Al-Qara Palace

The Al-Qara Palace, also called the Sultan's Palace, stands in the town of Seiyun in the Hadhramaut valley as a large whitewashed fortress-palace that dominates the townscape. Built of mud brick over an older structure, its multi-storey mass, battlements, and central tower rise above the surrounding houses on a raised platform. Formerly the seat of a local sultanate, it now serves as a regional museum. Visitors can climb through its halls and terraces, view displays on the valley's history, and look out over Seiyun's palm groves.