Photos from Our World

Al Ain, Garden City of the Abu Dhabi Emirate

Al Ain (literally "The Eye", referring to a spring) is also known as the Garden City due to its greenery. It is situated about 160 km east of the capital Abu Dhabi, in the Buraimi oasis, on the border with Oman. Al Ain is the second largest city in the Abu Dhabi Emirate and the fourth largest city in the UAE with a population of 375,000. It is the birthplace of Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the founder and first president of the United Arab Emirates. The palace where he was born is now a museum. It provides a good idea about what life was like there. There are various other forts that can be visited, like the Sultan Fort, built in 1910, now on the grounds of the Al-Ain National museum. The actual oasis with its groves of date palms is a nice place to visit; there are narrow walled alleys to explore and small mosques.

About 30 km from the city is Jebel Hafeet, a jagged limestone mountain, raising to a height of 1350 m out of the surrounding plains. A road winds up to the peak, with spectacular views. At the foot of Jebel Hafeet is Green Mubazzarah Park, with its holiday chalets, popular with families. And about 20 km from Al Ain is an active camel market.

	Street in Al Ain	Alley in Al-Ain Oasis	Mosque, Al-Ain Oasis	Al Ain Oasis alley
	Al Ain Fort	Majlis, Al Ain Fort	Private Majlis in Fort	Inside Al Ain Fort
	Sultan Fort	Bedouin tent interior	View from Jebel Hafeet	Jebel Hafeet

Click on the map to select a continent...

Search this site or the web: Custom Search