THIS EDITION WRITTEN AND RESEARCHED BY

Jenny Walker, Stuart Butler, Anthony Ham, Andrea Schulte-Peevers

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EmiratesArabiaSaudi

OmanBahrain

Kuwait

Qatar United Arab

Oman

Yemen

Oman, UAE & Arabian Peninsula

©Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd

PLAN YOUR TRIP ON THE ROAD

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SHARQIYA SANDS, OMAN P155

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Welcome to Oman, UAE & Arabian Peninsula . . . . .6

Oman, UAE & Arabian Peninsula Map . . . . . . . . . .8

Arabia’s Top 15 . . . . . . . . .10

Need to Know . . . . . . . . . .18

If You Like . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Month by Month . . . . . . . 24

Itineraries . . . . . . . . . . . . .27

Expats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

Countries at a Glance . . 42

BAHRAIN . . . . . . . . . . 46Manama . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47Bahrain Fort Complex . . . . 62A’Ali . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63Sar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63King Fahd Causeway . . . . . 64Al-Jasra . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64Riffa Fort . . . . . . . . . . . . . .64Bahrain International Circuit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64Al-Areen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65Tree of Life . . . . . . . . . . . . 66Oil Museum . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66Muharraq Island . . . . . . . . 66Understand Bahrain . . . . 68

Bahrain Today . . . . . . . . . . . 68History . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69People & Society . . . . . . . . 71Arts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72Environment . . . . . . . . . . . . 72Survival Guide . . . . . . . . . 73

KUWAIT . . . . . . . . . . . 78Kuwait City . . . . . . . . . . . 79Failaka Island . . . . . . . . . . 99Fahaheel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99Al-Ahmadi . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99Ras Al-Zour . . . . . . . . . . . . 99Wafrah Farms . . . . . . . . . . 100Entertainment City . . . . . 100

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Contents

Al-Jahra . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100Mutla Ridge . . . . . . . . . . . 100Understand Kuwait . . . 101Kuwait Today . . . . . . . . . . . 101History . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102People & Society . . . . . . . 106Religion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107Arts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108Environment . . . . . . . . . . . 108Survival Guide . . . . . . . . 110

OMAN . . . . . . . . . . . . .116Muscat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117Seeb . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141Bandar Jissah . . . . . . . . . 142

Yitti . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142Wadi Mayh .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..143Bandar Khayran . . . . . . . 143Al-Seifa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143Qurayat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144Mazara . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144Sur & the Eastern Coast . . . . . . . . 144Sur . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144Ayjah . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147Sinkhole Park (Hawiyat Najm Park) . . . . 147Mountain Road to Jaylah . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148Wadi Shab . . . . . . . . . . . . 148Tiwi . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148Wadi Tiwi . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149Qalhat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149Ras al-Jinz . . . . . . . . . . . . 150Ras al-Hadd . . . . . . . . . . . 151Al-Ashkarah . . . . . . . . . . . 151Al-Ashkarah to Shana’a Road . . . . . . . . . . 152Jalan Bani Bu Hassan & Jalan Bani Bu Ali . . . . . 152Al-Kamil . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153Wadi Bani Khalid . . . . . . . 153Jaylah . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154Wadi Khabbah & Wadi Tayein . . . . . . . . . . . 154Al-Mintirib . . . . . . . . . . . . 155Sharqiya (Wahiba) Sands . . . . . . . . 155Ibra . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157Sinaw . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159Masirah . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159Nizwa & the Mountains . . . . . . . . . . . 162Nizwa & Around . . . . . . . . 162Mountain Road via Hatt & Wadi Bani Awf . . . 165Birkat Al-Mawz . . . . . . . . 166Jebel Akhdar . . . . . . . . . . 166

Jebel Shams . . . . . . . . . . 167Bahla . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169Jabrin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170Bat & Al-Ayn . . . . . . . . . . . 170Ibri . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .171Buraimi . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .171Sohar & Batinah Plain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .172Sohar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172Nakhal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174Wadi Bani Awf . . . . . . . . . 174Rustaq . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174Wadi Hoqain . . . . . . . . . . . 175Barka . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175Sawadi . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176Damanayat Islands . . . . . 177The Musandam Peninsula . . . . . . . . . . . .177Khasab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177Khasab–Tibat Road . . . . 180The Musandam Khors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181Jebel Harim . . . . . . . . . . . 182Rawdah Bowl . . . . . . . . . . 182Dhofar, Salalah & Southern Oman . . . . . . 182Salalah & Around . . . . . . . 182Ubar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191Duqm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191Hayma . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192Jaaluni . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192Understand Oman . . . . 193Oman Today . . . . . . . . . . . 193History . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 194People & Society . . . . . . . 195Religion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196Arts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197Environment . . . . . . . . . . . 198Food & Drink . . . . . . . . . . .200Survival Guide . . . . . . . . 201

