Just east of the area of Al Qatif is Tarout, a small island containing a number of fascinating historical sights. Chief among them is beautiful Tarout Castle, which dates back to the 16th century. Interestingly, no one is sure whether it was built by locals to defend themselves from Portuguese attacks, or whether it was the Portuguese who built it to defend themselves from Turkish attacks.

The “Grand House” of El Castell de Guadalest or “Casa Orduña” was built after the great earthquake of 1644, which devastated the region and demolished the buttress of the castle. It was built by the Orduñas, a family of Basque lineage. They came to the kingdom of Valencia with the Infante Fortuna de Navarra; they later went into the service of the Cardonas, admirals of Aragón. D. Sancho de Cardona received the title of Marques of Guadalest in 1543. As the family enjoyed the complete confidence of the marqueses, they were sent to Guadalest and served as guardians of the fortress and governors of the estate for almost three hundred years.

The Jewish Museum Berlin is housed in the impressive building designed by Daniel Libeskind. The zinc-coated zig-zag building is one of Berlin’s major landmarks. The permanent exhibition traces the high and low points of German-Jewish history from the end of the Roman Age to the present day. The museum is a must for architecture nerds, history buffs and anyone who wants to understand the enormous intellectual, economic and cultural contribution made by the Jewish citizens of Berlin.