Real Sand Castles

We drove to Al Ain because the guide books say it is a must in order to experience Emirate culture and heritage. It is less of a westernized city than Abu Dhabi and Dubai but still modern. We hadn't really formulated a plan or agenda before our arrival so we followed the big brown "Tourist Destination" signs. It was a good thing that we did because all of the heritage sights are in the middle of neighborhoods and green parks. Like huge sand castles just popping up as we drive around the crazy traffic circles that are a common fixture in the travel structure of Gulf States. The first one that we came to was Al Jahli fort (pictured here) which was closed without explanantion but the sign stated that it had been built in 1895. Next we stopped at the Al Ain National Museum and Sultan fort built in 1910 where we learned the area is a desert oasis that according to archaelogical evidence has been continuously occuppied by bedouins for the last 4000 years.
In the museum ancient artifacts were mixed with photos dating only back to the 1960s. The photos are of the local area littered with bedouins and tents, and ancient looking markets. It's incredible to think that in less than 50 years this place has been completely transformed to modern buildings and transportation networks.


For Robert