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Qasr Al Muwaiji opens to public as museum

Abu Dhabi - The royal fort amidst the ancient Al Muwaiji oasis in Al Ain was the home and the diwan of many of Abu Dhabi's rulers until 1970s.

From father to son, Qasr Al Muwaiji was built and inherited by Al Nahyan royal family for generations.
For 100 years, until the 1970s, when its walls went quiet, the royal fort amidst the ancient Al Muwaiji oasis in Al Ain was the home and the diwan of many of Abu Dhabi's rulers.
For years restoration work has been going on here and the fruits of that work have finally been revealed on Sunday night, when the fort opened to the public as a historic building and museum.
"Restoration of Qasr Al Muwaiji was not a new project; it's been going on since the early 1970s, but this conservation programme with the addition of the museum started in 2009," said Salma Al Muhairi, project manager for Qasr Al Muwaiji on behalf of Abu Dhabi Tourism and Culture Authority (TCA).
"This is a historical building and the conservation work will keep on going. We have two more towers under restoration, which we will open to the public in the future," she told Khaleej Times.
TCA, in charge of the preservation of Qasr Al Muwaiji, has opened for now seven rooms in the North-West tower of the fort, where The President, His Highness Shaikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan was born and grew up.
Starting from the South-East tower, once used for defence purposes, a permanent exhibition space was created within glass walls to allow views of the massive inner courtyard.
Using old photographs and information panels, the exhibition tells the historic time line of the fort, but it also has an area dedicated to Shaikh Khalifa, his childhood here, his ascent to leadership and his greatest achievements so far as the UAE President.
Built during the time of Shaikh Zayed the First, by his first son, Shaikh Khalifa bin Zayed bin Khalifa, Qasr Al Muwaiji was eventually inherited by the founding father of the UAE, Shaikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, who lived there for good many years.
In 1948, his son, Shaikh Khalifa was born in the North-West tower. After returning from school - Al Nahyania, the first school built in Al Ain - Shaikh Khalifa was allowed to attend the majlis of both his father and his grandfather.
Thus, at the age of just 18 years old in 1966, he took over his father's position as Ruler's Representative in the Eastern Region of Abu Dhabi emirate, working alongside Shaikh Zayed to develop a prosperous nation.
Among the exhibits, there is a poem written and dedicated to Shaikh Khalifa by His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces.
The brotherly tribute is inscribed in golden letters on a large dark wood panel.
The poem composed as classical Arabic ode or "qasida" (meaning "intention") is often written in praise of a nobleman.
"For this coming week, until November 21, we will also have workshops and other events that will tell the story of Qasr Al Muwaiji and the traditions connected to is," said Al Muhairi.
Details of the workshops and the fort are available on www.qasralmuwaiji.ae.
silvia@khaleejtimes.com