Qasr Al Hosn draws visitors seeking Abu Dhabi’s authentic past
City's oldest landmark, a living story for locals to revisit and travellers to discover
Abu Dhabi- When a resident thinks of introducing the city to a tourist, and when a tourist thinks of ‘authenticity of the nation’, they all find themselves making way to Qasr Al Hosn, the oldest building structure of Abu Dhabi.
Amid the skyscrapers of downtown Abu Dhabi stands a white, coral-and-stone fortress that is older than the city around it.
Qasr Al Hosn, meaning "Palace Fort", is the iconic landmark that shares the story of how a fishing and pearling settlement on a desert island became the capital of the UAE.
The Cultural Foundation is the oldest building you can still walk into today. Inside, you’ll see a lot of photographs of how this place looked a long time agoDina Roshdy, Architect who grew up in Abu Dhabi
Origins: A tower above a well
The fort's history begins with water. According to local tradition, members of the Bani Yas tribe followed a gazelle to Abu Dhabi Island in the 18th century and found a source of fresh water there. In a region where drinking water decided where people could live, the discovery made the island a viable settlement.
To protect the well, a watchtower was built around 1761 under Sheikh Dhiyab bin Isa Al Nahyan. Constructed of sea stone and coral bound with lime-based mortar, it was a modest, square defensive structure.
“You can see the oldest flag of Abu Dhabi”, said a staff at Qasr Al Hosn, as I approach the monument. The Fort has three parts to it- the inner fort, the watchtower, and then the outer palace.
The watchtower had no doors but windows. It is said that they used ropes to enter the fort and had traps and weapons in hidden spots to keep impostors or intruders away.
According to information displayed at the fort, the family used the money from the sale of oil extracted to build the outer palace. This is where the family lived and till date, they have maintained 24 rooms used by the family.
First the inner fort, then the outer palace
The inner fort is where they displayed the leaders of Abu Dhabi, their tribes or the families they come from; their transition from a nomadic life to what they have built in the city before it became one to the oldest flag of Abu Dhabi city.
“For most of my life, you couldn’t enter Qasr Al Hosn itself. It has only been open to visitors for the last fifteen years or so,” Roshdy said.
Why tourists choose to be at Qasr Al Hosn?
If I were showing someone around, I’d take them through it in chronological order. Start at the Cultural Foundation and see the old images. Then step outside and walk through the local shops and restaurants and look at the architecture and how the landscape has changed.Dina Roshdy, Architect living in Abu Dhabi
Roshdy said she would then take visitors to the neighbouring history area, which explains why Qasr Al Hosn was built, its purpose and how it was used, giving them a fuller understanding of its history.
Leila A., a legal consultant from Dubai, said this part of the city is where she and her friends can explore the traditional side of the Nation. Her itinerary included visiting the House of Artisans at Qasr Al Hosn, among the other.
The friend accompanying Leila was Ina B., her college friend from France. Ina, an Algerian legal consultant in tax based in France, was visiting Abu Dhabi and discovering the city’s culture. She said this is where one can enjoy a slower pace of life, even while sitting in a café.
Leila chose this landmark to show her friends, the more authentic side of the UAE, noting Abu Dhabi has a ‘slow life’, allows people to enjoy even the simple activity like sitting in a coffee shop.
A seat of Government and a cradle of the Nation
The fort was restored over several years and formally reopened in December 2018. For generations, Qasr Al Hosn was where Abu Dhabi was governed.
Rulers lived and held their majlis within its walls. In 1966, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan became ruler of Abu Dhabi and took up residence at the palace, beginning the era of rapid development that would transform the emirate. In later years the building also served institutional roles, housing the Consultative Council and, for a time, the national documentation and archive functions.
The fort's significance is as much political as architectural. It stood at the centre of the decisions that led towards the union of the emirates in 1971, and it remains a powerful symbol of national identity.
The addition
Next door to the fort, inside the Cultural Foundation, sits one of the site's newest attractions: the Abu Dhabi Children's Library, and the outdoor Amphitheatre.
The Children's Library opened there on 4 September 2019 and took the place of the Foundation's original national library. It is the emirate's first library dedicated entirely to children.
The library spreads across three floors and about 5,250 square metres, arranged around a new diagonal atrium. Its design is inspired by a life-size pop-up book, and children move through spaces themed on the UAE's landscapes. The ground floor holds workshop and exhibition areas, the first floor takes children into the desert with play areas shaped like sand dunes, and the second floor is an oasis, with "falaj" water channels that carry books instead of water. Stories are presented in both print and digital formats.
