Purple Island

Bin Ghannam island near Al Khor is called Purple Island because excavation found heaps of crushed murex shells there, the remains of a Bronze Age operation extracting purple dye, the same industry the Phoenicians are known for and evidence of it in the Gulf around four thousand years ago. Mangroves surround the island and a causeway reaches it. Herons, flamingos and waders use the channels. The causeway floods at high spring tides, which occasionally strands people who walked out at low water.

What you actually see

• The shell mounds - crushed murex left by Bronze Age dye extraction.
• The mangroves - the stands surrounding the island and its channels.
• The birdlife - herons, flamingos and waders through the winter.
• The causeway - the crossing giving access on foot.

When to go

November to March is comfortable and best for birds. Flamingos are present through the cooler months. Tide determines how much of the channels can be paddled.

Honest expectations

The archaeology is not presented and there is nothing to see of it beyond shell fragments. Facilities are minimal. Mosquitoes in the mangroves are a real problem at dusk.

Nearby

Al Khor is south, and Al Thakira is north.