Al Jahili Fort is one of the largest castles in Al Ain and best-in-class example of local military architecture. Historically, Al Jahili Fort is of great importance as it is well associated with the history of the Al Nahyan Family.
History
The construction of Al Jahili Fort began in 1891 under Sheikh Zayed the First and was completed in 1898. Its location was ideal for military, as well as residential purposes, being in close access to water resources and surrounded by fertile land for farming. It was suitable for use as a summer refuge of the Al Nahyan family from the humid coast of Abu Dhabi, and provided shelter for the residents of Al Ain Oasis in times of political turmoil. Consequently, the fort remained a residence for the Al Nahyan family even after Sheikh Zayed the First passed away in 1909.
Over time, however, the fort fell into despair due to the erection of new forts in strategically relevant positions. In the early 1950s the British forces established Al Jahili Fort as a base for the Trucial Oman Levies and expanded the facilities, adding barracks, a small hospital and a larger enclosure of the original fort. As such the UAE Army later used the facilities for one of its squads.
Later the fort was assigned to the Al Ain Department of Antiquities and Tourism, which carried out restorations during the mid-1980s in order to restore the castle into its original status. In order to preserve the historical significance of Al Jahili Fort, it underwent another comprehensive rehabilitation phase between 2007 and 2008, implemented by the Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage (ADACH). As a result, the fort now houses a Visitor Information Centre with a shop and café, facilities for outdoor cultural events and wider exhibition spaces.
A permanent exhibition is devoted to Wilfred Thesiger, the English explorer and traveller, who had been accommodated in Al Ain by the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan several times during the 1940s.
Architecture
The original part of Al Jahili Fort consists of two buildings, a square courtyard of approximately 1,300 sq metres with 6.5 metres tall walls, and a separate round tower, 50 metres southwest away from the castle, composed of four concentric tiers. The design of the separate tower is significant, since it resembles the construction of one of the towers from the Bronze Age unearthed in the Hili area.
Three corners of the courtyard are occupied by small towers, each measuring 12.5 metres in height, and in the northeastern corner is the two-storey building which was used for receptions and guests of the Sheikh. The main entrance to the courtyard in the southern wall is surmounted by a poem dedicated to the fort’s builder, Sheikh Zayed the First.