Al Khor

Al Khor is the old pearling and fishing town of the northeast coast, an hour above the capital and much quieter than anything south of it. Its draw is the mangrove water just outside, where the shallow creeks of Al Dhakira run between stands of grey mangrove and are paddled by kayak on the high tide. The island in the middle of them is called Purple after the Bronze Age dye works found on it, which crushed sea snails for the colour. Flamingos and herons work the flats through the winter, and the corniche keeps its watchtowers.