Historic monuments, ancient buildings, oases and natural heritage are the essential elements that constitute Abu Dhabi’s historic environment. It is part of our mandate to uncover traces of the emirate’s ancient civilizations, as well as to document, preserve and ensure the maintenance of historic buildings. Our responsibility extends to the management and development of culturally significant locations, including oases and archaeological sites. Classified by UNESCO as World Heritage Sites, Al Ain world heritage locations include its six oases and the archaeological sites of Hili, Hafeet, and Bida bin Saud. This classification is a testament to the cultural significance these locations hold in showcasing local values and cultural heritage.

In the heart of the city, the Al Ain Oasis is the UAE’s first curated UNESCO World Heritage site visitor experience. Spread over 1,200 hectares (nearly 3,000 acres) and containing more than 147,000 date palms of up to 100 different varieties, this impressive oasis is filled with palm plantations, many of which are still working farms. The site introduces visitors to the delicate oasis eco-system and the importance it has played in the development of the emirate. The oasis landscape of Al Ain is shaped by a complex shared water supply based on both wells and ‘aflaj’, the UAE’s traditional irrigation system. Al Ain Oasis has plenty of working examples of the falaj which have been used for centuries to tap into underground wells. Showcasing the components of Al Ain’s UNESCO World Heritage site, a purpose-built Eco-Centre experience at the oasis entrance provides an overview of the significance of the site and its importance to Abu Dhabi’s civilization. Through a series of fascinating and immersive interactive exhibits, the Eco-Centre highlights the measures being taken to preserve the delicate oasis ecosystem. The site also showcases traditional farming methods and produce, and also features a year-round programme of festivals, events, and interactive activities.

Hili Archaeological Park was developed to highlight the ancient monuments of Al Ain and to make them easily accessible to visitors. Most of the monuments are of the Umm an-Nar period which dates from about 2500 BCE to 2000 BCE and is named after the island near Abu Dhabi on which remains of this important culture were first discovered. Its centrepiece is Hili Grand Tomb dating to about 2000 BCE. Built in a circular form with a diameter of up to 12 metres, and approximately 4 metres high, the tomb was used for the burial of people from the surrounding settlements. The tomb has two entrances, which are decorated with beautiful engraved reliefs portraying human and animal figurines. Many other similar tombs are found throughout the area of Hili. In the future an archaeological trail will permit tourists to visit these sites and learn more about Umm an-Nar culture. In addition to tombs, there are several Bronze Age forts and settlements within and just outside Hili Archaeological Park. One of these, Hili 8, revealed evidence for the earliest agriculture in the UAE dating to about 5,000 years ago. Artefacts from these sites can be seen in Al Ain Museum.

The 5,000-year-old Jebel Hafeet tombs mark the beginning of the Bronze Age in the UAE. Excavations by Danish archaeologists in 1959 found evidence for ceramic vessels and copper artefacts in these tombs. These artefacts indicate the importance of maritime trade across the Arabian Gulf. The tombs are single-chamber tombs and are made of local unworked or roughly cut stones. These differ from later Umm an-Nar tombs which were made from finely worked blocks that contained the remains of hundreds of people. Bida bint Saud: Numerous stone-constructed tombs were discovered and excavated on top of the mountain called Gharn bint Saud to the north of Al Ain. The largest of these tombs is rectangular in shape, measuring 8 metres in length and 6 metres in width. Although some of the tombs may date as early as 5,000 years ago, many of the tombs were re-used throughout the Bronze and Iron Ages. A 3,000-year-old falaj was discovered 1,500 metres to the west of Gharn bint Saud. It attests to local ingenuity in obtaining water from deep below the surface. Currently, this falaj, the examples from Hili, and other examples from elsewhere in the UAE and Oman are the earliest evidence for the widespread use of this irrigation technology in the world. A large mudbrick building, which included a central room with column bases, and which dates to 3,000 years ago, was found near the falaj. These sites illustrate the critical role that the Bida bint Saud area, and Al Ain generally, played in the development of the Eastern Region of Abu Dhabi.  

• Abu Dhabi Sabkha (20/06/2018)
• Al Bidya Mosque (30/01/2012)
• Ed-Dur Site (30/01/2012)
• Khor Dubai (30/01/2012)
• Settlement and Cemetery of Umm an-Nar Island (30/01/2012)
• Sharjah: the Gate to Trucial States (13/11/2014)
• Sir Bu Nair Island (30/01/2012)
• The Cultural Landscape of the Central Region in the Emirate of Sharjah (09/03/2018)