Today’s A Journey through Aesthetic Realms will be presented in Arabic, with subtitles in Arabic, Aulacese (Vietnamese), Chinese, English, French, German, Hungarian, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Malay, Mongolian, Persian, Portuguese, Russian and Spanish.

Welcome, amicable viewers, to A Journey through Aesthetic Realms on Supreme Master Television. The United Arab Emirates is a federation of seven Arab states located on the southern shore of the Persian Gulf. This abundant land has been inhabited for thousands of years by peace-loving people with a rich traditional culture.

Under the personal direction of His Highness Deputy Prime Minister Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan, The Emirates Heritage Club was established in May 1993 for the conservation of the precious traditions of the United Arab Emirates.

Its official launch in 1997 was endorsed by His Highness Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, current President of the United Arab Emirates, who was then Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi. The Emirates Heritage Club is organized to serve its mission of research, protection, and dissemination of the invaluable heritage of the United Arab Emirates.

It includes the Zayed Centre for Heritage and History, the Heritage Village, the wildlife sanctuary Al Sammaliah Island, a central library, a theater, a sailing school, a sports hall, an astronomy camp, as well as several other cultural facilities.

In 2010, the Club sponsored an environmental photography contest to showcase the unique biodiversity of the country, attracting conservationists and camera persons from around the world.

Recreating life scenes of the historical past, The Heritage Village is a reconstructed desert oasis situated on a 16,000 square meter water front zone, with a spectacular view of the cityscape of Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates. Here, visitors from near and far can experience Bedouin tents, traditional houses, Arabic markets, a local craft shop, as well as maritime trading boats of the past. In a majestic mosque, a rare collection of the Holy Qu’ran is also on precious display.

As well as houses, tents were a main form of residential structures for Arabs. Tents could be easily set up and carried around, while houses were usually built near palm farms or trade routes of the land and the sea. Traditional houses of United Arab Emirates were built in harmony with nature and people’s nomadic lifestyle. They include temporary shelters and permanent houses.

Because of the extreme difference in temperature between winter and summer, people often had to move from one place to another as the season changed. Therefore, temporary houses were very popular. They were typically built in clusters for easy communication within each social group. Ample common public areas were allocated for communal activities.

Today, please follow our camera to visit some traditional Arab houses in The Heritage Village with our friendly guide, Mr. Adnan M. Sallam, Head of the Media Section in the Emirates Heritage Club.

This is called the “Tent House.” And, it is built in deserts. This is the “Arab Sitting Room,” where people used to sit and talk with each other in the evening.

Even when the rain falls, water does not get inside; that is, it prevents any water from coming in. Here, people share conversations and drink coffee. The head of tribe sits in the middle with members of the tribe to talk with each other.

So, this is the “Tent House” where they sit inside in cold weather in deserts.

In summers, the people moved into a type of temporary shelter called Al Arish, which was made with light, dried palm branches for easy setup. It consists of a larger sleeping section and a smaller cooking and storage area.

This is the “Oasis House” that consists of palm fronds. It was lighter weight for nomads, when they moved from one region to another carrying these houses. “Palm Leaf House” was lived in during ancient times.

This holder was for a mattress to be placed on, in the past. This is a wooden box.

They used to put gold and jewelry here. And this. So, their lives were simple. This is to let the air enter.

They lived in this place. In the evening, here's where they used to take a bath, for women and men within the house for privacy.

This is the model of mud houses at that time, and this is the model of the “Tent (House)” or “Palm Leaf House” from palm fronds. This is for those who lived in cities, but this is for those who lived in the desert.

Keeping cool is essential for health and comfort in a hot environment. An ingenious structure was used to funnel cool air into the living area.

This is a wind catcher. It consists of palm fronds also to collect air to let it enter inside the coastal house. The air enters for people who are sitting here; that is, fresh air enters if the weather is wet or hot. The air enters from inside and comes down for people in the house in the “Palm Leaf House.”

The cookware used in the past was portable and practical for easy preparation of fragrant Arabic coffee and meals.

This is the cooking equipment that is made of copper. These are the coffee equipment and food equipment for rice where coffee was made inside the house if the weather was hot. In the evening, the housewife made coffee here.

The dining area is bright, open, and comfortable, equipped with simple and handy accessories for serving and storing food.

This is a mat that is made of palm fronds. In the past it was used to put food on and sit around.

They put food here if they wanted to eat it, which is similar to trays nowadays. This mat was used to put food on if one wanted to eat or something.

This is a mat where meals are placed on. This is a cover which was used to cover food; that is, if there are any dates or others, it is placed underneath to be protected from flies and insects.

Residents next to the coast are less mobile. Their houses are built to adapt to the wetter environment and their lifestyle.

This house is the house of the coast and is made of palm fronds. But it is stronger than the “Palm Leaf House.” It is fixed and does not let rain come in. This is a lamp. This is a hanger for hanging clothes. This is the bed.

From rooftops to fencing walls, from the floor to the ceiling, everything around a temporary Arab house is inseparable from palm trees. These resilient desert plants also provide for people’s food and clothing.

The palm tree is a very important tree for the Arabs. It is used in every aspect of life. For everything, in residence, in clothing, that is, he covered houses with palm trees where he used to build a whole house from it. Food is covered by palm trees. Their whole lives is from the palm tree. At home and abroad, even mats and everything were from palm trees. The palm tree is very important for us.

The palm tree also gives us food, like ripe dates, which they used to store. This palm tree is important for the Arab people in the past and in recent days.

What are some of the activities taking place in an Arab house? Let’s hear from Mr. Jassim M. Al Alawi, Public Relations Officer of the Emirates Heritage Club.

They talk to each other about their daily affairs. In this place, coffee and dates are usually offered. We see here the man, who is usually a coffee specialist. He is currently roasting, which is of course by the fire. Now, after roasting, he beats or hammers coffee to cook it. The box in the back is usually used for coffee materials to be placed , like the roaster and others.

Our thankfulness, Mr. Adnan M. Sallam and Mr. Jassim M. Al Alawi, for your kind introduction of the traditional houses and elements of the rich heritage of the Arab people. These practical structures reflect the simple and contented life on a harmonious land. May the time-honored culture of the United Arab Emirates continue to flourish, adding unique beauty to your blessed land and our precious world.

For more information on the Emirates Heritage Club, please visit

Gentle viewers, thank you for your loving company today on A Journey through Aesthetic Realms. Up next on Supreme Master Television is Vegetarianism: The Noble Way of Living, after Noteworthy News. May you be graced with happiness and love.