Maybe Abu Dhabi is trying to say, “Don’t call us nouveau riche. Hey look! We built a fort way back in 1765. See!!!!”
In December 2018, Abu Dhabi opened a freshly renovated watchtower and fort. They are promoting it as a museum and national landmark to celebrate their history.
Known as Qasr Al Hosn, the quaint two-story building is smack in the middle of downtown, surrounded by skyscrapers.
We had read about the new attraction in Etihad Airways’ in-flight magazine and chose to visit for the explanation of United Arab Emirates history.
Our taxi driver had trouble finding it and then finding an entrance, because he couldn’t believe that we wanted to go to the fort. He insisted that it’s under construction. He was right about the construction. He had to drive off of the street and into a sandy field of earth-moving machines. We had to pass through jumbled piles of building materials until we came upon a cut-through. We found a place to access a door by climbing over only a few ankle-high obstacles of rubble and rebars.
Apparently it is not well known to locals that the museum is open for business.
The museum is beautifully laid out. All postings are translated into English. Designed with a lot of white space and a “less is more” approach, walking through the museum is a pleasant experience. There are a handful of photos of the fort dating back about 100 years, showing a couple of camels milling around. Before the very first building (i.e. the fort), was constructed, the area’s people lived off of fishing and then diving for pearls. Trading in pearls brought wealth, leading to the need for defense. Hence, the fort. Nice clear explanation of history to that point.
But then, we peered into the case displaying a supposedly 7,000 year old pink pearl button typical of the goods the people harvested from the sea. The button looked a little too perfect and much too shiny to be 7,000 years old. The holes were drilled symmetrically. Honestly, that button looked like something you could buy at a Michael’s craft store.
But then, we peered into the case displaying a supposedly 7,000 year old pink pearl button typical of the goods the people harvested from the sea. The button looked a little too perfect and much too shiny to be 7,000 years old. The holes were drilled symmetrically. Honestly, that button looked like something you could buy at a Michael’s craft store.
I'm thinking that Abu Dhabi's attempt at a history museum should stick with the 250 year old building as its oldest artifact. The fort is a beautiful renovation.
In my opinion, the pearl button is lame. Just stick with the narrative and let people imagine the rest.
In my opinion, the pearl button is lame. Just stick with the narrative and let people imagine the rest.