Fodor's Expert Review Jami al-Hamoda Mosque

An hour south of Bidiyah, the quiet town of Bilad Bani Bu Ali is a tourist destination in its own right, drawing visitors for its watchtowers, old fortified houses, forts, and ancient city walls. The town is filled with charming homes decorated with intricate tilework, colorful metal-work, and carved wood doors. The most interesting of the ancient abandoned structures in town is the Jami al-Hamoda Mosque, notable because of its unusual construction featuring separate 52 domes and a falaj (water channel) that was once used for ablutions. To find the old mosque, head for the fort and make your first left after passing it. From here, you will need a four-wheel drive vehicle to get through the quarter-mile of sand that separates the paved road from the mosque, which will be on the left. If nothing else, the scenic drive is a bit of an adventure.