Ras Al Khaimah
It’s the emirate you’ve never heard of, and a welcome antidote to the showmanship and excesses of Dubai – for now at least. The northernmost emirate, Ras Al Khaimah, is only 40 minutes by car from Dubai international airport, and is quickly emerging as an open tourist destination for the savvy traveller. Unlike in Dubai, genuine Emirati culture is still highly visible. There are several mosques worth seeing, from the ornate Sheik Zayed in the Corniche region to the traditional Mohammad Bin Salem mosque, built from coral and beach rock. Other highlights are the working date farms and the historic Dhaya fort, built in the 19th century on prehistoric ruins. The refurbished national museum of Ras Al Khaimah will teach you everything you need to know about the emirate’s history (although in summer you could be lured to just about any attraction with the promise of decent AC). The 1,235-acre Al Wadi nature reserve is far from the sparse sandpit I expected.
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