Source: Dubai Creek is in the running to join the UNESCO World Heritage List
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Al Ain, A Desert Oasis in the Emirates; Elizabeth von Pier; GoNOMAD Travel
Known as the Garden City because of its greenery, Al Ain (“The Spring” in Arabic) is located about 100 miles east of Abu Dhabi, near the border with Oman.
It is set between the desert and the mountains that provide water for its ancient system of wells. When I first came upon it, I was riding in the local bus from Abu Dhabi and it looked like I could have just entered Marco Island in Florida.
There’s plenty of traffic and the wide boulevards are lined with stately palm trees. Flowers bloom everywhere and, while it’s February and very cold and snowy back home in New England, here it’s a temperate seventy-five degrees.
There’s no doubt though that this is a Middle Eastern city. Storefronts are identified in Arabic and English, and men in long white dishdashas and keffiyehs and women in black abayas stroll the streets.
Read more from source: Al Ain, A Desert Oasis in the Emirates – GoNOMAD Travel
5 Free Attractions To Enjoy In Abu Dhabi; Girls Wanderlust
So, do you think that checking out the best sights in Abu Dhabi is going to cost you a great deal? Wondering how to enjoy the city’s delights on a budget? Well, we’re here to tell you that only are the very best attractions utterly free, but that each of these free attractions is mind-blowingly attractive. Don’t believe us? Check out our top 5 attractions in Abu Dhabi that are totally free for you to enjoy for as long as you want.
1 Liwa Forts
The historic home of the ruling Nahyan family, Liwa Oasis is a beautifully cultivated date palm farm, on the very edge of the most impressive desert in the UAE. The dunes are simply huge here. Liwa is a great place to learn about Bedouin culture.
Forts of the UAE: Sentries with stories; Iona Stanley; Gulf News
Some of the most fascinating aspects of the UAE s rich cultural past can be seen through the arches and doorways of its oldest structures Our Heritage Series showcases the legacy of art architecture and ambition at these painstakingly restored historic monuments.
Several decades ago, when the UAE was still known as the Trucial States, and each emirate was ruled by an independent ruler, the lives and needs of the people were very different.
In 1904, John Gordon Lorimer, an official in the Government of British India, was dispatched along with a group of researchers to study the tribal make-up of the land.
Public tours of one of the oldest archaeological sites in the UAE have begun; Andrea Smith; Lonely Planet
History fans heading to Abu Dhabi may be interested to learn that the Hili 8 archaeological site in Al Ain has been opened for the first time to the public. The Abu Dhabi Department of Culture and Tourism recently held tours of what is one of the oldest sites of agricultural settlement in the United Arab Emirates, dating back approximately 5000 years. It has indicated that it plans to repeat the experience in the future.
Located close to Hili Archaeological Park, Hili 8 is part of the Unesco World Heritage sites of Al Ain. French archaeologists began excavating it in 1977, and they found the remnants of barley, wheat and date palm.
One of the oldest archaeological sites in the UAE is now open to the public; Mike Priest; What’s On Dubai
The Bronze Age dig site dates back around 5,000 years…
Back in 1977, French archaeologists began excavation on the remains of a Bronze Age settlement in Al Ain that has been useful in helping understand how people lived in this part of the world around 5,000 years ago.
The National is reporting that the Unesco World Heritage site Hili 8 is now for the first time open to the public. That’s a big win for history buffs in the UAE.
Emirati archaeologists and experts from the US, Austria and France have been working at the site since March and have uncovered remains of artefacts such as pottery fragments as well as evidence of copper mining.
Remains of Bronze Age Emirati settlement open to public for first time; John Dennehy; The National
Hili 8 offers glimpse into one of the earliest dwellings.
One of the most important archaeological sites in the country has been opened to the public for the first time, promising visitors a first hand glimpse of the remains of a Bronze Age settlement.
Hili 8 forms part of the Unesco World Heritage sites of Al Ain. It was first excavated by French archaeologists in 1977.
They found the remains of barley, wheat and date palm proving the existence of an agricultural community dating back about 5,000 years.
Now Emirati archaeologists and international experts from the United States, Austria and France are back at the site since March.
And over the past two days, visitors were able to pass through several parts of Hili 8.
Abu Dhabi: Now A Must-See Travel Destination, With The Sheikh Zayed Mosque — And The Louvre; Lea Lane; Forbes
Abu Dhabi, the small, seaside capital of the United Arab Emirate with one of the world’s greatest oil reserves, is finally emerging from the shadows of its close neighbor Dubai. Tourism there is increasing in large part because of the opening of the spectacular Louvre Abu Dhabi, “a universal museum in the Arab World.”
Visitors to this satellite of the renowned Paris museum — a massive, 260,000 square foot compound designed by the French architect Jean Nouvel — can view about 600 exhibits, half from their own permanent collection, including works by Vincent Van Gogh, Paul Gauguin and Leonardo da Vinci.
Louvre Abu Dhabi will host four temporary exhibitions a year. The first, “From One Louvre to Another” begins on December 21.
For a long time, Abu Dhabi was overlooked in the shadow of its soaring neighbor Dubai.
Things to Do and Places to Visit in Al Ain: Al Ain Attractions, How To Reach, Stay Options; Aakanksha Magan; Tripoto
Al Ain, an oasis in the middle of the desert, is the largest in-land city in UAE. Though smaller than Dubai and Abu Dhabi, Al Ain still has so much to offer that you can’t not visit this place. Located only two hours east of Dubai, this destination makes for a great weekend getaway!
Al Ain is full of parks, tree-lined avenues, green roundabouts and mini oasis, giving it the nickname ‘Garden City’. It is the birthplace of Sheikh Zayed, the founder of UAE, and an ancient settlement that was one of the pitstops between Oman and other Gulf countries. It is one of world’s oldest permanent settlements and now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The city has picturesque forts, beautiful gardens, traditional souks and adventure hotspots.
Al Ain Oasis, the U.A.E’s First UNESCO World Heritage Site, Is Now Open; Sebastian Modak; Conde Nast Traveler
The oasis is one of the world’s oldest permanently inhabited settlements, dating back more than 4,000 years.
In a country where bigger is better, and development equals extravagance, it can be hard to find vestiges of what the United Arab Emirates was like before the oil boom. You can catch glimpses of it along the Dubai Creek, where traditional dhows have been ferrying goods from all over the world for 200 years, or the Al-Fadiyah mosque in the Emirate of Fujairah, thought to have been built in the 15th century. On November 4, another landmark, the country’s first UNESCO World Heritage Site, was opened to the public: a 3,000-acre oasis 90 miles east of Abu Dhabi, which provides insight into how the region’s inhabitants began taming the desert 4,000 years ago.
