Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Jabrin Castle
Unique painted ceilings distinguish this perfectly formed Omani castle. (
Click here
)
Qala'at al-Bahrain
Spectacular by night, Manama's fort looms over the sea. (
Click here
)
Nakhal Fort
Restored Omani forts at Nakhal (
Click here
) and Rustaq (
Click here
) guard the passes between desert plain
and mountain interior.
Al-Jahili Fort
This fort in Unesco heritage site Al Ain, in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), honours British desert vet-
eran Thesiger. (
Click here
)
Fujairah Fort
Part of a village reconstruction that shows the UAE has a history and not just a future. (
Click here
)
Najran Fort
This Saudi fort did take prisoners - unlike the Empty Quarter sands on which it stands. (
Click here
)
Al-Zubara Fort, Qatar
Interesting mostly for its location at the end of nowhere in the middle of nothing. (
Click here
)
Bahla Fort
After two decades of restoration, this magnificent castle and Unesco World Heritage Site dominates Oman's
village of magic, potters and ancient walls. (
Click here
)
Husn Thilla
Like most architecture in Yemen, this fort blends seemlessly into the rocky outcrop it is built upon. (
Click
here
)
Nizwa Fort
Castle buffs will like to know that a round tower makes Nizwa Fort unique in Arabia. (
Click here
)
Museums
Most of the big cities of the Gulf have invested in fine, and often quirky, collections of regional artefacts in an attempt to
capture their disappearing heritage.
Museum of Islamic Art
Doha's world-class museum is housed in an iconic IM Pei building. (
Click here
)
Tareq Rajab Museum
This stunning collection of regional crafts was mercifully saved the Gulf War devastation of
Kuwait's National Museum. (
Click here
)
Bahrain National Museum
This excellent ethnographical museum in Manama proves that there was indeed life before
oil. (
Click here
)
National Museum
,
Riyadh
A full-scale reconstruction of a Nabataean tomb saves the trouble of journeying to Madain
Saleh. (
Click here
)
Sharjah Heritage Area
A living museum of restored houses, museums and souqs captures the tiny Emirate's heyday.
(
Click here
)
Oil Museum, Bahrain
Marking the place where black gold was first struck in Arabia. (
Click here
)
Khasab Fort
Housed in a typical Omani fort, this is one of the best little ethnographic museums in the region. (
Click
here
)
Al-Jahili Fort
,
Al Ain, UAE
This 19th-century royal summer residence houses a fascinating museum showcasing the
desert travels of British explorer Wilfred Thesiger. (
Click here
)
National Museum, Sana'a
One of the biggest and best collections of pre-Islamic artefacts on the Peninsula. (
Click
here
)
Al-Qurain Martyrs' Museum
Discover what invasion meant to an ordinary family in a suburban house in Kuwait.
(
Click here
)
