For release February 28, 2014
Qasr Al Hosn Fort, Abu Dhabi-the Abu Dhabi Tourism and Culture Authority are pleased to announce the Qasr Al Hon festival. The festival is a celebration of Abu Dhabi’s history and culture. It will offer participants an opportunity to experience and enjoy various aspects of Emirati culture. The festival will be opened on February 25, 2014, and will display several themes of UAE’s rich history that is of great importance to its members. The festival has been celebrated since the development of the fort in the 1760s.
Workshops will be offered selectively because only a few seats are available. Workshops will include information on the Abu Dhabi Island, the desert, marine life, oases, and the Emirati cultural foundation. The demonstration will take place at 4 pm and 11 pm. Visitors do not require registration. A talk on Qasr Al Hosn will be conducted on February 28, 2014, to explore the history of the UAE.
The Qasr Al Hosn festival
The festival has been celebrated annually and it highlights the most important aspects of Emirati history. Visitors will get an opportunity to visit and enjoy the magnificence of Abu Dhabi’s oldest fort. All the activities and displays at the event will reflect various aspects of Emirati history for the last two hundred and fifty years. Apart from celebrating the Emirati history, the festival aims to give visitors a chance to appreciate the Emirati heritage that is the core of their culture and society.
Activities will include interactive workshops, educative sessions on Emirati art and culture, historical tours, displays, and exhibitions of various artifacts. Besides, participants will enjoy a demonstration of various cultural activities and skills, and get an opportunity to visit the Qasr al Hosn fort.
About Qasr Al Hosn
Qasr al Hosn represents the birthplace of Abu Dhabi because it was where the first royal family lived. The then leader Sheikh Dhiyab Bin Isa constructed it in the 1760s as a watchtower. The erection of the tower encouraged settlements around the area. These settlements created a community that represented the first community of the Emirati. Various tribes settled in different regions. For example, the Bani Yas tribe settled move southwards and settled at the coat. Sheikh Shakhbut Bin Dhiyab turned the watchtower into a fortress fort.
Initially, the fort was constructed with coral and sea stones that made it impenetrable. It would sparkle because of the seashells plastered on the fort’s walls. The sparkle attracted many merchants and the fort became a trade hub. In the early years of the 19th century, Sheikh Tahoon Bin Shakhbut expanded the fort and consequently attracted thousands of settlers. The traditional village transformed into a flourishing city.
Further expansion took place during the period that involved the discovery of oil. Oil revenues were used to build a palace that comprised the fort. Later, the palace was transformed into a museum that would house various cultural artifacts of the Emirati. Plans are underway to reduce the fort into its original brickwork to reduce the accumulation of corrosive moisture on the walls of the museum.
About Abu Dhabi Tourism and Culture Authority (TCA)
TCA is a division of the Emirati government that deals with activities and celebrations that involve the culture of the Emirati. It is responsible for organizing the Qasr Al Hosn festival. Its role is to ensure that visitors are provided with the necessary information regarding the schedule of the festival.