I have spent many a night in the fort at Sharjah (when it was occupied by IAL). I could always imagine the old days when the Imperial Airways HP42 landed and taxied up to the front gates and the passengers made a dash towards civilisation to have the doors clang shut behind them.
I particularly remember the concrete soldiers that manned the parapets and often wondered just who was intimidated or fooled by these apparitions.
Even after Sharjah got its tarmac runway (which was only 100 feet wide) the old airfield datum point was still there to the west of the new runway.
To the youngsters in our midst, this was a tarmac circle which sometimes had the airfield letter in the centre. Would you believe, the Sharjah one had an "S" in the centre.
I can also remember one at Riyan and another at the old landing field in Masirah (half way down the island on the left hand side).