ABU DHABI.- His Highness Sheikh Tahnoun bin Mohammed Al Nahyan, Abu Dhabi Ruler's Representative in the Eastern Region has opened the Al Ain Oasis to the public as the UAE’s first UNESCO World Heritage site, praising 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.

This came during the opening ceremony of Al Ain Oasis to the public yesterday as the UAE’s first UNESCO World Heritage site, which was inaugurated by HH Sheikh Tahnoun bin Mohammed Al Nahyan, in the presence of Sheikh Hazza bin Tahnoun Al Nahyan, Under-Secretary of the Court of the Ruler's Representative in the Eastern Region, Sheikh Khalifa bin Tahnoun Al Nahyan, Director of The Martyrs' Families' Affairs Office at the Abu Dhabi Crown Prince’s Court, HE Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak, Chairman of TCA Abu Dhabi, HE Zaki Nusseibeh, Cultural Advisor at Ministry of Presidential Affairs, HE Saif Saeed Ghobash, Director General of TCA Abu Dhabi and a number of officials from the Court of the Abu Dhabi Ruler's Representative in the Eastern Region, TCA Abu Dhabi and other government bodies.

Following its inauguration, HH Sheikh Tahnoun toured Al Ain Oasis, where he witnessed the developments and improvements implemented by TCA 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 BCE, and perhaps even earlier.

HH Sheikh 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.

HE Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak, Chairman, TCA Abu Dhabi said: “Al Ain Oasis represents an essential component of the overall strategy of HH Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan to safeguard the country’s heritage and preserve national treasures. One of the most iconic sites across the emirates is Al Ain Oasis. 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. It is a testament to the engineering and survival capacities of mankind.”

The interpretation of Al Ain Oasis has been undertaken by Abu Dhabi Tourism & Culture Authority (TCA Abu Dhabi) as part of its on-going initiatives to preserve the UAE’s rich history and heritage. 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.

Situated in the heart of the ancient city, Al Ain Oasis is the largest oasis in Al Ain. 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. Adjacent to Al Ain National Museum to the East and Al Ain Palace Museum to the West, the oasis is known by its unique aflaj irrigation system of narrow waterways that infiltrate fresh spring water from the nearby Hajar Mountains, to nurture the date farms.

The Authority has sought to enable visitors to delve into the history and understand the oasiscape via a network of walking trails, revealing a complex desert environment beyond the palm groves whilst highlighting the architecture and traditional practices fundamental to the composition and cultural integrity of the UNESCO World Heritage Site.