Al Ain Oasis is a heritage site in Al Ain, in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. It is also known as Ain Oasis and as the Al Ain Date Palm Oasis, and it is recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage site.
What you will see
The oasis is built around a traditional falaj irrigation system, the channels that have carried water through the palm groves for generations. Its date palms number over 147,000, so the green canopy stretches a long way across the desert edge. Walking among the trees gives a clear sense of how the landscape has been shaped by water and by the people who tended it.
A long history of settlement
The site represents around 4,000 years of continuous human settlement. That long span is what gives the oasis its particular interest: it is less a single monument than a living record of how a community has farmed and lived in a dry place over many centuries.
What makes it worth a visit
- A UNESCO World Heritage landscape of irrigation and date cultivation
- A large palm grove with a very great number of trees
- The chance to see a falaj system in its original setting
- A window onto Al Ain's older history, long before the modern city grew up around it
Visitors interested in the wider area can combine a trip to the oasis with other sights in Al Ain, which lies inland from the coast and is known for its desert setting. To plan a visit, the site can be reached by telephone on +971 3 711 8188.