
“The installation (in Sharjah) was carried out in a well-organised, military-style operation,” said Jonathan Pardoe, General Manager of Planters, a company that worked on the project. “Work proceeded well into the early hours of the morning, so that planting could take place in the cooler hours of the night. This was to ensure that the delicate plants would not be damaged by direct sunlight or high temperatures.
The selection was made from the most primitive plants available, to reflect how it looked like in the Jurassic period. Many of these species have never been used in an interior landscaping scheme before. Examples include horsetail plants and unusual trees such as the gingko biloba.”
A Planters’ team visits the museum twice weekly to check on the health of these ancient species, said Hussain Sultan, a senior museum official.
“Besides tourists, this project also attracts school and university students for research purposes,” Sultan said.
The Jurassic plants, meanwhile, keep growing in their controlled habitat – one plant even hitting the nearly 10-metre-high roof– apparently unaware they are in the 21st century, in the UAE summer.
Did you know? Some of the first flowering plants are apparently older than bees and depended on other insects like beetles to pollinate
Museum details - What: Rare trees such as tree fern, magnolia, cycad, horsetail and pygmy date palm
- Where: Sharjah Botanical Museum, Interchange 9, Dhaid (Airport) Road
- When: Opening hours Sunday to Thursday 9am–5.30pm, Friday 2pm–5.30pm, Saturday 11am – 5.30pm (Closed on Tuesday)
- Contact:
    06-531 1411 - How much: Adults: Dh15; Children: (12-16 years) Dh5; Under 12: Free; Schools: Dh2 per student; University students: Dh5
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