There is a sense of power and purpose in the room as we gather beneath the main dome at the Sharjah Museum of Islamic Civilization, where Emirates Woman has gathered six Emirati women to mark Emirati Women’s Day. Dressed in outfits and jewellery from Her Highness Sheikha Bodour bint Sultan Al Qasimi’s brand Inanna Reborn, the women proudly stand shoulder to shoulder as striking embodiments of both their shared heritage and how far Emirati women have come. Sheikha Bodour, who founded the label as an extension of her own research into the region’s forgotten queens, notes that “when a woman puts on these pieces, I want her to feel the weight of her own history. I want her to remember that her power is generational, that it lies deep inside her soul, and that it’s ready to be awakened, because ultimately this is luxury shaped by memory, not trend.”

This year, for the first time since Emirati Women’s Day was established in 2015, Her Highness Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak, Chairwoman of the General Women’s Union, President of the Supreme Council for Motherhood and Childhood and Supreme Chairwoman of the Family Development Foundation, decided that one day to celebrate the many accomplishments of Emirati women was not enough. She announced that the celebration would be extended to a full month, running from 28 August through 28 September, under the theme We Emerge Stronger and Better. Sheikha Fatima explained that her decision to broaden the initiative was a natural progression. “As the horizon of ambition expands with you and through you, our celebration this year will not be limited to a single day,” she said in a statement. She called the theme a reflection of “a spirit that does not stop at achievement and is not satisfied with what has been accomplished, but looks to tomorrow with ambition and responsibility.”

The golden-domed building hosting the shoot carries its own history, having reopened as the Sharjah Museum of Islamic Civilization in 2008 under the direction of His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah and Sheikha Bodour’s father. It now holds more than 5,000 artefacts spanning 14 centuries of Islamic civilisation. It is here that Sheikha Bodour wanted to gather to reflect on the decade behind Emirati Women’s Day, saying “when I look back over the past 10 years, three major shifts stand out to me, the first is confidence — the young Emirati women that I meet today speak about their ambitions with this incredible self-assurance, they know they belong in rooms they walk into, whether that room is a government cabinet or a laboratory or a space mission.”

The second shift, she says, is presence, “our women are now visible across every sector, when I travel, people around the world know our doctors, our diplomats, our scientists, and our creatives, and it’s completely shifted the global understanding of what an Arab woman can achieve.” What moves her most, though, is the third, “the concept of inheritance,” the belief that “our achievements today are not the starting line, they are the continuation, carried forward by women who have always been the resilient, resourceful, backbone of their communities.” That same sense of continuity, she says, is what draws her back to the museum itself, which she calls “a living, breathing portrait of a civilization that once led the world in science, in scholarship, in art,” a place where she wants every Emirati woman to feel “that they carry an inheritance that is far richer and far older than the world often tells them.”

Ahlam Bolooki, CEO of the Emirates Literature Foundation, says “the Emirati woman has always had a powerful role in our society, but the thing that Emirati Women’s Day has really shown us is the diversity of her roles and everything that she contributes to society in all fields.” She traces her own love of storytelling back to a region that, “being nomads, haven’t been able to carry heavy archives or loads and loads of books and libraries with us from place to place.” Relying instead on oral tales passed from one generation to the next. She says what draws her to literature is “the same thing that museums carry, it’s the artifacts that represent our everyday lives.” Bolooki wants that work to stay in Emirati hands and describes the modern Emirati woman as grounded in who she is, fearless, and always evolving.

Mera Al Qassim, the writer, poet and visual artist, says “heritage is part of my identity” and that her drawing and writing serve as “an extension of this heritage, which I can make expressive and complementary, and an extension of my country’s heritage.” She describes the museum itself as “characterised by preserving architectural heritage, calligraphy, and similar Arab arts,” adding that “heritage is not only preserved, but it is an extended living memory passed down from generation to generation.” That same idea runs through her own practice, where writing and visual art have let her connect the past with the present, embodying heritage in some way, whether through traditional dress or through colors, work she calls “an extended and continuous narrative that does not end.”

Nahla Al Fahad, the film director, calls Emirati Women’s Day “a powerful platform that celebrates Emirati women’s achievements, inspires future generations, and showcases our stories to the world through filmmaking, sharing authentic Emirati stories that reflect our values, culture, and identity.” Visiting the museum, she says, reminded her “of how rich our heritage is, and how every artifact carries a story that continues to shape who we are today,” and her own work, she adds, “has given me the opportunity to lead with purpose, inspire others, and bring meaningful stories to life.”

Nujoom Alghanem, film director, poet and artist, says, “Over the past decade, Emirati Women’s Day has strengthened the visibility and recognition of Emirati women’s achievements, inspiring broader regional conversations on women’s leadership, and at the same time presenting the UAE’s model of empowerment to the world.” She describes her own favourite way of expressing Emirati heritage as “storytelling, using film, poetry, and visual art to share the people and landscapes and memories, and perhaps the values that have shaped who we are.” She notes that every visit to the museum leaves her reassured “that everything on display, from manuscripts and scientific instruments to textiles, ceramics, and jewellery, reflects the richness and sophistications of Islamic civilization.” In terms of how her work is empowering Emirati women, she sees it as an avenue women can use “to be seen and heard in their full complexity, beyond story types, and through their own voices, experiences, and realities.”

Chef Mariam Al Mansoori, the culinary artist among the group, says, “Emirati Women’s Day has become a symbol of progress and opportunity, it celebrates the achievement of women across every sector while inspiring the future generation to dream bigger.” She expresses her own heritage through food “because it speaks a universal language,” adding that “every traditional dish reflects our history, hospitality, and the way of life,” and says visiting the museum “reminded me of a depth and richness of our heritage” that “highlighted creativity and tradition that shaped our nation.”

By the time all six women gather for the final group shot beneath the dome, dressed in Inanna Reborn pieces Sheikha Bodour hand selected for each woman to wear, the day has been one filled with rich conversations about literature, film, food, fashion, and the power of the written works. All the while the central message of Emirati Woman’s Day remained the throughline. That what these women do in their diverse fields carries something older forward rather than departing from it. It is a fitting note on which to end a celebration that, this year, finally refuses to be confined to a single day. and Sheikha Bodour puts it best when she reflects on what the day has come to mean beyond the UAE’s own borders. “Our story has resonated as a beautiful blueprint for how a nation can support its women. So today, we honor how far we’ve come, and we lay the stories for the next generation to dream even bigger.”

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