It’s easy to spend a thoughtful number of hours, navigating history at the city’s National Museum, with its exhibits that range from intricately carved doors, to Iron Age soft-stone vessels. The ethnographically rich artifacts, that throw light on the archeology, history and cultural heritage of the emirate, will lead you back in time. The building itself is worthy of some attention, for it is housed in the former palace of the ruling Al Qasimi family. Also, pay a close attention to the rectangular tower—the oldest part of the building—which originally served as the defense centre. The wind tower is the other piece of architecture, where function is as important as design. Created in such a manner that it can catch the breeze from any direction and funnel it downward, keeping the room beneath cool, enhances its appeal.