(CNN) — Just an hour — and a world — away from the bright lights of Doha, the sand-covered remains of a once-thriving port provide a brief but fascinating glimpse of life in the Arabian Gulf in centuries past.

Located in northwestern Qatar, about 100 kilometers from the futuristic capital of Doha, the deserted and ruined town of Al Zubarah was a flourishing pearling and trading hub in parts of the 1700s and 1800s.

The heavily fortified town was founded by merchants in the mid-18th century and quickly rose to become a major international center with commercial links by sea to far-flung eastern and western destinations.