These are photos of the drive over to the Sultan's Palace and the Place itself. The 'original' palace is the kitchy blue and gold building and the white white white building is the recent expansion of the original.
The forts surround the bay of the palace. The village of the palace is quickly being replaced by dramatic views of the palace and ministry buildings.
My driver is a native of this village and said the stone arch you see in one photo is one of the few original, old structures of what was an ancient city of the Orient. Twenty years ago this village (and not coincidentally the palace) were totally inaccessible from by land and heavily defended from the sea. The modern era has cut roadways through the rock, making it seem relatively close to the Port and the airport whereas in the past, this was a virtually unreachable place, except by invitation and by sea
Image:
All images and text copyright Marsha Bailey 2005-2010. All rights reserved.
