Al Ain on the Tentative List of World Heritage Sites

The move, which is a preliminary step for Al Ain to make it to the official list, capitalizes on the particular cultural wealth of the city and shows that it has been able to keep its originality, despite the boom of modern buildings that stormed the United Arab Emirates.

Al Ain maintains its local character, cultural value and architectural scale thanks to the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the founder of the United Arab Emirates, who had issued a series of laws and regulations that guaranteed the city would retain its authenticity and cultural features.

UNESCO urges world nations to identify cultural and natural heritage sites, and preserve them because they represent great value for humankind. This is reflected in its convention on the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage in 1972.

A number of important archaeological sites, historic buildings, and natural areas in Al Ain still maintain their cultural and natural values, settings and authentic fabric, said Mohammed Khalaf Al Mazrouei, Director General of ADACH.

"Since the establishment of ADACH in October 2005, the Authority was concerned with the inventory, preservation and management of cultural sites through a special plan that adopted the latest methodologies and technology means used internationally.

"ADACH is currently conducting the work of preserving the many forts and historical sites. Whenever possible, the original uses of these buildings will be revived, otherwise new uses will be encouraged so as to integrate these historic buildings in the structure of the city and thus ensure their long term preservation" Mazrouei added.

On the social level, Al Ain residents still feel proud of, respect and practice old customs and traditions, including traditional wedding celebrations, Bedouin hospitality, traditional hunting and camel racing, use of handicrafts and others, concluded Mazrouei.

To the east and south of Al Ain lies the Sultanate of Oman, while the desert roads leading to Dubai and Abu Dhabi are on the city's northern and western sides respectively.

Outstanding Universal Value

On the justifications for the Outstanding Universal Value which will qualify Al Ain as the first city from the UAE to be on the World Heritage Sites list, Dr. Sami El- Masri, Strategic Planning Director at ADACH, cites the following criterion:

1 - Invention of the falaj system as engineering feat. The falaj system is not only significant as a way to transport water and thus allow for settlements to develop, but also as a pioneer water management system.

2 - The Hili civilization with its developed water management system, its fortified settlement architecture and its burial customs.

3 - Jebel Hafit cultural landscape with its prehistoric desert encampments, its 4th millennium funerary landscape, its Islamic falaj system and its oases settlements.

4 - Al Ain various oases with their mosques, farms and other historic buildings, cradle of Emirati Bedouin culture and symbol of life in the past and the capacity of man to settle and adapt to the harsh desert environment as well as to change his subsistence economy seasonally, moving from the deep desert to the oases areas and costal zones.

5 - Thriving practice of falconry and camel trading and racing.

6 - Al Ain desert red sand dunes, the natural heritage of Jebel Hafit (for its flora & fauna significance) as well as the oases areas.

7 - Jebel Hafit for its paleonthological value. The mountain, which is situated along the western flank of the Hajar Mountains, is a spectacularly rocky structure of limestone that rises abruptly out of the relatively flat surrounding desert plains. Some of the fossils found in Jebel Hafit date back to the Cretaceous period.

8 - Jebel Hafit, for its exceptional value, not only for its geological, archaeological and historic significance but also for its paleonthological, zoological and biological importance.

The 1,200 m high mountain, which extends for 13 kilometers from north to south, is believed to have been formed some 25 million years ago; marine fossils found in the site though are far much older, dating between 135 and 70 million years ago.

Studies indicate that Jebel Hafit is habitat to around 118 species of plant, 18 species of mammal (including the Arabian tahr, an endangered wild goat and some living troglobites, which might be unique to the ancient cave passages in Jebel Hafit), 140 species of bird (including the threatened Egyptian vulture) and over 10 different species of reptiles (ERWDA, 2003).

9 - Jebel Hafit for its wealth of flora and fauna, which includes several species in danger of extinction.