14 Landmarks in the Middle East by AD100 Architects That You Can Visit
From revived historic sites to standout contemporary architecture, these are the landmarks worth planning a trip around
Think the Middle East is all skyscrapers? Not quite. Across the landscape, there are landmarks in the Middle East that tell a very different story, one shaped by deep history, bold design ideas and a growing confidence in how cities express themselves. From cultural institutions to centuries-old sites, these landmarks show just how varied and inventive the region’s architecture really is.
LAURIANGHINITOIU1/14Shamalat Cultural Center, Riyadh (Saudi Arabia), by Syn Architects
Conceived in two phases – restoration and contemporary addition – this project reimagines a historic structure as a cultural space rooted in storytelling and play. Its design repurposes existing resources while inviting new creative possibilities, creating a dialogue between what is preserved and what is newly introduced. By layering past and present, the space becomes a living environment where visitors can explore shifting narratives, discover at-hand beauty and engage with an architecture that looks simultaneously backwards and forwards. It is a thoughtful model for adaptive reuse and community-centred cultural revival.
2/14Zayed National Museum, Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates), by Foster + Partners
Rising 123 metres above Saadiyat Island, the Zayed National Museum is the UAE’s new cultural anchor and a striking expression of national identity. Designed by Norman Foster, its steel fins recall both falcon wings and traditional wind towers, blending symbolism with an advanced environmental cooling system tailored to Abu Dhabi’s climate. Much of the museum is embedded within a protective earth mound, reducing heat gain and shading its walkways. Inside, six galleries trace more than 300,000 years of regional history, from early civilisations to contemporary innovation. Surrounded by gardens inspired by Sheikh Zayed’s legacy of re-greening the nation, the museum stands as a landmark of cultural storytelling and sustainable design.
Step inside the incredible feat of architecture here.
3/14Al Ameed Shmeisani Community Park, Amman (Jordan), by FADAA
Created to counter Amman’s chronic shortage of green public spaces, Al Ameed Shmeisani Park is a landmark in climate-responsive urban design. The park is shaped by detailed environmental analysis, generating adaptable microclimates that keep it comfortable throughout the year. Its layout encourages sport, play and community gathering, forming a lively social hub for the neighbourhood. At its centre, a modular building designed for partial disassembly at the end of its lifespan reinforces the project’s long-term sustainability ethos, setting a thoughtful model for future public-space development in Jordan.
Studio Anne Holtrop4/14Siyadi Pearl Museum, Muharraq (Bahrain), by Anne Holtrop
Architect Anne Holtrop is known for his fascination with striking material effects. Recently, he has renovated the historic Siyadi Pearl Museum in Muharraq, Bahrain, adding a new gallery incorporating textured plaster and silver-leaf finishes. “Silver is a very responsive material, and in the region’s salty air, it will patinate and darken,” Holtrop explains.
5/14Jumeirah Marsa Al Arab, Dubai (United Arab Emirates), by Killa Design
Shaped like a sweeping super-yacht anchored between the Burj Al Arab and a new marina, Jumeirah Marsa Al Arab is one of Dubai’s most sculptural new hospitality landmarks. Designed by Shaun Killa, the curving structure rises from the Gulf with cinematic confidence, while interiors by Tristan Auer bring a Côte d’Azur-inspired calm through golden woods, soft neutrals and sea-toned finishes. With expansive terraces, thoughtful in-room details and a line-up of standout dining and wellness spaces, the hotel signals a new mood in Dubai: refined, design-forward, and quietly luxurious.
Read more about Dubai’s newest superyacht-inspired hotel here.
6/14Estidama Mosque, Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates), by X Architects
Set within Abu Dhabi’s pioneering eco-district, Masdar City, the Estidama Mosque is a contemporary landmark where Islamic tradition meets cutting-edge sustainability. The 500-square-metre mosque reinterprets classical geometry into sculptural, light-filled forms, with five roof openings symbolising the daily prayers. Natural light, shifting throughout the day, shapes the serene interior, while the surrounding Paradise Garden – planted with species mentioned in the Quran – extends the spiritual journey outdoors. Designed to cut energy use by more than 50% through solar power and grey-water recycling, the mosque stands as a model for culturally rooted, environmentally responsible sacred architecture.
