Asia

[Visited: August 2021]

On our way north through Ras al-Khaimah, we have pinned several destinations to see on the way. The first one sounds the most exciting: the palace of Queen Sheba. Whether we want it or not, our fantasy runs wild on historic images of the famous biblical queen. When we get close, we search the top of the barren hills in the neighbourhood. It is around noon, and the sun is burning everything and everyone under its relentless rays. We drive through Shimal, an insignificant small village on the side of a modern highway through the greyish landscape. When we reach an open space on the east side of Shimal, we park the car under a tree with branches that are completely dried up. Goats scurry away from us, but otherwise, there is no living soul to be seen. There is no sign, there is no ticket booth, there is nothing.
We walk towards the hill in the east, where we see concrete steps leading up to the top. There are a few shrubberies on the way, but otherwise, the landscape is barren, dry, and quiet under the merciless onslaught of the heat coming from above. It squeezes the liquids from our bodies. When we are near the top, we scramble up the last bit of the hill on the stones. We reach the first ruins of what the locals call Qasr al-Zabba, and some claim to be the Castle of Queen Sheeba. It is, however, unlikely that the famous Biblical queen, who ruled the Yemenite town of Marib 1000 BCE, and is also said to have ruled in present-day Ethiopia and Eritrea, ever lived here. At the same time, it is easy to see why any royal would choose this hill as a residence. It has a touch of wind, there are great views of the mountains and towards the sea, and if offers a natural protection just by being on a steep hill.
Most now think that the ruins are from a fort that was built some five hundred years ago. In any case, it is considered the oldest palace of the UAE. Whichever year the palace was constructed, there is not much left. We see some standing walls, even with an arched roof. But further on, we mostly see the outline of what was once were palace rooms. We see several cisterns, in which water was once kept to provide life for the inhabitants, especially in times of siege. People from the surrounding plains would once come here for protection. On the east side of the hill, I discover ruins of much smaller buildings. In fact, this is where the ordinary people once lived. When we have seen the entire complex, it is time to head down again. We walk the concrete steps, through a fence that is not really fencing off anything properly, and are glad to be back in our air-conditioned car again.

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Qasr al-Zabba (United Arab Emirates)

Qasr al-Zabba > United Arab Emirates > Asia

[Visited: August 2021]

Around the World in 80 Clicks