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DUBAI: Abu Dhabi announced this week that the grand opening of the much-anticipated cultural destination “Al Hosn,” located at the heart of the UAE capital, will take place on Dec. 7.

Qasr Al Hosn has a major significance for Abu Dhabi and its people. The name Hosn, which means the Inner Fort, was built around 1795 and incorporates the city’s first permanent structure. While Qasr refers to the Outer Palace built around the Inner Fort by Sheikh Shakhbut bin Sultan Al-Nahyan in the 1940s, housing the ruling family as well as hosting the ruler’s majlis sessions.

It comprises four interrelated components: the historic Qasr Al Hosn Fort, the Cultural Foundation, the National Consultative Council building, and the House of Artisans.

Now the site has been transformed into a museum following several years of rigorous and ambitious conservation works.

The Department of Culture and Tourism said the newly renovated premises of the Cultural Foundation will host a diverse visual and performing arts programme, alongside the opening of the first Children’s Library of its kind.

The Foundation’s Visual Arts Centre will present a landmark exhibition on the occasion of its reopening in December, which will focus on the building’s history as a beacon for local artists.