Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All Oman Jazirat al Maqlab (Telegraph Island)

Jazirat al Maqlab (Telegraph Island)

This remote British Imperial telegraph relay outpost drove men insane.

Oman

Added By
Tre
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
CAPTION
Jazirat al Maqlab (Telegraph Island)   Bob McCaffrey / CC BY-SA 3.0
Jazirat al Maqlab (Telegraph Island)   shankar s. / CC BY 2.0
Telegraph Island   http://www.panoramio.com/photo/4155427
  http://www.flickr.com/photos/amanderson/24...
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

The expression "going around the bend" is not just an idle phrase. For a handful of British soldiers in the mid-1800s, being stationed "around the bend" was the worst place you could possibly be, a lonely island outpost where soldiers slowly lost their minds in the desert heat.

From 1864 to 1869, Jazirat al Maqlab, or "Telegraph Island," was an active telegraph outpost crucial to communication between India and Britain. For five years after the telegraphy was decommissioned, British soldiers continued to man the isolated outpost. Reportedly, every single man stationed at the outpost "around the bend" of the Musandam peninsula completely lost his mind from the monotony and heat. Stuck for months on the football-field sized island, cut off from the outside world, and subject to intense desert heat, the solders were slowly driven mad.

Today the island is a ghostly remnant of the once-great British Empire. The outpost was abandoned in the mid-1870s, and the buildings have crumbled. The island now serves as a snorkeling and fishing destination rather than a strategic communication hub, but the oppressive heat and the lonely atmosphere that helped drive the soldiers "around the bend" remains.

Related Tags

Islands Ruins

Know Before You Go

The Bullet Ferry runs from the mainland to the island daily. -or- Hire a Dhow (traditional fishing boat) to take you to the island for exploration and snorkeling or fishing.

Community Contributors

Added By

Tre

Edited By

aribrown, Michelle Cassidy

  • aribrown
  • Michelle Cassidy

Published

November 6, 2009

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • Interesting travel article
  • http://www.independent.co.uk/travel/middle-east/good-oman-acquire-a-taste-for-musandam-1685492.html
  • Bullet Ferry:
  • http://www.theweek.co.om/discon.aspx?Cval=934
  • UK Telegraph trip to Musandam
  • http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/middleeast/oman/740399/Quiet-weekend-in-Musandam.html
  • A History of the Telegraph Island and Communication
  • http://atlantic-cable.com/CableCos/TelegraphIsland/index.htm
  • Travel Blog on Telegraph Island
  • http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/suesy6652/dubai_n_beyond/1230385740/tpod.html
Jazirat al Maqlab (Telegraph Island)
Oman
26.201808, 56.347332

Nearby Places

The Desert Fjords of Oman

Khasab, Oman

miles away

Al Jazirah Al Hamra Heritage Village

Al Jazeera Al Hamra, United Arab Emirates

miles away

Namakdan Salt Cave

Qeshm, Iran

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Oman

Oman

Middle East

Places 17
Stories 1

Nearby Places

The Desert Fjords of Oman

Khasab, Oman

miles away

Al Jazirah Al Hamra Heritage Village

Al Jazeera Al Hamra, United Arab Emirates

miles away

Namakdan Salt Cave

Qeshm, Iran

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Oman

Oman

Middle East

Places 17
Stories 1

Related Places

  • The island is sometimes accessible on foot at low tide.

    Kamakura, Japan

    Wakae Island Ruins

    The ruins of the oldest artificial island in Japan, still used for mooring today at 800 years old.

  • Ruins of a tower, destroyed during the Battle of Bomarsund

    Bomarsund, Åland Islands

    Bomarsund Fortress

    This impressive coastal fortress was destroyed before it was finished.

  • Malo Grablje, Croatia

    Abandoned Village of Malo Grablje

    This deserted town in the hills of Croatia’s "party island" may have a scandalous connection to King Henry VIII.

  • View from Above; a more recent concrete construction can be seen nearby

    Green Island, Taiwan

    Youzihu

    The ruins of a prehistoric village hide on a remote Taiwanese island.

  • Honen Dalim

    Oranjestad, Caribbean Netherlands

    Honen Dalim

    On one of the tiniest islands in the Caribbean lies a nearly 300-year-old syangogue.

  • The ruins of Songo Mnara.

    Songo Mnara Island, Tanzania

    Songo Mnara

    Mosques carved from coral and dozens of well-preserved stone structures fill this 500-year-old Swahili trading center.

  • Lindisfarne, the Holy Island

    Holy Island of Lindisfarne, England

    Lindisfarne, the Holy Island

    This tidal island, a sacred site in early English Christianity, was the target of a notable Viking invasion.

  • A panorama view of the island with Greek inspired ornaments.

    Nasugbu, Philippines

    Fortune Island

    This Philippine island is dotted with (fake) Grecian ruins.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.