This book is the essential guide to the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Al Ain. It encompasses descriptions of all 17 components of the ‘serial property’, along with individual maps and an informative timeline.

UNESCO inscribed the ‘Cultural Sites of Al Ain’ as a World Heritage Site in 2011, due to its Outstanding Universal Value. Al Ain is one of the oldest permanently inhabited settlements in the world. The World Heritage Site consists of four main assemblages: Hafit, Hili, Bidaa Bint Saud and the Oases Areas. 

The sites span human presence in the Al Ain region from Palaeolithic times through the Neolithic period, Bronze and Iron Ages to the Late Islamic period. This book is the story of human settlement in Al Ain, from prehistoric cultures to the development of an ancient water irrigation system that is still in use today. 

The oases of Al Ain were a vital source of water, food and shelter for early settlements, but human ingenuity led to the early development of agriculture 5,000 years ago by harnessing underground water sources into aflaj water channels. The Cultural Sites of Al Ain: A UNESCO World Heritage Site also describes the historic and cultural sites which have emerged in the oases over the centuries. QR codes provide more visitor information, including panoramic tours of various sites.

Through this book, readers can discover how societies adapted over the millennia to their environment, from circular stone burial tombs to mudbrick forts, watchtowers, mosques and houses. The book features four chapters highlighting each of the four assemblages and their individual components.