Al Ain's main museum was closed to undergo a major restoration in late 2018 with reopening stated for 2020 at the earliest. Before its closure, this museum was a great place to get up to speed on the ancient past of the Al Ain region with exhibits of the excavated contents from the 4000-year-old tombs at nearby Hili Archaeological Park as well as ethnography galleries, which zero in on traditional Bedouin life with beautiful displays of costumes and silver jewellery.
Al Ain National Museum
Al Ain
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
10.9 MILES
This jagged 1240m-high limestone mountain rears out of the plain south of Al Ain. Its arid crags are home to red foxes, feral cats and the rock hyrax,…
3.3 MILES
Al Ain's remarkable zoo is the region's largest and most acclaimed; its spacious enclosures, inhabited by indigenous and exotic species, are impressively…
0.71 MILES
This tranquil world of wide paths meandering past walled date-palm gardens, right in the centre of Al Ain, is a welcome respite from the city hubbub. The…
4.46 MILES
Dusty, noisy, pungent and chaotic: Al Ain's famous camel market is a full immersion in traditional Arab culture. All sorts of camels are holed up in pens,…
1.24 MILES
Surrounded by a lush park, this squat fort was constructed in the 1890s as the summer residence of Sheikh Zayed I (1836–1909) and expanded by the British…
3 MILES
This carefully restored fort was the birthplace of Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, current president of the UAE. A stylised falaj marks the entrance…
5.48 MILES
These remarkable vestiges of a settlement and tombs dating back some 5000 years to the Umm Al Nar period open up a window on early life in the region. On…
1.87 MILES
Buraimi has a large and interesting fort, with decorations that give it a Saharan flourish in comparison with the austere exteriors of Omani interior…
Nearby Al Ain attractions
0.71 MILES
This tranquil world of wide paths meandering past walled date-palm gardens, right in the centre of Al Ain, is a welcome respite from the city hubbub. The…
0.78 MILES
This nicely restored, rambling palace was the residence of Sheikh Zayed, the UAE's founding father, from 1937 to 1966. There's frankly little to see…
1.24 MILES
Surrounded by a lush park, this squat fort was constructed in the 1890s as the summer residence of Sheikh Zayed I (1836–1909) and expanded by the British…
1.87 MILES
Buraimi has a large and interesting fort, with decorations that give it a Saharan flourish in comparison with the austere exteriors of Omani interior…
2.04 MILES
This large, sprawling castle has been attractively restored and now makes a good photo opportunity in the centre of town. The interior is largely taken up…
2.06 MILES
The market opposite Hela Castle sells barasti – plaited palm fronds traditionally used for roofing and fencing – while just along the road, a lively souq…
3 MILES
This carefully restored fort was the birthplace of Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, current president of the UAE. A stylised falaj marks the entrance…
3.3 MILES
Al Ain's remarkable zoo is the region's largest and most acclaimed; its spacious enclosures, inhabited by indigenous and exotic species, are impressively…