Qasr Al Mushatta

These partially reconstructed 8th-century ruins are of the winter palace of Umayyad caliph Walid II, planned as a lavish castle but never finished. They're a short drive from the international airport, but you'll need your own transport (or hired taxi) to reach them. If you ignore the occasional jet soaring overhead, the extensive site hints at the vast potential of the caliph’s grand vision – one cut short in 744, when he was assassinated by angry labourers on the site.