Your guide to Qasr Al Hosn's opening week of festivities


Melissa Gronlund
  • English
  • Arabic

Qasr Al Hosn opens to the public this weekend with a full line-up of celebrations. Extended opening hours will allow access to the site’s three main components, in addition to musical acts and food options throughout the revamped city block.

It will be open from Sunday to Thursday from 10am to 10pm and on the weekends from 10am to 11pm.

The area is open on all sides to pedestrians, embedding it in the urban footprint of the city. Although new developments have drawn attention away from Abu Dhabi island, the traditional heart of the city, Qasr Al Hosn’s reopening is a reminder of a time – not so long ago – when there was no Saadiyat, no Yas, nor Raha Beach or Khalifa City.

For recent arrivals, it is the site of the immensely popular Qasr Al Hosn festival, an 11-day programme with heritage activities and performances.

For longer-term residents, it was the Cultural Foundation, which was the centre of the capital's social, artistic and literary life. And for those even longer in the country, it was an important historical site where the charter for the federation of the Emirates was signed, and where Sheikh Shakbout presided from.

What will you find there now

The new Qasr Al Hosn aims to bring all these earlier incarnations together. There will be heritage activities in the House of Artisans, a reopened Cultural Foundation and a new museum telling the history of the Bani Yas confederation of tribes, the Al Nahyan family and the rise of modern Abu Dhabi.

Reconstructions include the bedrooms the ruling family would have slept in, and the men's and women's majlis. There is an emphasis on showing the crucial role that women played in Emirati society since its beginnings, a fact that Mohamed Al Mubarak, chairman of DCT, underlined. "They protected the fort side by side with men," he said.

"It's a big misconception in the West. The idea of a woman not being an equal companion with her husband or her male counterpart is a complete falsehood. The reality speaks in its history."

Inside Qasr Al Hosn. Photo: Reem Mohammed / The National
Inside Qasr Al Hosn. Photo: Reem Mohammed / The National

The House of Artisans will offer workshops and demonstrations of traditional Emirati crafts, such as Tali embroidery and Al Sadu weaving. It also boasts the first Bait Al Gahwa, where visitors can experience the tradition of Arabic coffee, and a rather fine gift shop for those looking for holiday buys.

The auditorium, in a twist (no pun intended), is revolving, so it can accommodate different crowds. It hosts a variety of musical events for the week, with most of them at 6.30pm and 8.30pm. Highlights are the Souad Massi Trio on Friday, December 7 at 8.30pm, Naseer Shamma and the Global Ensemble on Thursday, December 13 at 8.30pm and the Chehade Brothers on Friday, December 14 at 8.30pm.

The Abu Dhabi flag
The Abu Dhabi flag

The Cultural Foundation will open with an exhibition of painting and sculpture made by Emirati artists, such as Mohamed Al Mazrouei and Mahmoud Jameel Al Ramahi. The curators of the exhibition, Maya Allison of the NYUAD Art Gallery and Alia Zaal Lootah of Louvre Abu Dhabi, also discovered in their research for the show a connection to Cairo: many early Emirati artists were sent abroad to study.

Though London and New York are well-known as the destinations for cultural exchange, the pair realised that Cairo was actually a more important exchange site in the 1980s and 90s. Their exhibition looks at the influence of this Egyptian connection and sketches out some stylistic traits among the artists who returned.

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Read more

The first glimpse of the newly renovated Qasr Al Hosn, which tells the story of Abu Dhabi

Salama Al Shamsi appointed director of Qasr Al Hosn

Qasr Al Hosn promotional video unveiled by Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi

Points tally

1. Australia 52; 2. New Zealand 44; 3. South Africa 36; 4. Sri Lanka 35; 5. UAE 27; 6. India 27; 7. England 26; 8. Singapore 8; 9. Malaysia 3

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6.30pm UAE 1000 Guineas Trial Conditions (TB) US$100,000 (Dirt) 1,400m

Winner Final Song, Christophe Soumillon (jockey), Saeed bin Suroor (trainer).

7.05pm Handicap (TB) $135,000 (Turf) 1,000m

Winner Almanaara, Dane O’Neill, Doug Watson.

7.40pm Handicap (TB) $175,000 (D) 1,900m

Winner Grand Argentier, Brett Doyle, Doug Watson.

8.15pm Meydan Challenge Listed Handicap (TB) $175,000 (T) 1,400m

Winner Major Partnership, Patrick Cosgrave, Saeed bin Suroor.

8.50pm Dubai Stakes Group 3 (TB) $200,000 (D) 1,200m

Winner Gladiator King, Mickael Barzalona, Satish Seemar.

9.25pm Dubai Racing Club Classic Listed Handicap (TB) $175,000 (T) 2,410m

Winner Universal Order, Richard Mullen, David Simcock.

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• Increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027 but given “turbulent times it may be necessary to go faster”

• Prioritise a shift towards working with AI and autonomous systems

• Invest in the resilience of military space systems.

• Number of active reserves should be increased by 20%

• More F-35 fighter jets required in the next decade

• New “hybrid Navy” with AUKUS submarines and autonomous vessels

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• A nationalist, his campaign slogan was Poland First. "Let's help others, but let's take care of our own citizens first," he said on social media in April.

• Cultivates tough-guy image, posting videos of himself at shooting ranges and in boxing rings.

• Met Donald Trump at the White House and received his backing.

The specs: 2018 Nissan Altima


Price, base / as tested: Dh78,000 / Dh97,650

Engine: 2.5-litre in-line four-cylinder

Power: 182hp @ 6,000rpm

Torque: 244Nm @ 4,000rpm

Transmission: Continuously variable tranmission

Fuel consumption, combined: 7.6L / 100km

UAE%20SQUAD
%3Cp%3EMuhammad%20Waseem%20(captain)%2C%20Aayan%20Khan%2C%20Aryan%20Lakra%2C%20Ashwanth%20Valthapa%2C%20Asif%20Khan%2C%20Aryansh%20Sharma%2C%20CP%20Rizwaan%2C%20Hazrat%20Billal%2C%20Junaid%20Siddique%2C%20Karthik%20Meiyappan%2C%20Rohan%20Mustafa%2C%20Vriitya%20Aravind%2C%20Zahoor%20Khan%20and%20Zawar%20Farid.%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
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Director: Saeed Roustaee

Starring: Parinaz Izadyar, Payman Maadi

Rating: 4/5

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Sand storm

  • Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
  • Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
  • Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
  • Travel distance: Limited 
  • Source: Open desert areas with strong winds

Dust storm

  • Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
  • Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
  • Duration: Can linger for days
  • Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
  • Source: Can be carried from distant regions
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Starring: Nader Abd Alhay, Majd Eid, Ramzi Maqdisi

Directors: Tarzan and Arab Nasser

Rating: 4.5/5

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Sara Suleri, with an introduction by Kamila Shamsie
​​​​​​​Penguin 

While you're here
Votes

Total votes: 1.8 million

Ashraf Ghani: 923,592 votes

Abdullah Abdullah: 720,841 votes 

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