The Jebel Hafeet Tombs are an incredible archaeological site that dates back over 5,000 years offering a glimpse into the ancient past of the UAE. Hili . Department of Culture and Tourism ABU DHABI // Al Ain joined a prestigious list today that includes Egypt’s pyramids and India’s Taj Mahal when it was named a Unesco world heritage site.The dome-shaped tombs of Hafeet, the man-made water system of falaj and the lush oases sought out for thousands of years by travellers were given the international seal of approval in Paris after years of work.Read the World Heritage Site Nomination Summary by Abu Dhabi Culture & HeritageAl Ain is the first site in the UAE to make the heritage list and the decision comes after repeated inspections of the sites and eight years of preparation from the Emirati side.“Al Ain constitutes a serial property that testifies to sedentary human occupation of a desert region since the Neolithic period with vestiges of many prehistoric cultures,” said Unesco.The international body emphasised the importance of Hili as it features “one of the oldest examples” of the falaj irrigation system dating to the Iron Age.



The Al Ain file was submitted in 2008 by the Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage (Adach) in cooperation with the National Council for Tourism and Antiquities. Join our vibrant community In the heart of the city, the Al Ain Oasis is the UAE’s first curated UNESCO World Heritage site visitor experience. A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a geographic site that has been selected for the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization's International World Heritage program. Friday Aug 07, 2020. The program aims to catalogue and preserve sites of outstanding importance, either cultural or natural, to the common heritage of humankind. The system, which exists to this day, led to the construction of permanent settlements and agriculture in Al Ain. France and Greece hold joint manoeuvres to check TurkeyReturning UAE residents offer tips and tell others not to give up hopeSheikh Hamdan announces plans to make Dubai a bicycle-friendly cityGargash: UAE-Israel deal a 'death blow' to annexation of Palestine Hijri New Year: UAE to mark Islamic event with public holidayHijri New Year: UAE to mark Islamic event with public holidayUAE residents stuck abroad no longer need approval to returnReturning UAE residents offer tips and tell others not to give up hopeEntering the UAE: What do the immigration changes mean?Hijri New Year: UAE to mark Islamic event with public holidayUAE residents stuck abroad no longer need approval to returnReturning UAE residents offer tips and tell others not to give up hopeEntering the UAE: What do the immigration changes mean?
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Jebel Hafeet Tombs. “The site is also regularly monitored by the UN body and protected from being damaged by development or other threats.”The winning sites define critical periods in the Bronze Age of south-east Arabia, which lasted from 3200 to 1300BC. Four are listed: Banc d’Arguin National Park in Mauritania, Ichkeul National Park in Tunisia, the Socotra Archipelago in Yemen and the Wadi Al Hitan in Egypt. Stay up to date with news and events Official name: Cultural Sites of Al Ain (Hafit, Hili, Bidaa Bint Saud and Oases Areas) Criteria: Cultural: iii, iv, v: Reference: 1343 : Inscription: 2011 (35th session) Al Ain (Arabic: ٱلْعَيْن ‎, al-ʿayn, literally The Spring) is a city in the Eastern Region of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, on the United Arab Emirates' border with Oman, adjacent to the town of Al-Buraimi. In a report, it said that the Middle East has the fewest natural world heritage sites.“The Arab states are home to an exceptional natural wealth and diversity, with striking desert landscapes and marine areas,” said Haifa Abdulhalim, the union’s heritage officer in the Arab states.The Middle East has nominated two areas for special protection in 15 years. The Hafeet tombs, the earliest tombs of the Bronze Age in the UAE, gave their name to a period known as “the Hafeet period”, which dates from 3200BC to 2700BC. Events Calendar The site features many Bronze and Iron Age tombs. Don't miss out on the main attractions of the site, a 3000-year-old falaj system that attests to local ingenuity in getting water from deep below the surface. About 500 of these 5,000-year-old dome-shaped tombs lay at the bottom of Jebel Hafeet mountain.The Iron Age saw the birth of the falaj system, an underground water supply that allowed water to be transported from the mountains to the plains.