Our WAHO Live! Abu Dhabi 2025 coverage is kindly sponsored by Rifat Arabians Australia
Monday 7 April
What riches we enjoyed since I last wrote on Saturday! I apologise for no report yesterday, but we didn’t back to the hotel from the pre-conference tour until almost 11.30pm and, with another early start today, sleep won!
I have put Sunday and Monday together, but I shall revisit them all in more detail over the coming weeks and months.
Yesterday was a day truly filled with the history of Abu Dhabi, and its rulers. It offered a fascinating insight into how the United Arab Emirates was formed – did you know that Bahrain and Qatar were nearly a part of it? – and the strength of the ruling family. And by strength, I mean leadership, wisdom, kindness, and guidance. Having listened to our tour guide, plus visited the garden city of Al Ain, the original seat of the House of Al Nahyan, it is little wonder that the Late HH Sheikh Zayed – the founding father of the United Arab Emirates – is still revered to so much to this day.
The Late HH Sheikh Zayed as photographed in the Empty Quarter by Sir Wilfred Thesiger. Credit Samantha MattocksWe began the day with the two-hour plus drive to Al Ain in the east of Abu Dhabi and which borders Oman. Our tour guide was full of fascinating facts, anecdotes and history about the region and its ruling family, and our drive up seemed to fly by.
The first stop was Sultan Fort in the grounds of Al Ain Museum. Just on the edge of Al Ain Oasis, Sultan Fort is one of a number of historic buildings with the increased influence of the ruling family in Al Ain from the end of the nineteenth century on. Beautifully preserved mud-brick structure with towers at three of the corners and a gate in the southern façade, it included the original living quarters for the family – which I did find somewhat claustrophobic! Of the many artifacts on display, these pens used by HH Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan to sign official documents naturally caught my eye!
It was then onto Al Jahili Fort, one of the largest forts in the UAE, and it was utterly fascinating. This included a permanent exhibit on Sir Wilfred Thesiger, a British explorer who lived with the Bedouin for five years and who twice traversed the Empty Quarter, with just some camels, two boys, and his precious Leica camera for company. Thesiger was known as Mubarak bin London – Arabic for the blessed one from London – and the exhibit, the photograph, the man, and his writings were truly riveting. We just didn’t have enough time there to truly take it all in.
After lunch, a stop at a camel market followed and then it was time to visit Al Ain Oasis, the UNESCO World Heritage Site. With such a packed day, this was a flying visit, which was a shame, and we barely touched the surface of the Oasis, home to over 145,000 date trees.
The Oasis was a true place of peace and tranquility, with birdsong in the background and the sound of running water at several of the stopping points. We also got to see someone demonstrating how they climb the date trees to chop branches and bring down the dates – the video will be on Instagram in the next day or so!
The final stop of the day was a visit to Jabel Hafeet, a mountain the borders the UAE and Oman and is set in a National Park. To drive up it, we had to change into smaller buses as there was no way our bigger ones would have made it up the steep roads!
The day was somewhat hazy, sadly, but the view from the top was still spectacular! You could see the desert sands of Oman, and we left, sadly, just as the sun was beginning to set. Lots of family were up the mountain with food and tables/chairs to enjoy nature’s beauty, and I imagine it was spectacular.
After dinner at a local hotel, it was time for the drive back to Abu Dhabi, which took nearly three hours. Hence, no report yesterday!
Monday 7 April
Today was the Abu Dhabi city sightseeing morning tour and I must confess, we didn’t finish it. We left the hotel at 8.30am and didn’t get back until 5pm – and that included skipping Qasr al Hosn Fort, the oldest stone building in Abu Dhabi.
First stop was the utterly incredible Sheikh Zayed Mosque, the fourth-largest mosque in the world. I have been here before and I absolutely love it, but it is a shame that, since my last visit, much of the mosque has been closed off to be looked at rather than wandered through. I understand why, to preserve the incredible carpets and work inside the building, but I do think it is a shame.
This mosque is truly beautiful, and a great tribute to a great man. It surely should be one of the Natural Wonders of the Modern World, and if you have never been, I do recommend a visit.
Lunch followed, and then it was off to Qasr al Watan, the Presidential Palace. This was just as breathtaking as the mosque before, and it is a remarkable place. There was so much to take in, and not enough time, and I feel that I need to go back again, on a quiet day, to explore the Palace in all its incredible glory.
There was so much to see in there, so much gold, gilt, crystals, marble and more, and it was spacious yet comfortable. I need to go through my photographs and share with you properly, once this trip is over. In fact, I will return to all of the pre-conference tours to cover in more detail than these daily updates allow.
With the group then splitting into two, I was one of the ones heading back to the hotel in a bid to give you this flying update ahead of tonight’s welcome reception and dinner, which starts in less than an hour! However, Janine Daniel from Australia has kindly sent a photograph or two from Qasr al Hosn Fort, to give you a taste of what was there.
And with that, I must fly! Tomorrow, the conference begins with the General Assembly. There will be WAHO business, plus the reports from Voting Delegates regarding the Arabian horse in their country. It looks as though we have two speakers during the General Assembly – Emma Maxwell and Dr Monika Savier, and I know that both will be very interesting.
So, until tomorrow, when I will be reporting from around 9am in the live, ticker-feed style to cover the meeting, and where I will also update from tonight’s opening event.
Thank you for reading.
