Al-Jahili Fort

Al Jahili Fort in southeastern Al Ain is the most celebrated fortification in the United Arab Emirates, built around 1890 by Sheikh Zayed I to protect the oasis city and its date-palm plantations. Its distinctive round watchtower carries remarkable cultural weight: it appears on the 50-dirham banknote, served as the model for the UAE pavilion at Expo 2000 in Hannover, and functions as the logo of a major water brand. Following a thorough restoration, the fort received the International Architecture Award from the Chicago Athenaeum and won the 2016 Terra Award for the world's finest earthen architecture. Inside, an exhibition commemorates British explorer Wilfred Thesiger, who used Al Ain as a base for two legendary crossings of the Empty Quarter in the late 1940s — lending the fort an additional layer of desert exploration history.