What prior image do most of us carry of an “oasis” site like Al Ain? Sand, palm trees, donkeys, camels? Well, as the photos in the main museum there show, Al Ain was indeed like that in the early 1960s but nowadays, with a population of over half a million it spreads out across some 40 sq kms, connected by a network of 6 lane highways with roundabouts every 2 or 3 kms where “devil takes the hindmost” among the speeding crowded traffic!

We realised of course that UAE had developed significantly over the past 50 years. The “wonder” of modern Dubai was well known to us but I had perhaps not realised the extent to which this development had spread inland to Al Ain (which is part of the state of Abu Dhabi). The place was known to me long before it gained WH inscription as I am a “collector” of locations where somewhat bizarre historical events have occurred and Al Ain is one of these. In 1952 it was the site of a military stand-off involving Saudi Arabia (SA) and UK in which SA was backed by the US! With Arabian frontiers not fully defined at that time, SA moved soldiers to the Oasis of Buraimi to enforce its historic claim on the area also claimed by the Sheiks of Oman and Abu Dhabi. UK had treaties of protection with both Oman and Abu Dhabi and “officered” their troops and looked after foreign relations. In the end SA backed down and the Oasis was split between the other 2 countries –which explains the rather strangely shaped frontier which this WHS in part follows.

Nowadays Al Ain is known as the “Garden City”. High rise building has been forbidden but, despite this, the whole area is heavily urbanised behind the confusingly similar tree lined highways which hide the continuous blocks of housing and the occasional shopping mall. It is also a “get away” location to escape the coastal cities and has a fair number of hotels and resorts. Originally I had thought of trying to fit a visit into a 1 day stop-over but soon decided that there were just too many different aspects to see in such a short time so we drove down from Dubai and back across 2 days seeing other aspects of interior UAE as well. On reflection, as the drive is under 2 hours, if you concentrated solely on the “best bits” of Al Ain and had an overnight night flight out of Dubai then you could do it in 1 day. The WHS consists of 17 elements in 4 groups, covering historical periods from the Bronze Age through to the present in the form of a continuing Cultural Landscape. ICOMOS was not happy with all this and recommended deferral for a redefinition of the site (“the nominated sites form an accumulation of an excessive number of themes and overly different periods for the outstanding universal value of the serial property to be demonstrated”)! But the 2011 WHC was pretty “bolshie” and Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Nigeria and Bahrain (with UAE also on the Committee itself!!) gathered enough support to overwhelm Estonia, Sweden, Switzerland and Australia and the ICOMOS recommendation was overturned.

The 4 groups consist of

a. A number of Bronze age tombs and other structures in the NW of the city at Hili

b. 6 oases scattered around the city which are still used to cultivate dates using Aflaj for irrigation and include a number of historic buildings including houses, souks, mosques and forts dating mainly from the 19th C.

c. A series of prehistoric tombs towards Jebel Hafeet, a 1200m mountain situated to the SE of Al Ain centre. We concentrated on driving up the superbly engineered Jebel Hafleet Mountain road (not part of the inscription) with a fine view of Al Ain from the top - the evening view of the city lighting up below seemed a very popular outing for the locals . The road has been called “the greatest driving road in the World” by US organisation “Edmunds.com”. It was ok, but perhaps they should get around a bit more!

d. A further prehistoric site (Bidaa Bint Saud) 14kms north of Hili beyond the city outskirts and consisting of bronze and iron age tombs. We picked it up as we departed Al Ain going north – but the area is fenced off and locked. It is a few kms off the direct route to Dubai - take E95 and look out on the left for a “rocky outcrop” – it isn’t signposted! The site itself has a sign explaining what is inside but I wouldn’t bother unless you have a car and a bit of time! The “big” issue here is whether this site, as Abu Dhabi claims, really does provide evidence of Aflaj going back to the Iron Age.

On our first afternoon/evening we saw some of b, together with a bit of c plus the mountain drive. On the next morning we saw more of b plus all of a (and d on our way out). We did see buses which could be used for a/b, which are really the prime sights, but even for these you ideally need your own car.

The Bronze age remains at Hili (Group a) are presented in a rather “strange” way within an “Archaeological Park and Gardens” – and this means well watered green grass, flower beds and trees plus a restaurant, some kids playgrounds and a modern mosque of course for those essential prayers. I guess if you an Emirati wanting a day out with your family then some nice grass and trees could be just right - but the archaeological remains (primarily 3 tombs) seem very much a side show as you walk round this non-desert scene. ICOMOS was not over impressed! “Their nearby environments form landscapes associated with the desert, mountains and existing oases, but they are at times undermined by the proximity of anachronistic elements linked to contemporary development (theme park, modern constructions, road and hotel infrastructure, etc”. It also wasn’t convinced of the authenticity (“ICOMOS considers that the majority of the monumental tombs from the protohistoric eras were in ruins when discovered by archaeologists in the second half of the 20th century. While there is no doubt as to the authenticity of the sites and associated artefacts, certain tombs, often those considered the most important, have undergone restoration or even substantial reconstruction, notably the Grand Tomb in Hili Archaeological Park, which limits the scope of their authenticity”). Now this is a great shame, because the Grand Tomb at Hili was the highlight of the WHS as far as its archaeological remains are concerned. And now I don’t know how much of what I saw was “original” or genuinely restored by anastylosis. Assuming they are genuine, the carved Oryx above a recess in one of the beehive tombs were superb (Photo1). But the location wasn’t a patch on that of Oman’s own beehive tombs at Bat.

The 6 oases present another “selection” problem for a visitor. That of “Al Ain” is close to what goes for “town centre” (a rather “scratty” early development not commensurate with Abu Dhabi’s current image and wealth!) near the National Museum. This only contains 3 rooms but is worth seeing for the overview it provides of the rest of the site and of the changes which have occurred in the last 50 years – it is situated next to one of the many forts which are included in the inscription. We were not able to venture far into the oasis as chemical spraying of the date palms was taking place and much of it was closed.

The next morning we chose the Al Qattara and Jimi Oases which abut each other. The former had a “cultural centre” built in a largely reconstructed fort – in the basement one could see parts of the prehistoric structures which preceded it. A souq has been constructed for tourists (of which we were the only ones that morning) to see local handicrafts being produced - this gave a good chance to see ladies wearing the local “Batula” veil and to interact with “locals” – not so easy in a country where most “services” you receive will be provided by immigrants! We received lots of “hospitality” and Arabic coffee at both locations. Next we drove deep into Jimi oasis and were surprised at how quickly one could escape modernity (apart from the Telecoms tower on the horizon!) among the groves of date palms. Finally we did a quick tour of some of the other Forts we had missed – in particular that of Al Jahili which is probably the most spectacular/iconic one (photo2)

So – to summarise. In my view the main interest to be gained from visiting this site relates more to seeing the way in which the UAE has developed than from its historic aspects – I must admit I prefer my desert sites and oases to be less developed. Based on what we saw, then the priorities from among all the sites available would be the main Hili tomb, followed by Jahili Fort, the National Museum and an Oasis.

As a postscript – this description of Al Ain’s long term development strategy might be of interest in showing how gaining a WHS inscription was seen as an important step along the way. See Master_Planning_for_Heritage_Conservation_in_Al_Ain_Oasis_UAE .