Abu Dhabi Department of Culture announces programme of cultural and traditional events at Al Ain National Museum

ABU DHABI, 31st October, 2017 (WAM) -- The Department of Culture and Tourism - Abu Dhabi has announced the 2017/18 annual programme of cultural events at Al Ain National Museum. The second season will see a series of heritage events, archaeological experiences and historical workshops which aim to provide a culturally enriching experience for visitors and residents of the United Arab Emirates. The Cuneiform Writing workshop will introduce museum visitors to the ancient style of writing with cuneiform script and teaches people how to write their own name. A method of writing that began in Mesopotamia and extended to the ancient societies in Southwest Asia, cuneiform is typically printed on clay and wax tablets and embossed above stone, metals and other elements. The Coffee Mornings lecture series is also returning to Al Ain National Museum, running until May 2018, and this year’s series will focus on introducing the cultural and archeological areas of the capital city, focusing on its historical importance and ways of discovering and preserving it. Al Ain National Museum will also host Travel Through Our Traditions, a programme that aims to offer the larger UAE community intimate settings to know more about Emirati culture, customs and traditions. This year, the programme will be divided into a series of three UAE traditions over the course of the winter season. On 4th November, Travel Through Our Traditions introduces Kanaz, the process of harvesting dates, using traditional date storage and tools. The second in the series, Camels, will take place on 9th December, 13th January and 17th February. Camels were an economic source in ancient society and were used as a means of transportation, tourism, trade and as plowing aids, as well as some other traditional industries. Through this tradition, visitors will visit one of the camel farms in the area. The third and final tradition in this series will take place on 17th March and 14th April, and will include a replication of the Henna Night tradition, a ceremony that takes place before a bride gets married, including a look into the bride's cosmetics used in preparation for a traditional Emirati wedding. My Old House tours will return, spanning seven historical and cultural sites: Al Ain National Museum, Al Ain Oasis, Al Qubaisi House, Jimi Historic Buildings, Qattara Historic Buildings, and Qattara Arts Centre and Souk. Allowing the public exclusive access to visit a number of the most important historical and cultural landmarks in the city of Al Ain, the tours will run from 25th November to 7th April, 2018. For the first time, Al Ain National Museum will organise exploratory tours of the site of Hili 8, where participants will be given tours of early human settlements, now being re-explored for further studies on the nature of life thousands of years ago. The public can visit the site on 18th-19th November. In celebration of World Museum Week, curated Night at the Museum tours will return to Al Ain and will create a link for all museums in the Emirates on 16th and 18th May, 2018. [Image courtesy: Department of Cutlure and Tourism - Abu Dhabi]