Photo: Gerry O'Leary7/14Al Ain Museum, Al Ain (United Arab Emirates), by Sumaya Dabbagh
The UAE’s first museum, Al Ain Museum has been reborn following a major restoration by AD100 architect Sumaya Dabbagh. Originally founded in 1969, it remains the nation’s foremost repository of archaeological and ethnographic heritage, tracing continuous human habitation in Al Ain from the Palaeolithic era to today. During redevelopment, new archaeological discoveries beneath the site were preserved and woven into the architecture, with galleries carved around ancient wells, aflaj systems and historic structures. Thoughtfully reconnected to its oasis setting, the museum now stands as a renewed landmark celebrating Al Ain’s deep cultural and environmental legacy.
Click here to find out how this historic landmark in the UAE was renovated.
Photo: Firas Al Raisi8/14Masjid Bab Al Salam, Muscat (Oman), by Altqadum
Taking cues from the simplicity of the historic Omani mosques, Marwan Al Balushi, lead architect at Altqadum studio took a sculptor’s approach, crafting a series of monolithic structures that together communicate a contemporary vision for a mosque while faithfully incorporating all the traditional functions of a mosque. Interpreting the circle – a form often associated with spirituality – the studio fashioned a prayer hall as a cylinder punctured with a slender opening that lets in a sliver of light; the profile of the minaret too is derived from a stylised cone.
Photo: Fernando Guerra9/14Bait Mohammed Bin Khalifa, Al Ain (UAE), by X Architects
Built in 1958 the Bait Mohammed Bin Khalifa building holds an important place in the history of the UAE. Located near the Mutaredh Oasis in the emirate of Al Ain, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, it was the home of Sheikh Mohammed bin Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the father-in-law of the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, Founding Father of the United Arab Emirates. However, in recent years, the building was uninhabited and fast reaching a state of collapse. That is when, the Department of Culture and Tourism, Abu Dhabi, invited Ahmed Al-Ali and Farid Esmaeil, the co-founders of Dubai-based design practice, X Architects, to restore its glory and give it a new purpose.
Click here to find out how this important landmark in the UAE was brought back to life.
10/14Mosque of Light, Dubai (UAE), by Sumaya Dabbagh
Designed by Arab architect Sumaya Dabbagh, the Mosque of Light may not resemble a traditional mosque, yet it condenses the key principles of mosque design, through its simplicity of form and manipulation of natural light, to allow the transition from daily life into the calm state required for worship.
11/14Dar Tantora, AlUla (Saudi Arabia), by Shahira Fahmy
Gently reimagining tourism in the Middle East by presenting an authentic experience of life in the Saudi heritage site, the new Dar Tantora The House Hotel in AlUla's spellbinding Old Town is a masterstroke of regenerative design. Under the watch of The Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU), the organisation entrusted with the environmentally- and historically-sensitive transformation of AlUla, 30 buildings have been faithfully restored as a eco lodge “It was a huge responsibility navigating such an environment with its rich layers of histories, reimagining the social, religious and cultural constructs embedded in this labyrinth of ruins,” says Egyptian architect and researcher Shahira Fahmy.
Step back in time at this mesmerising destination in AlUla.
Photo: Supplied12/14Talat N’Yaaqoub Village in Morocco, by Aziza Chaouni
Making to our list of unmissable landmarks in the Middle East is a social project of note. A planet- and budget-friendly response to the rebuilding efforts that've followed the devastating earthquake that hit the south of Morocco in September 2023, architect Aziza Chaouni has developed a housing prototype in the village of Talat N’Yaaqoub, which uses anti-seismic bricks and can be duplicated in other affected areas. Her design for earthquake resistant structures employs three types of mass-produced, compressed-earth bricks that are commonly used in ceiling slabs and pavements, made up of 95 per cent earth and five per cent Durabrick cement. “The prototype was meant to serve as a model to help change construction practices,” the architect explains.
Find out more about these earthquake resistant structures in Morocco.
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Photo: Supplied13/14Serai Wing at the Chedi Al Bait, Sharjah (UAE), by Anarchitect
Serai Wing, a new addition to the elegant Chedi Al Bait Sharjah hotel is both contemporary and historic. The extension was born from Anarchitect's reworking of two 1950s homes, once the residence of pearl merchant Khaled bin Ibrahim and his family. Divided into twelve rooms and suites, each residence – now known as House One and House Two – has been imagined as an inner-city sanctuary. They border a tranquil courtyard garden with a modern swimming pool and lounge terrace.
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Photo: Mikaela Burstow14/14Wonder Cabinet, Bethlehem (Palestine), by AAU Anastas
The concrete skeleton of Wonder Cabinet, which is designed without any intermediate structural points, carries on inside where the walls, ceilings and floors are kept bare, with the objective of being transformable and a canvas for various projects and artists in residence. The plain timber windows are hidden behind the concrete columns that support a beam-less horizontal slab.
Click here to find out more about this Brutalist cultural space.
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