Heritage Village Abu Dhabi

The Heritage Village sits on the breakwater opposite the city and reconstructs what Abu Dhabi looked like before oil: a walled compound with barasti palm-frond shelters, a mosque, a souk, a falaj channel, goat and camel pens and a small fort. Craftspeople work in the workshops, spinning, weaving, metalworking and blowing glass, and a museum holds objects from the pearling and Bedouin economies. The view back across the water to the towers is the point of the location.

What you actually see

• The barasti shelters - palm-frond houses of the kind used before permanent building.
• The craft workshops - spinning, weaving, metal and glass worked on site.
• The skyline view - the modern city seen across the water from the breakwater.
• The small museum - pearling and Bedouin material in the village museum.

When to go

October to April for comfortable walking; the village is open air with limited shade. It closes on Mondays and opens late on Fridays. Mornings are best for the craftspeople.

Honest expectations

It is a reconstruction and nothing here is original. Craft workshops are not always staffed and can be closed. There is little shade and summer visits are brief.

Nearby

Emirates Palace is east, and the Corniche runs beyond it.