Qasr Al Hosn is the symbolic birthplace of the capital of the UAE. It is the first permanent structure built in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi and one that housed its Al Nahyan Ruling Family for generations.
In the 18th century, Sheikh Dhiyab Bin Isa, Chief of the Bani Yas tribe, discovered fresh water on Abu Dhabi Island and built a watchtower to protect it from intruders.
With the watchtower in place, new settlements began to emerge and the community expanded. The Bani Yas tribe moved to the coast and Sheikh Shakhbut Bin Dhiyab transformed the watchtower into a strong fort.
The fort was made from coral and sea stones and covered with a render made from lime, local sand and crushed sea shells. Due to the shell’s reflective effect, the fort’s walls would sparkle in the sun offering a welcome costal navigational tool for the region’s merchants. Mangrove was chosen to make the flooring and roof structure due to its natural strength and durability.
Sheikh Tahnoon Bin Shakhbut enlarged the fort in the early 19th century and soon the small village of palm huts became a town of more than five thousand residents. In addition, the late Sheikh Saeed Bin Tahnoon carried out further enlargements and improvements of the fort in the 1850s.
After a period of hardship during the decline in the pearling industry, Qasr Al Hosn went through a period of expansion during the exploration and discovery of oil between 1939 and the 1950s. Sheikh Shakhbout Bin Sultan Al Nahyan used oil revenues to build an iconic palace that enclosed the initial fort.
In the 1980s, the Father of the Nation, the late Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan, ordered a large scale renovation of Qasr Al Hosn, transforming it from the royal residence into a museum and repository of collections related to Abu Dhabi and the Gulf.
Now, Qasr Al Hosn is going through a new phase. Earlier this decade it was discovered that the white render on the fort’s walls was causing corrosive moisture to be trapped on the original coral stone bricks.
A project is underway to once again reveal the original brickwork to allow the structure to breathe.
Sheikh Dhiyab Bin Isa, Sheikh of the Bani Yas tribe from the inland Liwa Oasis orders a watchtower to be built (to ward off intruders) when they discover fresh water on Abu Dhabi Island. Slowly, a settlement began to develop around the coral stone watchtower and Abu Dhabi was born!
The water found on Abu Dhabi Island was not a single well, but a series of shallow ‘scrapes’ that exposed fresh water found just below the surface.
It was during the reign of Sheikh Shakhbut Bin Dhiyab, who ruled from 1793-1816, and his immediate successors that the fortress we know today took shape. Two more towers were built and linked with a wall to create an imposing defensive enclosure that commanded the nearby shipping routes. It was during this time that Sheikh Shakhbut moved the seat of power from Liwa to Abu Dhabi Island, using the fort as his seat of government, his military headquarters and his home.
According to oral history accounts, Sheikh Saeed Bin Tahnun (1845-1855) carried out new additional enlargements and improvements inside the fort in 1850.
Since its inception, Qasr Al Hosn was named “Hosn Abu Dhabi” which literally translates “Abu Dhabi fort”, and over the years, it has functioned as a fort, palace and administrative headquarters. Only those who controlled the fort could assert their right to rule.
The long reign of Sheikh Zayed Bin Khalifa, also known as Zayed the Great (1855-1909), was a period of peace and stability for Abu Dhabi. It was during this period that the community - with Qasr Al Hosn at its heart - went through great expansion and development.
Sheikh Zayed the Great’s rule was the longest reign in Abu Dhabi’s history.
The 1930s were difficult years for Abu Dhabi due to the decline in the pearl trade and the impact of the global depression. But, in 1939, Sheikh Shakhbut Bin Sultan Al Nahyan (1928-1966) negotiated oil exploration concessions with the British and received 300,000 rupees as the first payment. Using these funds, he built an iconic palace that enclosed the initial fort.
In the early 1950s, as part of the renovation of the Ruler’s fort, Sheikh Shakhbut Bin Sultan Al Nahyan added a decorative arch outside Qasr al Hosn.
The Father of the Nation, the late Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan (1966-2004), transformed Qasr Al Hosn into the palace we know today. Under his reign, several buildings within the fort were renovated. After Sheikh Zayed became the Ruler of Abu Dhabi in 1966, one of the villas served as his office, while the other one housed the newly-established Center for Documentation and Research in 1968, now known as the (National Archives), which, after completion of the final restoration during the 1970s-1980s, occupied all parts and wings of the fort. Qasr Al Hosn was no longer used as the royal residence but instead housed a museum and repository of collections relating to Abu Dhabi and the Arabian Gulf.
Sheikh Zayed ordered the construction of the National Consultative Chamber just outside the palace walls. It was in this building that meetings took place to negotiate the union of the UAE in 1971.
In the last decade, it was discovered that the white render on Qasr Al Hosn’s walls was causing corrosive moisture to be trapped on the surface of the original coral stone bricks. Now, a huge project is underway to once again reveal the original bricks and let the structure breathe. The community gets a chance to see this important work up close when the doors to the fort are opened during the annual Qasr Al Hosn Festival – a ten day celebration of Emirati culture and tradition.
The conservation team is restoring Qasr Al Hosn’s traditional ‘Barjeel’ ventilation system, which is an ancient form of air conditioning. The breeze is directed by a series of recessed arches built into the walls through small passageways into interior rooms.
Qasr Al Hosn Festival is an annual event held on the grounds of Qasr Al Hosn that celebrates the history of the fort and many centuries of Emirati culture and tradition. The festival comprises a wide range of historic and cultural themed exhibitions, workshops performances and activities. The UAE community and visitors will experience both the tangible and intangible heritage of the Emirate through a wide range of activities at the grounds of Qasr Al Hosn. This will present the fort in historical context, putting Qasr Al Hosn on the cultural map and into the cultural life of Abu Dhabi today. The festival will take place from February 11th to 21st 2015.