Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
conservation and breeding program. Special treats for tots include the Elezba petting zoo,
bird shows and giraffe feedings.
The foot-weary can hire golf-cart-style shuttles to take them around the nicely land-
scaped grounds with hop-on and hop-off options at the main enclosures. There's also a
reasonably priced cafeteria and lots of nice picnic spots.
Al-Jahili Fort
HISTORIC SITE
OFFLINE MAP
( 784 3996; Hazah St, 9am-5pm Sat, Sun & Tue-Thu, 3-5pm Fri)
Beautifully restored, this
massive fort was built in 1890 by Sheikh Zayed I (1836-1909) as a summer residence.
His grandson, UAE founding father Sheikh Zayed, may have been born here in this build-
ing in 1918. Today it houses a visitor information centre and small exhibits on Zayed I
and on British explorer, writer and photographer Sir Wilfred Thesiger.
Al Ain National Museum
MUSEUM
OFFLINE MAP
( 03-764 1595;
www.adach.ae
; Zayed bin Sultan St; adult/child Dh3/free; 8.30am-7.30pm Sat-Thu, 3-7.30pm
Fri)
This charmingly old-fashioned museum is perfect for boning up on the ancient past of
the Al Ain region. Highlights include ancient weapons, jewellery, pottery, coins and other
objects excavated from tombs at nearby Hili and Umm an-Nar, which date to the 3rd mil-
lennium BC.
The ethnography galleries zero in on various aspects of the daily life of the Bedu and
settled people, including education, marriage and farming. There's some beautiful silver
jewellery, traditional costumes and a harrowing display of simple surgical instruments
with lots of sharp points and hooks - ouch!
Al Ain Camel Market
MARKET
(Zayed Bin Sultan St, behind Bawadi Mall; 7am-sunset)
It's dusty, noisy, pungent and chaot-
ic, but never mind: Al Ain's famous camel market is a wonderful immersion in traditional
Arabic culture so rare in the UAE today. All sorts of camels are holed up in pens, from
wobbly-legged babies that might grow up to be racers to imposing studs kept for breeding.
The intense haggling is fun to watch. Some traders may offer to give you a tour (for
money) but you're totally free to walk around on your own. If you want to take photo-
graphs, ask first and perhaps offer a small tip. Trading takes place in the morning, but it's
usually possible to see the corralled animals all day long.