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QATAR . . . . . . . . . . . 209Doha . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 210Al-Wakrah & Al-Wukair. . . 226Mesaieed . . . . . . . . . . . . . 226Khor Al-Adaid . . . . . . . . . . 226Umm Salal Mohammed . . . . . . . . . . . . 227Umm Salal Ali . . . . . . . . . 227Al-Khor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 227Al-Ghariya . . . . . . . . . . . . 228Al-Ruweis . . . . . . . . . . . . . 228Al-Zubara . . . . . . . . . . . . 228Bir Zekreet . . . . . . . . . . . 229Understand Qatar . . . . . 229Qatar Today . . . . . . . . . . . . 229History . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231People & Society . . . . . . . 232Arts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 233Environment . . . . . . . . . . . 234Survival Guide . . . . . . . . 235

SAUDI ARABIA . . . . 241Riyadh . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 243Camel Market & Races . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .250Dir’aiyah . . . . . . . . . . . . .250Sand Dunes . . . . . . . . . . . .250Hejaz . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 250Jeddah . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .250Taif. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 256Yanbu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 256Madain Saleh & the North . . . . . . . . . . . . 257Al-Ula & Around. . . . . . . . 257Madain Saleh . . . . . . . . . 259Asir . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 261Abha & Around. . . . . . . . . 261Farasan Islands . . . . . . . . 265Eastern Province . . . . 265Understand Saudi Arabia . . . . . . . . . 266

Saudi Arabia Today . . . . . 266History . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 266People & Society . . . . . . . 268Religion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 270Arts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 271Environment . . . . . . . . . . . 272Survival Guide . . . . . . . . 273

UNITED ARAB EMIRATES . . . . . . . . 284Dubai . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 285Al Maha Desert Resort & Spa . . . . . . . . . . . 310Bab Al Shams Desert Resort & Spa . . . . . . . . . . . 310Hatta . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 310Northern Emirates . . . . .311Sharjah . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 311Sharjah Desert Park . . . . 317Ajman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 318Umm Al Quwain . . . . . . . . 319Ras Al Khaimah . . . . . . . . 321Khatt Hot Springs . . . . . . 325Abu Dhabi . . . . . . . . . . . 325Al Gharbia . . . . . . . . . . . 335Madinat Zayed . . . . . . . . . 335Liwa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 336Abu Dhabi to Sila . . . . . . . 338

Sir Bani Yas Island. . . . . . 338Al Ain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .340Jebel Hafeet . . . . . . . . . . .344East Coast . . . . . . . . . . . 344Fujairah City . . . . . . . . . . .344Khor Fakkan . . . . . . . . . . . 347Badiyah . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 347Al Aqah . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .348Dibba . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .348Understand United Arab Emirates . . . . . . . . 349History . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .349Government & Politics . . 351Economy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 351People & Society . . . . . . . 352Arts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 353Environment . . . . . . . . . . . 354Survival Guide . . . . . . . . 355

YEMEN . . . . . . . . . . . 362Sanaʻa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 363Wadi Dhahr . . . . . . . . . . . . 374The Haraz Mountains and Around . . . . . . . . . . 374Shibam . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 375Kawkaban . . . . . . . . . . . . . 375Thilla (Thula) . . . . . . . . . . 376Hababah . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 376

SURVIVAL GUIDE

UNDERSTAND

SPECIAL FEATURES

Expats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

Hajj: the Ultimate Traveller’s Tale . . . . . . . 436

Flavours of Arabia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 459

Safe Travel . . . . . . . . . . 476 Hajj in History Although only Muslims are permitted to participate in hajj, non-Muslims travelling in the region at the time of the annual pilgrimage can’t help but be swept into the same sense of expectation and excitement as carhorns and gun fire crackle the air, signalling the passage of the faithful.It immediately becomes apparent that this is no ordinary journey – it is

a journey of extreme significance, anticipated from childhood, a source of inspiration in adulthood and a comfort in old age.

This is the story of hajj – the ultimate traveller’s tale.

