Qasr Al Hosn

Last weekend I finally had the chance to go visit the highly anticipated reopened Qasr al Hosn site. It has been closed for renovations for years and finally opened again on the 7 December, I couldn't wait to see it!

Now the whole block has turned into a beautiful city park, with the Cultural Foundation at one end, the House of Artisans, the National Consultative Council building and the Qasr Al Hosn fort at the other; with the old fort as the main attraction.

I just love the skyline seen from the park, old and new all in one.

The entrance to the fort, and the gatehouse:

The original watch tower, the oldest building in the city and the symbolic birthplace of Abu Dhabi. Constructed here in 1761:

Qasr al Hosn has played different roles throughout the centuries. It has been the seat of government and palace of the rulers, home to the National Archives and a research center. Because of its political, historical and cultural background a lot of importance has been placed on the fort and its restoration.
The end result is amazing!
You can walk through both the older parts of the inner fort, and the newer additions which were added in the 1940s - the outer palace:

The exhibition takes you through the history and different phases of construction of the fort as well as explains the daily life within its walls.

It sure it interesting for the whole family, in one room you could build your own fort, out of pillows:

Next to Qasr al Hosn you find the House of Artisans, another building well worth a visit. Here you get an introduction to all the traditional Emirati handicrafts, such as talli, sadoo and khoos to name a few: 

Also, don't forget to pop into the Cultural Foundation. Not only is it a beautiful space, but they are showing the exhibition 'Artists and the Cultural Foundation', with work that considers the history of this space and its artists.

I had a lovely few hours exploring this site, and I can't wait to take guests here! A place not to miss when you visit Abu Dhabi.