Al Dhafra Fort was built in 2017 to commemorate the defensive architecture of Abu Dhabi. It is a gateway to the Al Dhafra Region, connecting its historic landscape of forts and watchtowers to 21st century sustainability.  

This booklet invites readers to learn more about the region’s geological features, ecosystems and the Bedouin way of life. It describes fossil findings from the Miocene Period, discovered in the Baynunah Formation from a time of rivers and savannah. Millennia later, humans were forced to adapt to a harsh desert environment, living off the land and the sea. The nomadic, semi-nomadic and settled members of tribes formed tribal confederations for mutual support and defence. 

Al Dhafra Fort is the story of the people of this land and its changing landscape and environment. Now in the 21st century, this arid desert region is home to the energy of the future, through the nuclear and solar power plants which supply renewable energy to the national grid.