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The Federation to be known as the United Arab Emirates (UAE) was
formally established on 2 December 1971. The member emirates include
Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, Umm al-Qaiwain, Fujairah, Ajman and Ras
al-Khaimah.
The prosperity, harmony and modern development that characterizes
the United Arab Emirates, led today by President H.H. Sheikh Khalifa
bin Zayed Al Nahyan, also the Ruler of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, and his
fellow-members of the Supreme Council of Rulers of the seven emirates,
is due to a very great extent to the role played by Sheikh Zayed, both
prior to the formation of the Federation and in the nearly 33 years that
followed until his death in November 2004.
The city of Al Ain is an ancient city, central to the cultural heritage of
the UAE and the birthplace of the President H.H. Sheikh Khalifa Bin
Zayed Al Nahyan. It remains close to the heart of the royal family and
the people of UAE. For more than 5,000 years, it has been a welcome
and a cool retreat from the surrounding desert and coastal Emirates.
Known as the “Garden City of the Gulf”, it is built around nurturing
oases irrigated by ancient falaj water systems.
It is the second largest city in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi and the fourth
largest city in the UAE and is located approximately 150 km inland
from the capital Abu Dhabi and the tourist city of Dubai. Al Ain has the
country’s highest number of Emirati nationals and is developing as a
tourist destination with the dry desert air making it a welcome retreat
from the coastal humidity of the larger cities.
Mother Nature has been generous to the land-locked mountainous
city. Its attractions include Jebel Hafeet, a 1,340 meter-high mountain,
which dominates the surrounding area. It is popular to visit the mineral
springs at its base and to drive to the mountaintop at sunset. Other
places of interest include the Al Ain Oasis in the city center, and other
oases dotted around the area, offering cool retreats in the middle of the
summer heat, Al Jahili Fort, the Camel Market, many well-maintained
parks, a heritage village, the Al Ain National Museum, the Al Ain Palace
Museum, several restored forts and the Hili Archaeological Park site
dating back to the Bronze Age.
Two years ago, the city of Al Ain joined the prestigious list of UNESCO
World Heritage Sites for its rich cultural heritage with the likes of the
dome-shaped tombs of Hafeet, the man-made water system of Falaj,
and the city’s lush oases.
A cultural retreat, Al Ain also hosts annual events including the Al Ain
Classical Music Festival. The city is a popular tourist destination with
first class hotels, a golf resort, shopping malls, restaurants, a wild-life
park, and a recently opened water-adventure park.
‘Plan Al Ain 2030’, the Urban Structure Framework Plan designed by
Abu Dhabi Urban Planning, will help Al Ain evaluate and respond to
current and future development needs and will guide further planning
for new development. It is projected that the city will grow over the next
25 years and planning is in place to accommodate population growth
without over-development, depletion of ground water resources, or
encroachment on natural habitats or heritage sites. This is essential to
preserve the city’s natural assets, which give Al Ain its unique character.
United Arab Emirates and Al Ain
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