Muscat
This large and attractive park boasts a lake and shade for picnics. A fun park called Marah Land sits alongside, inviting families to make a day of it.
Must-see attractions in Arabian Peninsula
Kuwait City
It was the pride of Kuwait and contained one of the most important collections of Islamic art in the world until the 1990 Iraqi invasion. Sadly, the…
Oman
The ruined tomb of Bibi Miriam is about all that remains of the 2nd-century settlement of Qalhat, one of the most ancient sites in Oman. There’s not much…
Sharjah
Among the most beautiful of Sharjah's 600 mosques, with its architecture based on traditional Ottoman design, Al Noor has a dream setting overlooking the…
Kuwait City
Although not strictly open to the casual caller, the impressive Arab Fund Building, with a host of exceptionally beautiful rooms, is worth the trouble of…
Qatar
This profusion of petroglyphs – some 900 rock carvings depicting fish, cups in rows, rosettes, ships and foot marks – in northern Qatar has been seen by…
Khasab
Buried in the heart of town (brown signs show the way), this small fortified house sports two cannons at the doorway, a renovated well in the courtyard…
Kuwait
The grand Red Fort is a fine example of early Kuwaiti architecture. Named for the red clay used to build it between 1914-15, during the reign of the…
United Arab Emirates
This sprawling village recreates the Hatta of yore. It's housed in the ruler’s restored historic fort with a majlis (reception room), a traditional…
Sharjah
This wildlife centre packs four venues into a 1-sq-km package, including a natural-history museum, a botanical museum and a children's farm where kids get…
United Arab Emirates
Like a kooky mirage, a pyramid-shaped structure rises from the desert sands some 45km south of Abu Dhabi on the lonely highway that leads to the Liwa…
Dhofar
Identified in 1997, this 90 million cu metre–sinkhole is one of the largest of its kind in the world. Elliptical in shape, it has a depth of 250m and is…
Abu Dhabi
There was a time when no self-respecting Gulf city would be seen without a giant concrete coffeepot. Those days have gone, for better or for worse, but a…
Northern Saudi Arabia
Arabia's only 'elephant' is a huge red rock three storeys in height. The enormous 'body' connects to a slimmer 'trunk' that bulges in just the right areas…
Oman
This fertile wadi, accessible only by 4WD, offers one of the easiest off-road experiences of the region and an intimate view of life under the date palms…
Manama
Built in 1992 by Sheikh Isa Bin Salman Al Khalifa, this mosque is easily identified by its unique minaret, which (unusually for a mosque) also serves as a…
Bahrain
An ancient defence fort built around 1840 to spot invading boats, the Bu Mahir Fort stares out across a bay to the high rises of Manama, making it an…
Masirah Island
Jebel Humr (274m) is the highest point of Masirah’s hilly backbone and a climb up this flat-topped mountain is recommended for the wonderful view of the…
Bur Dubai
Until the completion of a new temple in Abu Dhabi in 2020, only a tiny and ageing double-shrine, tucked behind the Grand Mosque since 1958, serves the UAE…
Bahrain
This grand white stone building, complete with neoclassical pillars, looks odd surrounded by nodding donkeys and sprawling pipelines, but this is where …
Northern Saudi Arabia
This is one of the substations located just before the Hejaz Railway terminated at the holy city of Medina. Today this tiny station block and its fort –…
Kuwait City
Forming part of the National Museum complex, this series of dark corridors is built like pre-oil Kuwaiti streets, with displays full of antiques, plus…
Nizwa
Nizwa was once a major centre for Islamic scholarship, and two aged mosques, among the oldest in the world, have survived since the early 7th century…
Kuwait
In this self-congratulatory introduction to the Kuwait Oil Company (KOC) and the country's oil business, bilingual display boards provide an intro to…
Northern Saudi Arabia
Tucked away in a sandy valley between a series of rocky, black mountains, this Hejaz Railway substation sits abandoned and alone in a barren and desolate…
Bahrain
This beach won't win any Blue Flag awards for cleanliness, but if you do find yourself this far south, it's a nice enough spot to cool off. The clean,…
Oman
These hot springs attract visitors who believe the water issuing from under the ground at Al Kasfah has therapeutic properties. As a result, the…
Oman
The fish market, built in the shape of a dhow (traditional wooden fishing vessel), punctuates the northern end of the Corniche. It's fun to visit early in…
Riyadh
This verdant swath about an hour outside the city is a worthwhile day trip for hikers and birdwatchers. Camping is allowed, so overnighters have the…
Hajar Mountains
This traditional mountain village is something of a landmark along the remote off-road route from Wadi Bani Awf to Sharfat Al Alamayn. With the most…
Oman
This aged lighthouse is a prominent landmark in Ayjah, including for the goats who for some reason like to congregate under the three-storey stone tower…
King Abdul Aziz Heritage Castle
Northern Saudi Arabia
This little fort was built by the founder of Saudi Arabia, King Abdul Aziz, early in the 20th century. It's square-shaped, with a central courtyard and a…
Masirah Island
Little is known about the history of Masirah island, except that it was once inhabited by Bahriya tribespeople, shipwrecked from Salalah. They were wiped…
Bahrain
A complex of three 2nd and 3rd millennium BC temples centred around a freshwater spring believed to be dedicated to the Mesopotamian god of wisdom and…
United Arab Emirates
The long strip of wide sandy public beach that trails along the Corniche Rd is decently clean and well maintained (though it can’t compare to the…
Dhofar
Botanists may be surprised to find a small stand of baobab trees gracing the thickets just above the Salalah Plain. These magnificent giants, their trunks…
Sharjah
This teensy museum was Sharjah's first school, and three rooms have been set up to show what classrooms would have looked like 70 years ago while framed…
Oman
An integral part of the landscape of Ayjah, and visible from the corniche in Sur, these three small round towers made of sandstone once guided dhows to…
Northern Saudi Arabia
Built in 1875 towards the end of the Ottoman period as the headquarters of the municipality, this rectangular fort with its surveillance tower and small…
Oman
At the first bend in the road that leads through Wadi Bani Kharus from the village of Al Awabi, there's a great slab of smooth pale-grey rock on the…
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