I had heard a lot about the Heritage Village in Abu Dhabi. Finally, last week, I visited it. Before I get down to brass tacks, let me share the gist of my feelings — a visit to the country is incomplete without stopping by at the grand Heritage Village. It is a great attempt to display the Bedouin way of life in the state, so as to make the whole world know how they lived.
On the right track
I started my journey from home (Khalifa City, on the periphery of Abu Dhabi) at 12.30pm with a map. Following the map persistently, I reached Corniche Road, where I saw a signpost of the village. I let out a sigh of relief — I was on the right track. I stopped at a café to confirm the exact location; the guy there told me to go straight — the village would be on my right. As I came out of the parking area, I saw a beautiful bridge — on its right was blue water and on the left was a fleet of yachts. I reached my destination at last — it was 1.45pm. The gate was as grand as I had expected, with circular walls on both sides. Traditional lanterns hung from trees on both sides of the small pathway from the gate.
As I entered, I saw a book shop called Torath but couldn't step in because there was a traditional dance performance going on in the lawn which I didn't want to miss. Men were performing "Al razeef", the unaccompanied recitation of verses by two rows of men facing each other. The performers were dressed in traditional attire. In the foreground, women were performing "Al nashat", the dancers rolling their heads from side to side to display the beauty of their long hair, especially when the songs performed related to love.
Prior to coming to the village, I didn't know that the residents of the UAE were also masters in crafts such as jewellery making, carpentry, pottery and leatherwork. There are workshops where visitors can witness craftsmen working. Occasionally, they let visitors try their hand at the craft but, unfortunately, I was not one of them.
I spotted a huge structure comprising palm trees and a well in between. It is known as "Al yazra", a technique used by locals for irrigation. By this time, it was really humid. It was a good thing the authorities have made rest areas with vending machines at every corner. While resting on a wooden bench, I saw another well with a small clay pot hanging over it and sand all around. I walked down to see what it was — it felt more like walking on hot coals. It was a well used by the locals for drinking water. Imagine how much effort they have to put in to just quench their thirst, unlike us, who only have to insert a coin in a vending machine to do so. Next to it was a house made of palm leaves, mud, canes and rugs laid out on sand. The house is the replica of those made by the Bedouins in summer. "Al barjeel", the traditional air-conditioning system keeps the house cool.
It is a tower that consists of four pillars with connected sides and edges over the house. The breeze passes through the openings and makes its way into the house while hot air ascends to the top.
Welcoming hosts
Arabs are excellent hosts and are known for looking after guests well. A guest is served traditional coffee, or Gahwa. Arabic coffee is famous around the world and has been in existence in Arab culture for almost 12 centuries. I speckled coffee pots with coal and wood in the middle of bushes.
To understand what it was, I asked an old man working there; a guest room used to be like this in every house before the discovery of oil, he said. He also mentioned there were people who had made this in their villas to get a taste of the olden days.
Since childhood, I had heard a lot about Arabian horses and their power but never got a chance to see them. The Heritage Village has fulfilled my dream; I saw a pure-bred white Arabian horse, distinguished by a wide, flat forehead. The Bedouin way of life depended on camels and horses: Arabian horses were bred for war, with speed, endurance and intelligence.
It was 5pm and I had completed my tour of the Heritage Village. On the way back, I thought only about the Bedouins and the Heritage Village. The trip seemed to have been engraved in my memory.
Bewildering in the race of development, it is easy to forget ancestry. That is where the Heritage Village comes into play.