In the Beginning Unlike most travellers’ tales that are ad hoc by nature, hajj is a highly ritualised journey governed by tradition. Many aspects of the pilgrimage observable today have easily discernible roots in the history of hajj. That history can be traced to the story of Ibrahim (Abraham of the Old Testa-ment), considered today as the founding father of the hajj tradition. The story goes like this.

The Search for Water During his lifetime, Ibrahim’s faith was tested many times. One trial in-volved taking his wife, Hajjar, and infant son, Ismail (Ishmael), to Arabia. Obeying Allah’s command to leave them in Allah’s hands, Ibrahim left Hajjar and Ismail in a dry valley with little food. Soon supplies ran out, and Hajjar began roaming the valley in a frantic search for sustenance. Eventually, failing to find anything, she fell to the ground in despair.

Pilgrims today commemorate that search for water by performing the sa’ee, walking seven times between the two hills of Safa and Marwah in Mecca.

Founding of Mecca Ismail was now crying from hunger and thirst, so Hajjar prayed to Allah for help. As Ismail wailed, he stamped his foot upon the ground and sud-denly up gushed a spring of water.

They named the spring Zamzam and in time, caravans and nomads began to water their camels there. Soon a desert settlement formed around the well. That settlement was Mecca, and Zamzam is the only natural source of water in the city to this day.

Rejecting Temptation Ibrahim’s greatest trial was still to come. Allah commanded him to take his son to the mountains and there slay him. Determined to demon-strate the strength of his faith, Ibrahim obeyed the commandment but on the way to the mountains, Shaitan (the Devil) intervened, harrying, cajoling, taunting and mocking Ibrahim to give up his mission. On the point of despair, Ibrahim overcame his temptation by throwing stones at Shaitan.

This act is commemorated today by the stoning of the jamrah (pillars) hin Mina today.

Sacrice When Ibrahim arrived at the appointed place with knife drawn against his son’s neck, he was commanded by Allah to allow Ismail to live, and to sacrifice a ram in his place.

This is remembered during Eid al-Adha (Festival of Sacrifice), when Muslims all over the world perform a ritual sacrifice, usually of a cow, sheep or goat, which is then prepared for family feasting.

Commitment to Pilgrimage Ibrahim continued to visit Mecca. One day, Allah commanded him to build a house of worship and called on all believers to make the pilgrim-age to Mecca. Ibrahim and Ismail constructed the Kaaba, a cube-shaped building, for worship.

Books: Firsthand Accounts

of HajjOne Thousand

Roads to Mecca:Ten Centuries of Travelers Writing About the Mus-lim Pilgrimage, Michael Wolfe,

1999

The Hajj, FE Peters, 1995

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Above Pilgrims at Mecca

Anyone who counts themselves as a traveller can’t fail to be fascinated by hajj – the sin-gle largest annual travel event in the world. In the airports of the Middle East, the sense of anticipation among the Islamic pilgrims, dressed uniformly in simple white robes, is tangible as people congregate to perform this once-in-a-lifetime journey.

Hajj: the Ultimate Traveller’s Tale

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Contents

At-Tawila . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 376Al-Mahwit . . . . . . . . . . . . . 377Manakhah & Around . . . . 377Northern Yemen . . . . . . 378Amran . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 378Hajja . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 379Shaharah . . . . . . . . . . . . . 379Sa’da . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 379Tihama (Red Sea Coast) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 379Al-Hudayda . . . . . . . . . . . .380Kamaran Island . . . . . . . .380Jabal Bura . . . . . . . . . . . . 381Beit al-Faqih . . . . . . . . . . . 382Zabid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 382Al-Makha . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 383Southern Yemen . . . . . . 384Ibb . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .384Ta’izz . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 385Aden . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 386Eastern Yemen . . . . . . . 388Ma’rib . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 388Shabwa . . . . . . . . . . . . . .390Al-Mukalla . . . . . . . . . . . . .390Socotra . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 391Wadi Hadramawt . . . . . 394Shibam . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .394Sayun . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 395

Tarim . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .396Wadi Daw’an . . . . . . . . . . .396Understand Yemen . . . . 397Yemen Today . . . . . . . . . . . 397History . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .398Government & Politics . .399Economy . . . . . . . . . . . . . .400People & Society . . . . . . .400Religion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 401Arts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 401Food & Drink . . . . . . . . . . .402Survival Guide . . . . . . . . 403

