Sheikh Zayed's Private Majlis

One of the interesting things to do in Al Ain is visit the Al Ain Palace Museum, where Sheikh Zayed was born and worked as the Ruler's Representative of the Eastern Region of Abu Dhabi before becoming Ruler of Abu Dhabi in 1966. The palace has been restored with lots of old furniture and artifacts like dellas, swords, khanjars, and cooking pots. It is probably not completely to its original condition (e.g. I'm betting that the air conditioners are not original). But it still is very interesting (and best of all free). They even have some Emirati clothing that visitors can try on (even wooden burqas for the ladies).

Temporary Majlis

This is a temporary majlis that was set up in the neighborhood a couple of weeks ago. It was complete with air conditioners and water tank.



This majlis, I am told, was probably set up to recieve the extra expected guests of a family for either a funeral or a wedding.

I'm sure that I'm going to make a hash of explaining the majlis, but here is my attempt:

A majlis is the place in an Emirati home where visitors are recieved. Because of the separation of the genders outside of families, Emiratis frequently have more than one. It was also the traditional meeting place or council of this region. It was open for anyone (not just tribe members) to come talk with the sheik and express opinions or concerns. I saw the flap of this majlis open at one point, and it was furnished with the traditional carpets and cushions.