Al Ain National Museum

United Arab Emirates25 February 2003Draft

Nestling in an oasis, the Al Ain National Museum was founded by HH. Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, President of the UAE, in 1969. H.E Sheikh Tahnoon bin Mohamed Al Nahyan, Ruler's Representative in the Eastern Province, opened the museum in November 1971. This museum, the oldest in the UAE, is located in the center of the city of Al Ain and it can be easily reached as there are road signs indicating the direction. The museum houses historically important objects, which trace their origins to more than 5000 years. Exhibits from the Stone Age, Bronze Age, Iron Age, Hellenistic Era and Islamic Period are displayed in chronological order. These exhibits were discovered by local, Arab and foreign archaeological teams that have been working in the UAE for more than four decades. Life in the UAE during the pre-oil era is also explained in the Ethnographical section, which illustrates the story of the traditional life. To understand the ancient and the more recent history of the UAE, visit the A1 Ain National Museum. 1 -Pottery vessel of fine red earth decorated with geometrical and animal designs discovered inside one of the Umm an-Nar tombs. This vessel dates back to the I second half of the third millennium B.C. (275 Fils) 2 -Bronze axe discovered at one of the archaeological sites at Hili in Al Ain dated to the Iron Age around 3000 years back.