The number of tourists who visited Qasr Al Watan Library in the first half of 2024 rose to nearly 270,000, up from the 185,000 visitors recorded in the same period last year, marking a growth rate of 46 percent.
The library, which is affiliated with the Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Centre (ALC), is a prominent cultural landmark in the UAE capital, Abu Dhabi, attracting thousands of visitors every year, including residents and tourists from around the world. It offers them a comprehensive cultural and knowledge experience through its wide range of books, research articles, reports, documents, encyclopaedias, book summaries, databases, and rare books.
Saeed Hamdan Al Tunaiji, Executive Director of the ALC, asserted that ‘the library’s exceptional location within Qasr Al Watan, one of the few presidential premises in the world that is open to the public, has given it an added impetus, in addition to its distinction in its commitment to meeting the needs of its visitors by promoting a culture of reading, and prov
iding rich sources of knowledge, including a diverse collection of books and educational resources.’
‘With its wide range of official and historical documents, as well as specialised sources in various fields, Qasr Al Watan Library is a prominent historical institution and a reference that embodies key milestones in the cultural journey of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi,’ Al Tunaiji added. ‘The library supports the research environment with invaluable resources and around 50,000 works. These books have been carefully curated to meet the aspirations of readers and intellectuals.’
Qasr Al Watan Library strives to preserve enrich and make literary works and Arabic language research available to all categories of readers, to foster a culture of reading in Arabic among community members. The library aims to curate books that align with its specialisation while adding digital collections to expand the scope of content distribution and facilitate access to it. Moreover, it seeks to attract visitors and enhance their exp
erience by organising and delivering specialised and diverse cultural and educational programmes and events.
Furthermore, Qasr Al Watan Library is home to publications from cultural institutions, research centres, official bodies, and local publishing houses. These books cover a wide range of knowledge such as archaeology, heritage, memoirs, biographies, culture, literature, and arts. It also provides comfortable indoor spaces are available for reading, researching, and writing, in modernly designed halls equipped with computers and advanced electronic browsing solutions, which facilitates easy access to digital sources.
The library also works on developing interactive applications that encourage knowledge enrichment.
The library also houses a diverse and distinctive collection of rare books and, including literary works by European travellers from the 13th to the 19th centuries, which shed light on various aspects of Arab civilisation, including culture, music, medicine, and literature, reflecting the ric
hness and diversity of Arab heritage.
Additionally, Qasr Al Watan Library recently opened a permanent exhibition in the Knowledge Pavilion showcasing a collection of literary works that have won the Sheikh Zayed Book Award.
The exhibition features all the books that have won the award since its first edition, allowing visitors to explore the most prominent literary and cultural contributions the award has honoured over the years.
Source : Emirates News Agency