Al Ain: The Al Ain Oasis was opened to the public as the UAE’s first Unesco World Heritage site by Shaikh Tahnoun Bin Mohammad Al Nahyan, Abu Dhabi Ruler’s Representative in the Eastern Region.
Following its inauguration, Shaikh Tahnoun toured Al Ain Oasis, where he witnessed the developments and improvements implemented by Tourism and Cultural Authority Abu Dhabi to upgrade the Al Ain Oasis visitor experience and accessibility, introducing interpretive tools like the ‘Eco-Centre’ to better understand the oasis’ ecosystem, its historic evolution, and its significance for Abu Dhabi’s heritage and civilisation.
The centre also showcases the environmental standards followed to preserve the oasis’ ecosystem, which goes back to the third millennium BC, and perhaps even earlier.
Shaikh Tahnoun also visited the Miniature Oasis, an interactive experience that mimics the real oasis in the palm grove, where visitors can discover the amazing Falaj network that carries water to the palm groves. In addition, the Al Ain Oasis Plaza will feature restaurants, cafes and shops selling products and produce derived from the oasis.
Mohammad Khalifa Al Mubarak, Chairman, TCA Abu Dhabi, said: “Al Ain Oasis represents an essential component of the overall strategy of His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Al Nahyan to safeguard the country’s heritage and preserve national treasures.
People were visionary here, creating an ecosystem that fully utilised nature’s blessings, from its freshwater springs and fertile soils; a prosperous civilisation ascended and survived the passage of time. Al Ain Oasis does not only offer a lesson from the past but also a message for the future, namely how to create true sustainability.”
In 2011, Al Ain was the first site in the UAE to be inscribed on Unesco’s world heritage site list, comprising of four locations: the Bronze-Age Hafit Tombs, the archaeological settlements at Hili, the prehistoric vestiges at Bidaa Bint Saud, and the six lush oases of Al Ain, including Al Ain Oasis.
It is one of the world’s oldest permanently inhabited settlements that dates back to more than 4,000 years. It covers over 1,200 hectares and contains more than 147,000 date palm trees, of up to 100 different varieties.
Shaikh Tahnoun praised the efforts carried out by Abu Dhabi Tourism & Culture Authority (TCA Abu Dhabi) to contributing, enhancing and strengthening Abu Dhabi’s position in the international tourism and cultural scenes, through a series activities and events that preserve cultural values, in line with the aspirations of the UAE’s wise leadership.
