Thanksgiving Weekend

Thursday was a work day for me, but when I got home the neighbors and I gathered on the rooftop for our Thanksgiving feast.  We had turkey, ham and all the traditional side dishes.  It was a great way to end the work week and celebrate my favorite holiday. Friday, I was invited to a co-worker's and once again we had a feast fit for a king.  There were about 30 adults and children gathered and I met people from Germany, Finland, Michigan and Flushing, NY!  It really is a small world. So, Saturday I needed to get out and walk off the calories from two days of eating.

A local group that coordinates social outings had a museum tour planned for this morning.  Our first stop was the Hili Watchtowers. The towers are located northeast of the city of Al Ain. There are two towers which stand on top of man-made earth mounds.  They were built to protect the village of Hili. The building was also used by the Ruler's Representative, whose task was to resolve any disputes arising between local families.  Also he taught the local children to read and write, and versed them in Islam.  The towers were last used in the 1950 when the last noted conflict arose.  The towers are made of mud, palm trunks and fronds.

I learned that the v shape to the left of the window was where they poured hot oil, molasses or even water on any advancing enemy.  I think I saw something similar in Braveheart.

Our next stop was the Hili Archaeological Park.  The tour began to feel not so much like Indian Jones, but more like Ross Geller without the dinosaurs.  Here there are several tombs that date back to the Bronze Age, which makes these tombs over 4000 years old. Beehive shaped tombs were discovered in this area and in the Jebel Hafit mountains. That is the mountain area I drive by every morning on the way to work. These beehive shaped tombs are collective graves and at one site more than 700 skeletons were discovered and excavated in the early 1960s by Danish archaeologists.  The  remains were both male, female with some children.  The adults were in their 20s to 30s, which was about the average life span in that time.

 This grand tomb had six chambers inside which were formed by a cross wall dividing the tomb in two, then each half was divided again. Most of the original stones were missing when it was uncovered, but have since been restored. It is unclear if the remains from this tomb were moved to the larger pit tomb on the other side of the park area.

 

The next stop was the Al Qattara Arts Center. There is a great deal of construction going here in hopes of making the upcoming deadline of National Day on December 2nd. Men were busy working on a souq area where locals will sell their homemade goods in just a few days.  The Art Center is becoming a popular location for school field trips and offers drawing, painting, and photography classes during the day and evening.  The basement of the center is also an archaeological site.  Pottery was discovered along with silver pieces which are now on display in the center.

 The basement of the Art Center

 

The last stop on our tour was the Al Jahili Fort. Construction began on the fort in 1891 and was completed in 1898. We came into the museum and sat for a brief overview of it's history.  We were served tea and dates while we listened to our guide give us the highlights of the museum.  Outside there were workers busy with preparations for the upcoming National Day.  It was interesting to see the old mixed with the new.  Cable cords running across doorways and hooked up to large speakers and lights.  The fort has a long wing dedicated to Sheikh Zayad the First. The writings and photos tell us of the violent history of this area. The Sheikh's father who ruled for a period was assassinated by a family member so his mother took the family, the future Sheikh was 10 years old, to be raised by an uncle on her side of the family.  When he was 19 or 20 he was asked to return to the area to rule over the tribe that had killed his father. He did and began a long reign.  His grandson, who is named after him, became the first ruler of the UAE and made major deals with other countries to make the UAE what it is today. The fort also has a large portion that was added onto when the British was given the fort in the 1950s. The third wing is a permanent tribute to a British explorer, Wilfred Thesiger, who spent 5 years (1945 - 1950) living among the Bedu nomadic tribe.  The wing has a beautiful display of his photos, along with a video explaining his life's dream to live among the people of an area that he loved so much. He had two young boys who were hired to be his guide during his travels and thirty years later he returned to the UAE to be reunited with the two boys who were now grandfathers.

 

Original part of the fort circa 1898

 

Additional portion of the fort added on during British ownership in the 1950s.