The Best Landmarks in the Middle East

Isfahan

Naqsh-e Jahan Square in central Isfahan, Iran, was built under Shah Abbas I between 1598 and 1629, and four monuments line its sides. Khaju Bridge over the Zayandeh River was built around 1650 under Shah Abbas II and doubles as a dam. In the evening people gather under its arches to sing and play music.

Dubai

The Burj Khalifa in Dubai is an 828-meter tower with observation decks on floors 124, 125 and 148, where visitors look over the city and desert, especially at sunset. The Dubai Fountain on Burj Lake stands beside Dubai Mall at the foot of the Burj Khalifa, and its water jets, lights and music shows run every half hour in the evening.

Other monuments

The Monument of Honour in Samsun is a bronze equestrian statue of Atatürk by Heinrich Krippel in Atatürk Park, and the Tomb of Hafez in Shiraz stands in the Musalla Gardens under a copper dome. The Kuwait Towers on the Arabian Gulf shore in Kuwait City have a rotating sphere for views of the city and the sea. Bab al-Yemen, a gate in the wall of Old Sana'a, Yemen, dates back more than a thousand years, and the Royal Opera House Muscat in Oman opened in 2011 under Sultan Qaboos. Anıtkabir in Ankara's Çankaya district is the mausoleum of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, and visitors walk the Lion's Path.