ID :
411378
Tue, 07/05/2016 - 11:02
Auther :

Al Jahili Fort: An award winning Emirati landmark

ABU DHABI, 5th July 2016 (WAM) - The Arabic language daily 'Al Khaleej' published a feature yesterday about Al Jahili Fort, which is one of the largest forts in the UAE and a witness to the skilful military architecture in the UAE. Al Jahili Fort was built by Sheikh Zayed bin Khalifa (Zayed the First) between 1891 and 1898, near Al Jahili Oasis. The Fort was ever since used as a centre for launching major development projects such as Falaj (water channels) network and the garrison houses, used to defend the city and the palm farms. The fort also served as the official residence of Al Nahyan family, even after the death of Sheikh Zayed the First in 1909. Al Jahili Fort was re-opened in 2008 as a museum and a venue for cultural and heritage shows, after an implementation of a long restoration programme. The fort now houses a visitor information centre, a permanent exhibition devoted to Wilfred Thesiger, also known as Mubarak bin London, the intrepid explorer; travel writer and photographer, who crossed the Empty Quarter twice in the 1940s, and lived in Al Ain as a guest of the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan. In 2010, Al Jahili fort received the International Architecture Award by the Chicago Athenaeum Museum of Architecture and Design, and the European Centre for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies. - Emirates News Agency, WAM - http://www.wam.ae/en/news/emirates/1395297457125.html

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