As a symbol of Abu Dhabi’s heritage and a component of the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Al Ain, Qasr Al Muwaiji, birthplace of HH Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the U.A.E., will open this month as a museum and exhibition celebrating his leadership and as a monument to the progress of the Nation.
Through a comprehensive conservation programme started in the late 1970s and extended in 2009 to include archaeological excavations, preservation measures and restoration interventions, Qasr al Muwaiji has been carefully rehabilitated to emphasise its original architectural features while adapting its original function as a Fort to become a world-class museum.
A permanent exhibition dedicated to the President of the Nation, HH Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, will narrate significant moments of his early childhood, leadership and vast national achievements. This exhibition will also highlight the chronology of the members of Abu Dhabi’s ruling family associated with Qasr al Muwaiji, and the history and progression of the Al Nahyan family.
The museum’s permanent exhibition will also tell the story of the fort, from the earliest archaeological traces of life at the oasis, through to present day. Over its history, two distinct themes emerge – that of leadership, and that of traditional Emirati values, which have distinguished the people of the oasis for centuries and characterised their leaders. The exhibition showcases the history of the Al Nahyan family and that of the fort and its functions as a place of rule, a focus for the community, a verdant oasis on the fringes of the desert, and a family home.
