Making a broom with palm leaves during the Al Shindagha Days festival held at Al Shindagha Heritage District in Dubai. Pawan Singh / The National

Emirati heritage on display at Al Shindagha Days festival - in pictures



The first season of a new cultural festival is now taking place in Al Shindagha. Called Al Shindagha Days, the 10-day event aims to revive Dubai's historic areas and promote the traditional heritage of the emirate in the recently renovated neighbourhood, which will one day become the world's largest open-air museum.

Enjoy tours, learn about Emirati craftsmanship and peruse a local market, where there are activities, a live cooking station and dates and coffee tasting areas. Light and sound shows are also taking place daily. It’s running until Saturday, January 18.

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Here’s what visitors can expect

Take a walk down memory lane through the Al Shindagha neighbourhood which includes Al Shindagha Museum, the Perfume House, the Historical Documents Centre, Saruq Al Hadid Archaeological Museum and the waterfront area in old Dubai.

The Al Shindagha Museum is an ideal place to learn about the history of Dubai, and visitors are encouraged to explore it to learn more about the emirate’s heritage. There will be museum tours, with the meeting point at Dubai Creek Museum reception. The timings for the tours are from 10am, 12pm, 2pm, 4pm on Saturday to Thursday and 3pm, 5pm and 7pm on Friday.

Guests will also have a chance to go on a perfume trail to discover the story behind Emirati fragrances. A tour through the spice market and Perfume House, home to a multi-sensory experience showcasing traditional handmade perfume making, is also available.

How to get there:

By metro: Catch the green line train to Al Ghubaiba Metro Station and take the right exit to head to the event.

By bus: Catch the bus to Al Ghubaiba bus station. Al Shindagha Days will be on your right.

By car: Drive your car towards Al Shindagha Historical Neighbourhood and park in the RTA designated parking in front

By Careem: Careem users can get 20 per cent off with the code Alshindaghadays. The code is valid from January 9-18, with a maximum discount of Dh25 per ride.

There are routes available via abra as well for just Dh1.

Timings: 

Thursday and Friday, January 16-17, 2pm-11pm

Saturday, January 18, 10am-10pm

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How to join and use Abu Dhabi’s public libraries

• There are six libraries in Abu Dhabi emirate run by the Department of Culture and Tourism, including one in Al Ain and Al Dhafra.

• Libraries are free to visit and visitors can consult books, use online resources and study there. Most are open from 8am to 8pm on weekdays, closed on Fridays and have variable hours on Saturdays, except for Qasr Al Watan which is open from 10am to 8pm every day.

• In order to borrow books, visitors must join the service by providing a passport photograph, Emirates ID and a refundable deposit of Dh400. Members can borrow five books for three weeks, all of which are renewable up to two times online.

• If users do not wish to pay the fee, they can still use the library’s electronic resources for free by simply registering on the website. Once registered, a username and password is provided, allowing remote access.

• For more information visit the library network's website.