Oman, UAE & Arabian Peninsula Today . . . . . . .412

History . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .415

The Culture . . . . . . . . . . 423

Hajj: the Ultimate Traveller’s Tale . . . . . . . 436

Islam . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 449

Flavours of Arabia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 459

The Natural Environment . . . . . . . . . 468

Safe Travel . . . . . . . . . . . 476

Directory A–Z . . . . . . . . 481

Transport in the Arabian Peninsula . . . . 490

Health . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 499

Language . . . . . . . . . . . . 504

Glossary . . . . . . . . . . . . . 509

Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .513

Sana‘aAncient souqs in labyrinthine

alleyways (p367)

Red SeaSpectacular underwater

snorkelling and diving (p274)

Madain SalehSaudi’s whimsical

answer to Petra (p259)

Kuwait CityIconic towers and

exquisite crafts (p82)

A D E NG U L F O F

DeadSea

Aqa

ba

Gul

f of

Gulf of Suez

R E DS E A

Tigris

Euphrates Basra

Rafha

KUWAIT CITY

Abadan

Hafr Al-Batn

Al-Majma'ah

Al-Artawiyah

Ar-Rass

Dukhnah

Buraydah

RIYADHDir'aiyah

Layla

Sharqa

Al-Kharj

SulayyilBisha

Khamis Mushayt

Al-Khamasin

Wuday'ah

SharurahNajranAl-Janoub

Sa'da

SANA'AThilla Ma'rib

Al-Rawdah

Ta'izz

Aden

Turaif

Sakaka

Bir ibn Himas

Ma'an

Al-Hadithah

AqabaHaql

Al-Bad

Suez

Hail

Al-Ghazala

Tabuk

Al-UlaAl-Wajh

Taima

MedinaYanbu

Jeddah Mecca

Rabigh

Ash ShaykhHamayd

Luxor

Aswan

Dhuba

Taif

Al-Shafa

Al-BahaPort Sudan

Zalim

Shaharah

Al-Hudayda

Zabid

Jizan

Abha

Prov

ision

al

Old

Sau

di A

rabi

a

MadainSaleh

HarazMountains

Mt Sinai(2285m)

H E

J A Z E

S C A

R P M

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(2910m)Jebel Soudah

48ºE

36ºE

24ºN

20ºN

40ºE

LakeNasser

FarasanIslands

Tropic of Cancer

Ramlatas-Sab'atayn

Al-Nafud

Sinai

A S I R

M O

U N

T A

I N S

I R A Q

KUWAIT

Y E M E N

ISRAEL &PALESTINIANTERRITORIES

E G Y P T

J O R D A N

E G Y P T

S U D A N

E R I T R E A

E T H I O P I A

S A U D IA R A B I A

D J I B O U T I

Oman, UAE & Arabian Peninsula

Khor Al-AdaidOff-road adventure around

inland sea (p226)

Doha’s CornicheA modern miracle ofreclaimed land (p214)

Bahrain FortOne of Arabia’s

thousand forts (p62)

DhofarGroves of wild

frankincense trees (p182)

Sharqiya SandsMagical dunes fringed

with turtles (p155)

ShibamAncient origins of

the skyscraper (p394)

SharjahThe region’s densest

museum cluster (p311)

DubaiBurj Khalifa: the world’s

tallest building (p291)

MuscatEncounter Islam in theGrand Mosque (p128)

Jebel ShamsVertiginous views of Arabia’s

‘Grand Canyon’ (p167)

