Telegraph Island (Jazirat Al Maqlab)

Jazirat Al Maqlab, universally known as Telegraph Island, is a tiny arid limestone islet resting in the sheltered waters of Khor Sham in the Musandam Peninsula. In 1864, the British Empire selected this remote rock to construct a repeating cable station for the Persian Gulf submarine telegraph line connecting Victorian London to Karachi and British India. Operators manned the station under unimaginably harsh summer conditions, enduring stifling humidity and temperatures exceeding 45°C trapped between towering limestone canyon walls that blocked all wind. Today, the crumbling stone foundations of the telegraph station and living quarters remain open to explore. The waters surrounding the island have become one of Musandam’s finest snorkeling sanctuaries, where crystalline waters reveal colorful coral pinnacles alive with parrotfish, angelfish, reef sharks, and green turtles.