We arrive at the Al Ain Palace Museum in the afternoon. It is a hot day, summer is finally encroaching on the long and lovely weather we have been experiencing. It is also the middle of Ramadan so there is no relief for my parched and dry lips as we enter the Al Ain Palace Museum (Qasr Al Ain) this sunny afternoon.
We have enjoyed our weekend in Al Ain and after this we are packed up and on our way home to Dubai.
Our weekend spent living in a painted desert, the colors change with the light out here and there is no escaping the sweeping views of the empty quarter. We enter the sand colored complex and the cool of the exhibition building.
This reinstated fort was home to the late Sheikh Zayed and his family between 1937 and 1966. The Bedouin style architecture contains within the walls exhibitions and preserved history of the ruler’s life and lifestyle when he resided here.
The design of the complex is a combination of official and private rooms linked by courtyards and gardens to form a sweeping estate of the Al Nahyan.
The exhibition contains paintings and artifacts of the late Sheikh Zayed as well as objects collected or donated by members of the Al Nahyan family. The coins below are copper (from the late Islamic Period) minted in Muscat, Oman and dating to 1897. The larger discs are enlarged versions of the coin faces.
Many of the paintings and drawings in the exhibition are of Sheikh Zayed. There is also a number of paintings and tiled artwork along a loggia. I like the tiled ones, their color and texture embedded into the walls.
Next we move into another small building with a gallery dedicated to the Al Nahyan family tree. Here there is a family tree, wall sized, starting with Sheikh Zayed bin Khalifa through to the youngest of Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan’s sons. There are also photos of the ruler and his 19 sons. According to Emirati tradition, his 11 daughters are not mentioned in the family tree.
We pop back out into the sunlight and then into another building. This time it is only a room – the coffee room. A small sitting room where coffee is the centre of attention. We pause for a moment and then move onto other small, purpose built rooms, pausing in the garden to look down a deep (but abandoned) well.
The boys contemplate being one of 19 brothers when we encounter the size of the pots in the kitchen. Although large, it’s difficult to imagine the number of people required to put together dinner using a pot this large. Even more difficult to imagine how many such a pot might end up actually being able to feed. Although the grounds and the complex itself feel rather spacious, the rooms are not large or luxurious and with all those families living on top of each other it must have been a lively place.
Below is Sheika Fatima’s mother’s room. Presumably this is where she was able to welcome and entertain female guests. It appears in contrast, more cozy and complete than many of the other somewhat stark rooms. Once again, it is a room that seems to revolve around coffee.
We explore some more. The rooms are mostly bare or scarcely furnished and there is a fair amount of imagination required to fill in the gaps as there is no information available around the site.
I do enjoy the leafy, green and well kept grounds and can imagine myself under one of the lovely shade trees on a blanket, picnicking with the family (although not in the middle of Ramadan).
A little further on we discover the very interesting features of palm tree balconies, with the trunks forming the supporting beams while frond stems form the cross thatch. Over the top mud is laid to form the roof. I like the color and patters of these roofs. Sometimes rope is used and can be seen in the exposed structure of doorways.
All too soon we are informed that the museum is closed and although we are allowed to make a short rest stop, we promptly make our way to the exit. After all, our weekend is coming to a close and it’s time to start making our way back home to Dubai.
Good To Know
We arrived at 3pm during Ramadan and were promptly told that the museum was closed at a few minutes before 4pm. Although the website lists daily opening times as 8:30am – 7:30pm (except Mondays) and 3:30pm – 7:30pm Friday, be sure to check beforehand to avoid disappointment. Ramadan timings were not advertised anywhere. Entrance is free.
Would I Return?
No. Of course I would return if I happened to be around, however, as enjoyable as Al Ain has been and as interesting as it is to see this important historical and culturally significant site, I would not make a special trip back.
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