Timeframe: Qasr Al Hosn and 260 years of Abu Dhabi history

The capital's oldest stone building will become the site of the annual Al Hosn Festival this weekend.

Qasr Al Hosn is the oldest stone building in Abu Dhabi and one of its most important landmarks.

Sheikh Zayed bin Khalifa, grandfather of the UAE's Founding Father, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, at his majlis in front of Qasr Al Hosn.

Undated image of Qasr Al Hosn from Al Ittihad Archive. Photo: Al Ittihad

Undated image of Qasr Al Hosn from Al Ittihad Archive. Photo: Al Ittihad

Sheikh Shakhbut bin Sultan Al Nahyan and Sheikh Tahnoon bin Saeed Al Nahyan inspect troops at Qasr Al Hosn. Photo: The Ruling Family

From left, unidentified sheikh of the Naim tribe, Sheikh Hazaa bin Sultan Al Nahyan, Wilfred Thesiger, Sheikh Shakhbut bin Sultan Al Nahyan, and Sheikh Khalid bin Sultan Al Nahyan. Photo: Wilfred Patrick Thesiger / Pitt Rivers Museum, University of Oxford

Sheikh Shakhbut bin Sultan with British anthropologist Peter Lienhardt outside Qasr Al Hosn (possibly in 1961).

Men drive their donkeys past Qasr Al Hosn. Photo: John Vale

Qasr Al Hosn was initially as a single watchtower built in the second half of the 18th century. Victor Besa / The National

Sheikh Mohamed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai with Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Presidential Court touring Qasr Al Hosn in 2015. Photo: Crown Prince Court Abu Dhabi

Qasr Al Hosn is the ancestral home of the Al Nahyan family in Abu Dhabi. Reem Mohammed / The National

The shimmering white walls and parapets we see today are the result of a major expansion in the 1940s. Khushnum Bhandari / The National

Al Hosn Festival has grown significantly in the past decade. Khushnum Bhandari / The National

The festival features Al Freej, a re-created Emirati village with its own market, blacksmith, palm weaving stations and goat pen. Khushnum Bhandari / The National

Al-Ayyala dancers move in unison to a drummed rhythm at Al Hosn Festival. Khushnum Bhandari / The National

The government of Abu Dhabi restored the historical building and in 2018 reopened it to the public as museum.

Abu Dhabi’s annual Al Hosn Festival is returning to the open-air area in front of Qasr Al Hosn this Friday.

Organised by the Department of Culture and Tourism — Abu Dhabi, the family-friendly festival will feature an expansive programme, providing an insight into what life was like in Abu Dhabi before the discovery of oil. The festival, which will run until January 22, was established in 2013 and is a staple in the cultural calendar of Al Hosn District.

For an event that celebrates UAE history and tradition, there could not be a more apt venue than beside the capital’s oldest stone building and one of its most important landmarks — a fort that dates back to 1761.

Qasr Al Hosn was initially built as a single watchtower. It was intended to defend the sole freshwater well in Abu Dhabi. The watchtower was then expanded into a small fort in 1793 by Shakhbut bin Dhiyab Al Nahyan in his first year as Ruler of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, a title he would retain until 1816. The fort served as the home of the ruling sheikh.

The Ruler’s Palace that we see today, with its shimmering white walls and parapets, is the result of a major expansion in the 1940s. By the 1950s, Qasr Al Hosn was no longer a defensive structure, but the seat of government, a role it retained until 1966. After a spell as the home of the National Archives, it underwent major renovation in the past decade.

The Abu Dhabi government restored the fort and in 2018 it was reopened to the public as a museum.

The Al Hosn Festival was largely conceived as a way to celebrate the fort and its embodiment of Abu Dhabi history. In its inaugural year in 2013, Faisal Al Sheikh, the festival’s director, told The National that the fort, standing for more than two and a half centuries, was the “symbolic birthplace of Abu Dhabi”.

“This festival is an opportunity for the entire community to come together and celebrate Emirati history, culture and tradition.

“The fort was once a ‘gate of glory’. Celebrating the UAE’s history through this great festival will take us back to our roots and remind us of our artistic and intellectual legacy.”

The festival has grown considerably in the past decade, with arts and crafts workshops, gahwa championships, Emirati cuisine as well as a chance to walk through Al Freej, a recreation of an Emirati village that comes with its own market, blacksmith, palm-weaving stations and goat pen.

This year, the festival will include a live re-creation of an Emirati wedding, an expanded food area dedicated to local cuisine as well as a retail district.

In addition to the activities and performances surrounding the palace fort, the interior of Qasr Al Hosn will house two exhibitions.

In Memories of the Palace, visitors can learn about the history of everyday life spent in the regal venue, from the cultural festivities to colourful anecdotes recorded by early generations.

Meanwhile, the Music and Crafts exhibition captures the atmosphere of the palace through historic field recordings and vintage photographs.

Scroll through photos from our guide to this year's Al Hosn Festival below