Umm al Nar tombs. Image: Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture & Heritage
The Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture & Heritage (ADACH) has unveiled its plans for two key projects in Al Ain. The Al Ain National Museum and Hili Archaeological Park were both publicly announced by the Abu Dhabi Executive Council last week.
The proposed Al Ain National Museum. Image: Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture & Heritage
The AANM forms part of the Al Ain Oasis Cultural Quarter Master Plan and is located within the centre of downtown Al Ain within an Eastern Cultural Campus that is a flagship cultural quarter for Al Ain. It will celebrate the heritage and culture of the city – at the point where the city and nature meet at the edge of the Al Ain Oasis.
Hili Archaeological Park is an internationally significant archaeological site, comprising unique Bronze Age, Iron Age and Islamic remains. The project will protect and preserve the site and its archaeology, and create a centre of learning and discovery where visitors will engage with the history of the site, the early roots of the UAE, the lives of the people who inhabited this landscape, and how Hili’s rich history was uncovered.
The Chairman of ADACH, His Excellency Sheikh Sultan Bin Tahnoon Al Nahyan stated:
“These are two very significant projects, that are drawing on the resources of this country’s heritage and protecting them.The Al Ain National Museum will provide the intellectual foundation of a Cultural Quarter. Hili Archaeological Park will enclose some of the most important Bronze (Umm an Nar) and Iron Age tombs, settlements and falaj systems found in the United Arab Emirates.
Interior impression of the proposed Al Ain National Museum. Image: Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture & Heritage
“The World Heritage Site status that was awarded to Al Ain recently is further testament to Abu Dhabi continuing to be developed as one of the main international centres of culture by embracing and valuing its cultural diversity and making it an attractive visitors destination.
Dr Sami el Masri, Deputy Director-General for Arts, Culture and Heritage and Director of Strategic Planning and Development at ADACH, said:
“The Al Ain National Museum project will revitalise this institution in ADACH’s Museum Department and be the anchor for the Eastern Cultural Campus. It will be an exemplary modern, urban, archaeology and cultural history museum. The museum will be the centre of the cultural life of the city – and a gateway to its many treasures and stories.
“The strategy of ADACH is to protect and maintain Abu Dhabi’s resources and ensure and reinforce the role of culture and heritage as both an important educational and cultural tool. ADACH is as much about the present and the future as it is about the past.
Source: Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture & Heritage
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Umm Al Nar: Between 2700- 2000 BC, a new period can be traced in the area of nowadays UAE and Oman, named after a settlement found on the Island of Umm Al Nar north-east of Abu Dhabi Island. Circular tower-like tombs of dressed stones were found in several locations along the coast and Al Ain Oasis. These sites tell a tale of a culture which steadily developed from pottery production to the exploitation and export of copper. A lively exchange of goods via land and sea existed between the settlers and surrounding civilisations, such as Mesopotamia and the Indus Valley.