The government of Sharjah has announced plans to build an amphitheatre, as part of its new Al-Majaz Island project.

The island will serve as the official venue for the Sharjah Capital of Islamic Culture’s 2014 celebration and will house the first open-air amphitheatre in the region.

The amphitheatre will cost AED120m ($32.7m) to build and will cover an area of 7,238 square metres. It will be able to house up to 4,500 spectators and will include conference rooms, galleries, shops, restaurants and green areas.

Al-Majaz Island will be linked to Sharjah’s Khalid Lagoon Street by a new $3.5m bridge.

A contract for the island’s development has been awarded to the local Gulf International Engineering Consultants and Emirates Stone. The bridge deal has been awarded to Qatar’s Al-Darwish Engineering and the UK’s Halcrow Group.

Construction on the island has already commenced and the project is set to be completed early next year.