Al Ain

Some 147,000 date palms fill the gardens with shaded paths threaded between them. Underground channels run below the trees and the water reaches each plot in turn.

Water is brought from the mountain through underground channels dug by hand, an old method. Records survive of how the shares were timed by sundial.

Twenty one bends carry the road to the summit at 1249m. From the car park at the top the desert runs on past the border.

Camels and goats actually change hands here, and the morning is busiest. Prices are quoted freely, though a photograph is asked about first.

The mud house in which the first president lived stands untouched, each room labelled with its use. Trees fill the courtyard, and the low rooms were built against the summer heat.

A circular tomb from the third millennium before our era stands restored on the lawn. Stones at its entrance carry carved figures of people and animals.

The Arabian oryx recovery programme ran here, and desert species carry the collection. A separate vehicle tour crosses the open enclosures.

Hot water rises at the base of Jebel Hafeet and gathers into pools. The mineral content gives it a smell, and there is a place for putting only your feet in.

Built in mud brick in 1891, with a round tower stepping up in four tiers. A standing exhibition of desert exploration photographs fills the courtyard.

Thermal water is led into streams across the lawns below the mountain. On weekend evenings families spread mats on the grass and stay late.

A mud-walled fort from the early 20th century, birthplace of Sheikh Khalifa, the second president of the UAE. Restored in 2015, it opened as an exhibition on his life. A glass gallery stands apart inside the walls, sharp against the pale courtyard.

A park at the foot of Jebel Hafeet scattered with beehive tombs stacked from stone about 5,000 years ago. They became part of the Cultural Sites of Al Ain, a UNESCO World Heritage listing, in 2011. In the late afternoon the cairns throw long shadows.

An old fort beside Al Qattara Oasis converted into art classrooms and galleries. Iron Age finds turned up during the restoration, and some are on display. It adjoins the shaded oasis paths, so a walk through the palm gardens fits in.

A lone rock outcrop in the desert north of Al Ain where caravans once stopped. Hafit-era stone tombs crown the hill, and traces of an Iron Age water channel lie below. Signs are few, so pin the spot on a map before setting off.

Al Ain's great mosque, opened in 2021, its white domes and tall minarets visible across town. Hold off during prayers, and women should pack a headscarf.