This museum occupies a 19th-century fort – the residence of the Qawassim rulers until 1964. Behind the ornate wooden doors of its salons are a hodgepodge of tired ethnological displays, but there are also two small archaeological galleries that make the trip here well worth your while if you're interested in history. The exhibits, ranging from Neolithic up to the Islamic era, display artefacts unearthed from local digs, including at Julfar, an important port between the 14th and 17th centuries.
Of particular interest are the intricately patterned Iron Age softstone vessels from Wadi Al Qawr, and the vast horde of ceramic shards, hailing from China and Thailand, found at Julfar and Dhayah that point to the site's deep significance as a trading post.
