Al Ain National Museum
This museum in the heart of Al Ain has an extensive archaeological and ethnographical collection, including some spectacular second millennium gold pendants and an important coin collection. Reconstructions of a majilis (traditional reception area) and traditional life in general are also very interesting. The museum houses a reconstruction of the Grand Hili tomb with its rock engravings.
Al Ain Palace Museum
Originally the ancestral home of the ruling family, the rooms of this beautifully restored fort takes the visitor back to an era shaped by nature, where good relationships with the local tribes was everything. Sheikh Zayed resided here as the very able Ruler’s Representative for the area before his accession as Ruler of Abu Dhabi in 1966.
Jahili Fort
This very impressive restored fort set in its own grounds is situated close to the public garden. Cultural and archaeological exhibitions are mounted in the fort (www.adach.ae) whilst the courtyard hosts the Al Ain Classics Chamber Music Festival (www.abudhabiclassics.com) and other operatic and musical events – a truly magical venue!
Murabba Fort
Located in the centre of the town’s business district, this is a small structure surrounded by an ornate wall; it used to be the police headquarters and old prison.
Mujairib Fort
The main fort, a smaller fort and a watchtower are surrounded by a formal park and children's playground. Located on Al Jimi St, several kilometres north-west of the city centre, the main fort is open to visitors and has interesting narrow stairways.
Qatarrah Oasis
Near Mujiarib fort this oasis is the site of an important archaeological find, the Qatarrah tomb, a long, narrow Shimal-type grave in which many of the rich artifacts displayed in Al Ain Museum were found. This was one of the very first tombs of second millennium BC date excavated in the Emirates. Among the most notable finds is a gold ornament consisting of a double-headed, single-bodied animal. Similar finds are known from the sites of Dhayah in northern Ra’s al-Khaimah and Bidiya in northern Fujairah. These were probably worn as a large medallion in a necklace. The oasis has a large fort in the centre and a working falaj system. Strategies for development of Qattarah Oasis are currently under review by Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage (ADACH).
Al Rumeilah Fort
A small walled structure with interesting architectural features located in a residential area in the northern suburbs. Near Rumeilah also is the first Iron Age settlement excavated on a large scale in the UAE. The site comprises a series of mudbrick buildings, some of which are so well preserved that their roofs are still intact. These had been literally buried by sand. They contained large quantities of pottery, grinding stones and metal tools, as well as stamp seals, beads and several pieces of bronze weaponry. Rumeilah was occupied between c. 1000 and 300 B.C and is very similar in most respects to the contemporary Iron Age sites of Al Madam, Al Thuqaibah, Qarn Bint Saud and Hili 2.
Hili Archaeological Park
The modern suburb of Al Ain known as Hili (about 10 kilometres from the city) is famous among local residents for its beautiful garden. In fact, the garden and its immediate hinterland are the location of a large number of Bronze Age and Iron Age sites, dating to c.2500–400 BC. Of these, Hili 8 is perhaps the best investigated, thanks to a French expedition that began work there in the late 1970s. This is a square mudbrick tower with rounded corners and associated outbuildings. Such towers are typical of the late third millennium BC in both Oman and the UAE. Other examples have been excavated at Tell Abraq, Bidya and Kalba. The Hili 8 tower is likely either to have been the centre of governance of the settlement, or perhaps a defensive structure to be used as a place of refuge. The site has evidence of slight occupation at the very beginning of the second millennium BC as well. Thereafter human settlement in the region shifted to other sites, such as Qattarah and Rumeilah.
The centrepiece of the Hili Gardens is a tomb dating to the end of the third millennium BC that was excavated by Danish archaeologists in the early 1960s, and subsequently reconstructed by an Iraqi team for the Al Ain Department of Antiquities and Tourism. Built with massive blocks, this is a circular structure with four symmetrical chambers. Finds in the tomb included pottery with parallels to the Kulli culture of southern Baluchistan. Of particular interest are relief carvings adjacent to the door of the tomb that depicted humans and animals. The tomb also features two famous 5000-year-old petroglyphs – one of two people and an oryx, another of two cheetahs catching a gazelle. The park contains a children’s playground.
Hili Fort
A round fort with a round central tower, the reconstructed, Hili Fort is located at the edge of the date palm plantation. The entrance is ornate and the views from the building towards the Hili oasis and surrounding areas are impressive.
Al Muwaiji Fort
The three-towered Al Muwaiji Fort and a mosque with a freestanding minaret are located within the date plantation.
Mazyad Fort
The beautifully restored Mazyad Fort lies at the foot of Jebel Hafit and is well worth a visit. Mudbrick walls with battlements and watchtowers surround a courtyard and flourishing date palm grove.
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