ABU DHABI The UAE’s rich culture and heritage will come alive at the annual Qasr Al Hosn Festival next month.
Guided fort tours and live performances in the Cultural Foundation Building are among a slew of events lined up for this year’s edition which will be held i from February 11 to February 22.
Abu Dhabi’s traditional heritage epitomised by the iconic Qasr Al Hosn fort and its surrounding areas, and the importance of modern heritage showcased in the Cultural Foundation Building will be the predominant themes of the festival.
Unveiling programme details, Shaikh Sultan Bin Tahnoon Al Nahyan, Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Tourism and Culture Authority (TCA Abu Dhabi), said: “The 2015 programme was created to offer visitors a holistic cultural experience, and narrate stories in a compelling, educational, yet engaging manner. The festival area has been redesigned to include new elements and activities that seamlessly fuse the traditional with the modern.
“This year, we are looking forward to reopening the doors of the Cultural Foundation Building by activating larger areas within through a rich programme of activities, workshops and performances designed to revive its memory and to introduce the conservation approach for such an important modern heritage building.”
Celebrating Emirati history
“With the Qasr Al Hosn Festival, we are not just celebrating monuments; we are celebrating the people that have carried the story of a nation from generation to generation. We are looking to illustrate the importance of conserving the Fort as a symbol of great significance in Emirati history, protecting our national identity and heritage by passing down our most valued traditions. We’re looking to celebrating our recent history through a compelling narrative using modern-day tools to recreate historic experiences,” he added.
The festival is being held under the patronage of General Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces.
Festival highlights
The Qasr Al Hosn Exhibition: A portal to explore the development of Abu Dhabi as a city, the lives of people in Abu Dhabi over time.
Fort Tours: Trail around and within the fort with key stops which provide insight into the history and the effort to conserve Qasr Al Hosn. A poetry recital accompanied by the Rababa and the Oud will also be held.
The National Consultative Council Chamber experience: Visitors will have a chance to access the historic building and see first-hand the place which played a pivotal role in the UAE’s formation.
Self-guided tour of Cultural Foundation Builiding
The ‘Lest We Forget: Structures of Memory in the UAE’ exhibition, showcasing the history of architectural and urban development in the UAE.
Emirati folk songs, live music and sand art
Arts and crafts workshops
The return of the popular ‘Gahwa’ where visitors can experience the shared coffee drinking traditions in a beautiful contemporary setting.
