(MENAFN - Emirates News Agency (WAM))

AL AIN, 9th January, 2018 (WAM) -- The Department of Culture and Tourism in Abu Dhabi has announced that its 2018 selection of events will provide a cultural and historical experience across the cultural sites and museums in Al Ain through a range of activities, workshops, tours, bazaars and exhibitions.

Celebrating Emirati heritage and traditions, the 2nd annual Al Ain Cultural Programme launched in October 2017, with a range of activities across Al Ain Oasis, Al Jahili Fort, Qasr Al Muwaiji, Al Ain Palace Museum, Al Ain National Museum, Al Qattara Arts Centre, and Souq Al Qattara, as well as around the city.

This year will see the continuation of the 2017/18 programme running until May 2018, where the diverse programme of events will offer a range of activities and experiences celebrating the heritage and the contemporary landscape of Al Ain.

At Al Qattara Centre, the Traditional Emirati Games Exhibition will continue until 7th January 2018, exploring the simple games and activities local children created to entertain themselves in days past. Al Qattara Cinema will return on 26th January for its second installment of film screenings, and on 30th March for the third installment.

Weekends at the Oasis will continue running every weekend until the end of March at the UNESCO Heritage Site Al Ain Oasis, bringing activities for all with film screenings, bazaars, food stalls, crafts workshops and live entertainment.

Al Ain National Museum will be hosting weekly workshops exploring traditional Emirati skills and crafts; join the Drawing on Pottery class every Wednesday, and the Write Your Name in Cuneiform workshop every Sunday. Both sessions will run weekly until April 2018. The museum will also host lectures as part of the ongoing "Coffee Mornings" series on 7th February and 8th May. World Heritage Day celebrations will be held across 19th - 20th April at the museum. A new initiative, Night at the Museum, will take place from 16th 18th May, allowing visitors a tour of the venue after dusk.

Al Ain Palace Museum will bring back the My Heritage, My Responsibility tours on 11th 12th January. Weekly events include Ramsa every Sunday until April 2018, and Handicrafts workshops every Sunday, Tuesday, and Wednesday throughout the year.

See the Trucial Scouts: Life and Times exhibition in full display at Al Jahili Fort until 26th April. The fort will also host a public talk on 23rd January entitled Memoirs of a Soldier in Arabia. Weekly events at Al Jahili also include Police Dog shows every Wednesday and Military Band performances every Thursday until April 2018. Handicrafts workshops every Tuesday will take place throughout the year.

The birthplace of President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Qasr Al Muwaiji has a line up of monthly and weekly events. The renowned Poetry Evenings (accompanied by a workshop) celebrating Emirati poetry will return on 18th January, alongside the Royal ‘Bisht' workshop. Every Thursday visitors can experience Ayallah and Harbiyah performances, Yalsa, and join Restoration workshops. Excavation and Treasure Hunts will take place every Wednesday, and a Falconer's Camp will run every Saturday. All weekly events will run until April 2018.

Events and tours in Al Ain that span more than one venue will include the famous My Old House Tours which will return on 4th January and run once a month until April 2018. The traditional Emirati experiences tours of Travel Through Our Traditions will return on 13th January and run once a month until April 2018.

WAM/Rasha Abubaker/Esraa Ismail

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