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Qasr al-Hosn
 
 
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The Qasr al-Hosn , is the oldest stone building in the city of Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi

Abu Dhabi is the capital city and second most populous city in the United Arab Emirates , after Dubai. It is also the seat of government of the emirate of Abu Dhabi , which is ruled by Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan – the current ruling Emir of the UAE....
, capital of the United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates

The United Arab Emirates is a federation of seven states situated in the southeast of the Arabian Peninsula in Southwest Asia on the Persian Gulf, bordering Oman and Saudi Arabia....
.

s located along Sheikh Zayed the First Street (i.e., Sheikh Zayed bin Khalifa
Zayed bin Khalifa

Sheikh Zayed bin Khalifa Al Nahyan was the grandfather of Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan , first president of the United Arab Emirates. He was born in the emirate of Abu Dhabi, in what was then called History_of_the_United_Arab_Emirates#Early_History , sometime around 1840....
, not Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan), on the same compound as the ().

known as the 'white fort' (erroneously so, it was never white until the 1976–1983 renovations when it acquired a bright white painted concrete render) or 'old fort', it started out as a round watchtower
Watchtower

A watchtower is a type of fortification used in many parts of the world. It differs from a regular tower in that its primary use is military, and from a turret in that it is usually a freestanding structure....
 defending the only freshwater well
WELL

The Whole Earth 'Lectronic Link, normally shortened to The WELL, is one of the oldest virtual communities in continuous operation. It currently has about 4,000 members....
 on Abu Dhabi island in ca.






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The Qasr al-Hosn , is the oldest stone building in the city of Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi

Abu Dhabi is the capital city and second most populous city in the United Arab Emirates , after Dubai. It is also the seat of government of the emirate of Abu Dhabi , which is ruled by Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan – the current ruling Emir of the UAE....
, capital of the United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates

The United Arab Emirates is a federation of seven states situated in the southeast of the Arabian Peninsula in Southwest Asia on the Persian Gulf, bordering Oman and Saudi Arabia....
.

Location

It is located along Sheikh Zayed the First Street (i.e., Sheikh Zayed bin Khalifa
Zayed bin Khalifa

Sheikh Zayed bin Khalifa Al Nahyan was the grandfather of Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan , first president of the United Arab Emirates. He was born in the emirate of Abu Dhabi, in what was then called History_of_the_United_Arab_Emirates#Early_History , sometime around 1840....
, not Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan), on the same compound as the ().

History

Also known as the 'white fort' (erroneously so, it was never white until the 1976–1983 renovations when it acquired a bright white painted concrete render) or 'old fort', it started out as a round watchtower
Watchtower

A watchtower is a type of fortification used in many parts of the world. It differs from a regular tower in that its primary use is military, and from a turret in that it is usually a freestanding structure....
 defending the only freshwater well
WELL

The Whole Earth 'Lectronic Link, normally shortened to The WELL, is one of the oldest virtual communities in continuous operation. It currently has about 4,000 members....
 on Abu Dhabi island in ca. 1761. This tower was later expanded to a small fort in ca. 1793, at which point it became the permanent residence of the ruling sheikh
Sheikh

Sheikh, also rendered as Sheik, Shaykh, Shaikh, Cheikh, and other variants , is a word or honorific term in the Arabic language that literally means "Elder "....
. A to its current shape took place in the late 1930s, aided by revenues received for granting the first oil license in Abu Dhabi. It remained the royal palace (hence the name Qasr al-Hosn, meaning palace-fort) and seat of government until 1966. have been drafted in 2007 to redevelop the site and open it up to the public.

Literature

  • Heard-Bey, Frauke (2004) From Trucial States to United Arab Emirates, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, London, Motivate (3rd edition).
  • Maitra, Jayanti and Al Hajji, Afra (2001) Qasr al Hosn: The History of the Rulers of Abu Dhabi 1793–1966. Abu Dhabi. Center for Documentation and Research.


Current research

The Qasr al-Hosn is currently the subject of extensive historical, archaeological, and architectural research. On conclusion of that research, more data will be added to this section.