Surprises in the lap of heritage

I've been in the UAE for almost ten months and I have seen plenty of malls, water parks, markets and restaurants. But last week I visited Al Ain, essentially a modified village of Abu Dhabi, which is also known as the "Garden City of the Gulf".

While driving to Al Ain, I was amazed by huge, red-tinged sand dunes of varying textures at both sides of the road; camels standing in ghettos made me excited to see the city.

Fancy at first sight

The moment I entered, Al Ain presented a traditional Arab look — pleasing-to-the-eye roundabouts and tree-lined boulevards have really added to the beauty. After driving for almost two hours, I reached the heart of the city. I was startled by the ornate design of traffic signals. After seeing skyscrapers in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, the low-rise buildings in Al Ain are no less than the icing on the cake. Each nook and corner has a story to tell and imbibes the great vision of Shaikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the first president of the UAE.

Slice of heritage

Having had an interesting past and being part of the Arab heritage since thousands of years, Al Ain has turned into a mosaic of beautiful things. Everything — from its people to its architecture — reflects a colourful heritage. Now it was 2pm, high time to grab some lunch because I hadn't had anything since morning. So I stopped by a Lebanese restaurant and had delicious hammos and mutabbal, washed down with Turkish coffee. After rejuvenating myself for 45 minutes, I started my journey again.

Architectural attraction

But this time I was a bit confused about where to go, so finally I decided to go to Hili, the modern suburb of Al Ain, famous for its gardens and several Bronze Age and Iron Age sites. It took me about half an hour to reach Hili — I lost my way and had to stop at a couple of places to confirm the right directions. The main attraction of the Hili Gardens is a tomb which is said to have been built at the end of the third millennium BC. It was excavated by Danish archaeologists in the early 1960s and later restructured by an Iraqi team for the Al Ain Department of Antiquities and Tourism. The architecture of the tomb was inspired by the Kulli culture of southern Baluchistan.

I lost myself in the era for almost three hours, after which I drove to Jebel Hafeet — the mountain sits astride the border of Oman. It rises 1,240 metres and offers impressive views of the city. It was a well-known landmark in the area and is a contemporary tourist attraction. I can't forget the drive to the top of the mountain; it was superb, as if I was going into the clouds. I parked my car and walked to the extreme vantage point.

Teary-eyed moment

I could see the city and the Oman border. I closed my eyes with my hands; cold breeze blew into my face and my eyes started watering after some time.

I was also cold, so to warm up my body, I decided to go to the restaurant on the mountain for a cup of tea. The feeling of sipping hot tea on the top of the mountain in such wonderful weather was beyond words.

At the foothills of Jebel Hafeet lies the Green Mubazarrah, a well-developed tourist attraction. At the Green Mubazarrah, hot springs surge forth in little streams and form a lake. I sat down and massaged my feet in the hot sulphur water. It was a different feeling altogether; the tiredness of the whole long day disappeared immediately.

It was already 8pm, time to say ciao to the place. I would have stayed overnight had I not had work the next day.

I stopped by a petrol station on my way back for 20 minutes — leaving the royal city, I felt I was leaving a part of me behind.