MasirahGulf of

S E AA R A B I A N

of HormuzStrait

G U L FT H E

Bay

Ghubbatal-Qamar

O M A N G U L F O F

Suqrah

Sharqiya

Dhofar

MUSCAT

Sur

Al-Ashkarah

Shiraz

Bandar-e Abbas

FujairahSharjah

Dibba

al-KhaimahRas

Ajman

Sohar

Nizwa

DHABIABU Buraimi

Al Ain

Dubai

DammamMANAMA

Nairiyah

DhahranQatif

Al-Khobar

Jubail

Haradh

Al-Hofuf DOHA

DuqmHaimah

Taqah

Sarfait

MirbatSalalah

Qusay'ir

Al-GhaydaSayun

Bir 'Ali

Al-Mukalla

Shwaymiyah

Barka

Undemarcated

Bor

der

Saudi Arabia – Yemen Border

–

Yemen Border

nretsaE

raja

s

H

srajaHradhk

etse

W

lebeJ nrA

24ºN

20ºN

16ºN

12ºN56ºE52ºE

MasirahIsland of

IslandsKuria Muria

(Yemen)Socotra Island

Tropic of Cancer

Hadd

SandsSharqiya

Ras al

PeninsulaMusandam

Liwa

OasisAl-Hasa

Ra's Fartak

QuarterThe Empty

I R A N

OMAN

QATARBAHRAIN

S A U D I

E M I R A T E SU N I T E D A R A B

O M A N

A R A B I A

Jebel Shams

150 miles300 km0

0

ShibamHadramawt

Wadi

1000m

1500m

2000m

2500m

500m

0

ELEVATION

For an introduction to the Peninsula that weaves between modern and ancient, begin your visit with two days in Doha, with its skyline of 21st-century architectural gems. Loiter with falcons in Souq Waqif and visit the exceptional Museum of Islamic Art to understand that the modern Gulf is built on inherited Arab values.

Fly to Dubai for three days to see a city obsessed with the newest, the biggest and the best, and visit that totem of superlatives, Burj Khalifa. Resurrect the past in a dhow trip along the Dubai Creek and visit Al Fahidi Historical Neighbourhood.

Fly on to Muscat for two days for a low-rise, understated experience of modern Ara-bia, catching a show in the city’s magnificent Royal Opera House. See how 40 years of ‘renaissance’ has created a modern nation strongly underpinned by a respect for the past in a four-day tour of the heritage sites of Nizwa and Bahla. Forget history and think timelessness by hiking on top of lofty Jebel Shams, camel riding with the Bedu across Sharqiya Sands and watching turtles return to the beach of their birth at Ras al-Jinz en route back to Muscat.

Best of Oman, UAE & Arabian Peninsula

Bahla

Sands

Ras al-JinzSharqiya

Nizwa

ShamsJebel

DOHA

Dubai

MUSCAT

OMAN

QATAR

BAHRAIN

ARABIASAUDI

OMAN

EMIRATESUNITED ARAB

Itineraries

2 WEEKS

27

The Gulf Experience

Hawar Islands

Khor al-Adaid

Liwa Oasis

MANAMA

ABU DHABI

KUWAIT CITY

DOHA

Dubai

KUWAIT

QATAR

BAHRAIN

SAUDI ARABIA

OMAN

EMIRATESUNITED ARAB

OMAN

3 WEEKS

Spend the first four days in dry and traditional Kuwait City, learning the sensory vocab of Arabia – the haggling in Souq Marbarakia, the haunting call to prayer, the wafts of sheesha (waterpipes used to smoke tobacco) from outdoor coffeeshops. Add to the Ara-bian lexicon by tracing similarities between Peninsula cultures at Tareq Rajab Museum with its priceless collection of regional jewellery, costumes and manuscripts. Old Arabia is only half the equation: leave time to explore the urban landscape of high-rise towers – the quintessential icons of modernity in the Gulf – before flying to Bahrain for four days (political situation allowing).

Oil is responsible for Arabia’s rapid propulsion into the 21st century: see how in Bah-rain’s Oil Museum and enjoy some of the glamour of wealth at the Formula One racing circuit. Pearls gave the Gulf its former livelihood: buy a string at Gold City in Manama or dive for your own off the Hawar Islands before flying on to Doha for four days.

Both pearls and black gold have helped Qatar, with its commitment to hosting inter-national sports, compete with the best. And what a venue Doha makes, with one of the most spectacular modern skylines in the world built on land reclaimed from the sea. Visit Khor al-Adaid in southern Qatar and watch the inland sea get its own back as it encroaches ever deeper into the interior sand dunes.

You can continue to walk on water – or rather, on reclaimed land – in Abu Dhabi where you will spend the next three days discovering how and why it has become the cultural as well as the political capital of United Arab Emirates. For contrast with the high-voltage Gulf city, escape to Liwa Oasis for two days. Here life moves at the pace of a camel’s stride or a trade wind shunting sand across the tops of the dunes.

Unless you’re a modern-day Thesiger, you’ll soon be missing the dynamism of the urban experience, and in this respect the best has been kept until last. Spend your final four days in and around Dubai, discovering what makes it the most internationally famous city of the region. Swim with dolphins, shop with sharks, view the city from the world’s tallest tower and dine underwater in the Gulf’s most ‘Yes we can’ city.

