We travelled round the Middle East in 1980 and 1981. 

The UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait and Sudan, and a few years later, Oman.
(See map on the Saudi Arabia page)

United Arab Emirates We visited most of the Emirates in June 1980 ....
	Abu Dhabi Fort, apparently the only building in the city more than 20 years old.
	Dubai Diera souk.
	Dubai creek.
	Repairing dhows on Sharjah seafront.
	The 'new souk' in Sharjah.
	At the Beach Hotel in Ajman.
	Ajman Fort.
	Umm Al Quaiwain main square with fort and mosque.
	Khor Fakkan harbour, in Fujaiera Emirate.
	The desert - sand dunes between Dubai and Al Ain.

Qatar We drove to Doha in July 1980 ....
	Clock tower square in Doha.
	Doha harbour.

Bahrain by rail and sea One weekend in September 1980 we went from Riyadh to Bahrain by train and boat. On Wednesday we caught the 3pm train from Riyadh railway station to Dammam. The first-class fare was 30 Riyals each, the carriage was air-conditioned and comfortable and there was also a restaurant car.  We arrived at Dammam station in the centre of town about 10pm and stayed at the nearby Balamar Hotel, 225 Riyals for a double room. In the morning we got a taxi to Al Khobar seaport (20 Riyals) and got a dhow over to Manama in Bahrain. At that time there was a regular service twice a day, before the causeway from Saudi to Bahrain was opened in 1986 ....
	The dhow had an engine, but otherwise was a genuine old-style wooden-built one. It cost 60 Riyals each (we paid the captain on board) and he didn't mind us taking photographs, in fact he wanted to be on one!
	In Manama seaport, Bahrain.
	Bab Al Bahrain in Manama. We stayed at the excellent and central Delmon hotel who did a 'breakaway weekend' deal which was good value.
	The hotel organised a sightseeing tour of the island and we visited Ain Al Adhari (the Virgin's Pool) where local boys were diving in from a great hight .....
	... and saw a 'nodding donkey' oil well. The direct flights back to Riyadh on Fridays were always booked up way in advance so we flew back via Dahran.

Kuwait In February 1981 we drove up the gulf coast to Kuwait ....
	We stayed in the 'SS Marriott Hotel', formerly a cruise ship called the SS Santa Paula originally built in 1958 for the Grace Line, then berthed in Kuwait harbour. She was damaged by fire during the Iraqi occupation in 1990 and finally scrapped in 2002. This is a view of the city through our porthole.
	A closer view of the Kuwait Towers.
	Magsab Gate standing in splendid isolation with the remains of the city walls.
	A colourful post box on Fahed Al Salim Street.
	I revisited Kuwait in 1996 after 'Desert Storm' to find the appropriately-named Desert Storm cafe in the souk ....
	.... and the broken bridge to Bubiyan Island.

Muscat, Oman In March 1986 I came back briefly to Riyadh, the Emirates and Oman ....
	This is the fish market in Mutrah near Muscat, Oman.
	A rather leaky-looking ship at Mutrah harbour!
	And the royal palace in Muscat.

Sudan In March 1981 we flew to Sudan for a weekend in Khartoum and Omdurman and stayed at the Grand Hotel (now the 'Grand Holiday Villa') on the banks of the Blue Nile ....
	Ferry on the Blue Nile at Khartoum.
	Tuti Island, Khartoum.
	In Khartoum market.
	In Omdurman market.
	The Mahdi's tomb in Omdurman.
	Sunset at El Nile mosque, Omdurman.