Located in the village of Umm Salal Muhammed, this 52 feet (16 metres) high tower is part of a complex – the Barzan Towers – which includes two almost identical towers, a small mosque, and a reception hall for guests. The ochre walls of the towers are about one metre thick. They are made of local coral rock and limestone held together by mud and covered with gypsum-based plaster. Each crenelated tower at the top has tiny windows that keep the interior cool all year round. Barzan is in fact the name given to the western tower – the oldest one, built in 1910 during the reign of Sheikh Mohammed bin Jassim Al Thani – which means ‘high place’ in classical Arabic.