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Top: Mutrah Souq (p138), Muscat, Oman

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Oman

29PLAN

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Pan-Peninsula: Five Countries in Five Weeks

SurRas al-Hadd

Masirah

Duqm

MughsailSalalah

Thumrait

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5 WEEKS

Spend the first two weeks of the journey enjoying the Gulf experience with four days in each of the virtual city states of Kuwait City, Manama and Doha. Fly to Dubai and begin week three with your head in the clouds on top of the world’s tallest tower, the Burj Khalifa, or admire this Dubai icon from another symbol of the vertical, Burj al-Arab. Cruise the Dubai Creek to see how height dominates the city. Transfer to the UAE’s sophisticated capital Abu Dhabi: what the turrets of the Emirates Palace lack in height, they make up for in light bulbs.

With the city-centric part of the journey over, escape to the starry skies and apricot-coloured dunes of Al Ain. Allow time to wander through souqs of grumbling camels and listen for the ghost of intrepid desert explorer Thesiger, commemorated in the fort museum.

Begin week four by crossing the border via Buraimi to Ibri in Oman. This is the land of a thousand aged towers and fortifications, gracing mountain top and wadi’s edge, and it’s easy to feel the spirit of the ancients in their burial towers at Bat. Continue through the castle towns of Jabrin and Bahla to Nizwa where the mighty Jebel Shams towers over this heritage city.

Take a complete break from the vertical by journeying across the edge of the Empty Quarter on the flat and utterly featureless highway to Thumrait. The descent into Salalah, Oman’s southern capital, after 10 hours of stony-plain monotony is sublime, especially during the rainy season when the desert turns green. End week four among the frankincense trees near Mughsail and see where the precious resin was traded at Al-Baleed and the ancient harbour of Khor Rouri.

With a car, begin week five by skirting the Arabian Sea from Salalah (via Hasik when the coast road is completed) to Duqm, pausing for a night on floating hotel Veronica. Complete a lap of Masirah to understand the true meaning of the term ‘desert island’ before continuing along the auburn edge of the Sharqiya sands to Ras al-Hadd. Spend a day in Sur, where the lighthouses of Ayjah guide dhows to safe haven, before heading to journey’s end in the hospitable city of Muscat.

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Easy Escape from Dubai

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Leave the city for a gentler pace by head-ing north to Sharjah with its historic wind towers of the Heritage Area and the cultural riches of the nearby Arts Area. Arrive for lunch at Sharjah Desert Park overlooking ostrich, oryx and gazelle. On day two, wind through the northern Emir-ates to the Shams/Tibat border and enter Oman’s fabled Musandam Peninsula. Enjoy the spectacular drive along the cliff-hugging road to Khasab and time your arrival for a snorkel and sunset cruise on a dhow in Musandam’s celebrated deep-water khors (creeks). Spend day three ascending by 4WD to Jebel Harim and descend to Rawdah Bowl for a picnic be-side a ‘House of Locks’. Retrace your steps to Khasab ready to board the evening fast ferry to Muscat: entering Mutrah har-bour lit up with night lights is a magical experience. Visit Mutrah Souq and the old quarter of Muscat on day four. On day five, head west to the old capital cities of Na-khal and Rustaq with their magnificent forts. Break your journey back to Dubai at the beautiful beach resort at Sawadi or stretch into an extra day by staying over-night at the growing town of Sohar.

Easy Escape from Kuwait

For the complete antithesis of life in Ku-wait City, take a three-centre trip to Oman and the UAE. Fly on day one to Muscat and be immediately struck by the more tolerant attitudes towards dress and entertainment. Spend day two at a beach-side hotel and enjoy a swim in a sea with waves, followed by sundowners and danc-ing in a local nightclub. On day three, be reminded of what mountains and orchards look like in a day trip to Jebel Akhdar and hike in that rare medium of pure, dry, fresh air. On day four, fly down to Salalah where the subtropical climate, rich green-ery (especially in summer), cooler climate and more casual atmosphere will feel like another continent. On day five, relax with a spa and fresh papaya at your seaside resort, go snorkelling or visit the spectacu-lar blowholes at Mughsail, located in a landscape untrammelled by oil pipelines and nodding donkeys. On day six, swap the rural idyll for the urban wild side by flying into Dubai for some extreme shopping, dining and partying. On day seven, button up the collar for the return to a very differ-ent Gulf experience in Kuwait.

1 WEEK

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EmiratesArabiaSaudi

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On the Road