Al-Ain

Al Ain العين (Arabic)
city
Al Ain, United Arab Emirates
A view over Green Mubazarrah
Al Ain Location of Al Ain in the UAE
Coordinates: 24°12′27″N 55°44′41″E / 24.20750°N 55.74472°E / 24.20750; 55.74472Coordinates: 24°12′27″N 55°44′41″E / 24.20750°N 55.74472°E / 24.20750; 55.74472
Country	United Arab Emirates
Emirate	Abu Dhabi
Subdivisions	Towns and villages Al Jimi Al Qattara Al Muaiji Al Mutaredh Al Towayya Al Foah Al Masoudi Al Khrair Al Sarooj Hili Falaj Hazza Zakher Al Maqam Sh'ab Al Ashkher Al Khalidiya sAl Shoaibah Al Bateen Al Agabiyya Al Khabisi Al Markhaniya Ne'mah Al Niyadat Al Kuwaitat Al Jahli Al Salamat Al Yahar= Mezyad Al Dhahir Um Ghafah Oud Al Tobah Al Hiyar Nahil Sweihan Al Sad Rimah Al Khazna Al Arad Al Dhahrah Al Manaseer Al Basrah Al Wagan Al Qoua
Government
• Type	Muncipality
• Sheikh	Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan
• Ruler's Representative of the Eastern Region of the United Arab Emirates	Tahnoun bin Mohammed Al Nahyan
Area
• Total	13,100 km2 (5,100 sq mi)
Elevation	292 m (958 ft)
Population (2013)
• Total	650,000
• Density	50/km2 (130/sq mi)
Time zone	UAE Standard Time (UTC+4)

UNESCO World Heritage Site

Cultural Sites of Al Ain (Hafit, Hili, Bidaa Bint Saud and Oases Areas)
Name as inscribed on the World Heritage List
An alley at the Al Ain Oasis
Location	United Arab Emirates
Type	Cultural
Criteria	iii, iv, v
Reference	1343
UNESCO region	Arab States
Inscription history
Inscription	2011 (35th Session)

Al Ain (Arabic: العين‎‎, al-ʿayn, literally The Spring), also known as the Garden City due to its greenery, is the second largest city in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi and the fourth largest city in the United Arab Emirates. With a population of 650,000 (2013), it is located approximately 160 kilometres (99 mi) east of the capital Abu Dhabi and about 120 kilometres (75 mi) south of Dubai. Al-`Ain is the birthplace of Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the founder of the United Arab Emirates, and has the highest proportion of Emirati nationals (30.8%).

Al-`Ain is located in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, inland on the border with Oman. The freeways connecting Al-`Ain, Abu Dhabi, and Dubai form a geographic triangle in the country, each city being roughly 130 kilometres (81 mi) from the other two.

Historically a part of Ṫawam or Al Buraimi Oasis. Al-`Ain has been inhabited for over 4,000 years, with archaeological sites showing human settlement at Al-Hili and Jabel Ḥafeeṫ. These early cultures built "beehive" tombs for their dead and engaged in hunting and gathering in the area. The oasis provided water for early farms until the modern age.

A companion of the Islamic prophet, Muhammad, Ka`ab Bin Ahbar, was reportedly sent to the region to introduce Islam to the people. He settled and died in the oasis.

The forts currently in Al-`Ain were built in the late 19th or early 20th century to solidify Abu Dhabi's control over the oasis. Wilfred Thesiger visited Al-`Ain in the late 1940s during his travels across the Empty Quarter. He met Sheikh Zayed and stayed with him at Al-Muwaiji Fort. This network of fortresses protected the Oases and settlements from bandit attacks.