Al Ain UAE is located on the United Arab Emirates eastern border, with road connectivity to cities like Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah. The city is surrounded by splendid red sand dunes and overlooked by an impressive mountain range. Al-Ain city is the main town in the Buraimi Oasis, which borders between Abu Dhabi and Oman. In more recent times, Al-Ain was the birthplace of Shaikh Zayed, the current ruler of Abu Dhabi, and he has lavished funds on it. Buraimi has not received the same largesse and remains a comfortable provincial town. The resulting contrast between the two communities makes this an interesting spot to visit. The other drawcard in summer is the dry heat of the oasis, a welcome relief from the humidity on the coast.
Al-Ain city is a green, low-rise city situated amidst the shades of Jebel Hafit. The city and its surroundings are gifted with abundant groundwater resources besides being a rich agricultural area with many forts and archaeological sites for tourists to visit. The Arabic words Al Ain mean "spring" and were taken as the city's name due to the abundant ground water springs in the area. The ground water provides a natural oasis in the desert which became the attraction to human settlement. The Al-Ain Museum and Eastern Fort share the same complex in south-east Al-Ain. Archaeological discoveries date settlements in Al Ain UAE to around 3000 BC. The Al Ain Museum with it's many and varied displays provide an interesting insight to the history of the city and region. A visit to the beautiful Hili Archaeological Park to view the magnificently restored tomb provides with a flavor of old times.
During a visit to Al Ain city, visitors can enjoy camel racing which takes place about 20km from Al-Ain, on the road to Abu Dhabi, on Friday mornings during the winter months. Camel safaris are fun which range from one hour sprees to overnight treks. |
