Get a glimpse of Emirati heritage at the Sheikh Zayed Festival

The Heritage Village sections, located at the heart of the festival, highlight the civilization of the UAE through a journey into the past, highlighting authentic heritage for visitors to learn about the traditions inherited from the ancient lifestyle.

Visitors (including citizens, residents and tourists) from all over the world can have a heritage experience where they can stop in front of demonstrations with vivid and realistic scenes in the town.

Heritage Village dazzles visitors to the Sheikh Zayed Festival with realistic demonstration scenes of ancient Emirati lifestyle performed by a group of people wearing authentic traditional costumes related to each Emirati environment to introduce the public to different environments. Visitors can immerse themselves in the marine environment by observing the fishing methods and diving equipment used by ancestors in the past.

The marine environment also introduces visitors and future Emirati generations to the customs and traditions of sailors and people who worked at sea, in addition to the types of ancient marine vessels, including types of lekh and crafts belonging to the people of the marine village .

The exhibition depicting “Zafana Al-Daan” craftsmanship in the agricultural environment attracts the attention of Festival visitors who are interested in learning about the professions that their parents and elderly grandparents grew up with and faced difficult times to build a civilization. A group of artisans will show the attending public an introduction to that profession, starting by collecting palm leaves, cutting and cleaning them, and preparing ropes to use in the manufacture of houses, tents and others. In addition to these, various demonstrations that are related to the agricultural environment will be presented, such as various cultivation methods and tools that were used in agriculture.

Children will be able to spend time with their families in the exhibition depicting the mountainous environment of the United Arab Emirates. The model represents valuable meanings for the ancestors, such as “Al-Saqai”, which walked the roads and called everyone to distribute water, and “Al-Khararif”, which was a means of education in a time when there were no schools. formal or modern means of entertainment. It was a way for children to acquire knowledge and entertain themselves by communicating information in a narrative and simple way. Visitors can listen to popular stories in an informative environment.

Visitors to Heritage Village can relive an experience from the past through descriptive scenes that teach about all aspects of life in the desert, including types of sand, tools, industries, houses, mountains, as well as introducing them to the authentic Emirati wedding. . customs: from asking for the bride’s hand until the groom takes her to her house.

This season, Heritage Village is characterized by a unique design inspired by the nostalgic traditional lifestyle. It is an exceptional exhibition that transports visitors from the hustle and bustle of modern life to the tranquility and simplicity of ancient life represented by mud houses, houses made of palm leaves, heritage pageants, arts and folk products.

Heritage Village has various sections that welcome a large number of visitors, especially tourists from different countries who get excited watching the crafts of men and women artisans displaying their products. Visitors can also listen to the full description of the nature of each of the environments and their various crafts and products such as pottery, sadu, burqa borrowing, sewing, spinning and weaving.

The tilli industry attracts dozens of visitors daily to watch these traditional crafts being created by the ingenuity of the artisans, representing the ancient history of the UAE.

Heritage Village includes pavilions and shops to showcase traditional Emirati products, and features artisans who can provide information about their creations to visitors of all ages and nationalities. The Village offers various workshops to anyone interested in learning about the ancient history of the UAE, including pottery, palm leaves, talli, sadu, sewing, henna painting and more.

For those who want a taste of the past, they can enjoy traditional Emirati food at the Heritage Tent Restaurant, which is decorated with UAE designs that reflect the past.

The restaurant offers delicious food and offers traditional coffee at the “Popular Coffee Corner”. The corner offers ancestral tools, authentic customs in coffee consumption and demonstrates how it was prepared, offered and shared in the past. Visitors can also sit in a hut made of palm leaves, “Markh” trees and branches of Samar and Ghaf trees, which was a place for sharing authentic stories and memories of ancestors.

Many participating institutions and government entities related to the preservation of Emirati heritage and its transmission to future generations can be found in Heritage Village. These entities are small and medium scale industries that create handicrafts by spinning and weaving various woolen materials to make carpets, mats, talli, sadu and woolen products.

Visitors to the Village can enjoy learning about different falcons and hunting methods. The Arab Saluki Center presents different types of Saluki with the aim of recovering the sport of hunting with greyhounds, preserving their traditions, using them in falconry, preserving purebreds and providing those interested with the necessary knowledge about their care and training.

Visitors can conclude their trip by taking memorable photographs in traditional Emirati clothing for men and women, as well as stopping by the grocery store (an old traditional store), which sells different types of ancient foods that transport shoppers to the old days, and other heritage products.

The Sheikh Zayed Festival welcomes visitors every day from 4:00 p.m. to 12:00 p.m. from Monday to Friday and until 1:00 a.m. during weekends and holidays, giving them the opportunity to spend precious time with family and friends outdoors with a wide range of events, activities and competitions to suit all age groups. .