Abu Dhabi's Al Hosn begins virtual tour programme for students

Online visitors can also book cultural tour guides who can guide through exhibitions live

The Department of Culture and Tourism has launched a virtual guided tour programme at Al Hosn site. Courtesy DCT Abu Dhabi

Abu Dhabi’s cultural sites may have reopened, but their virtual programmes are continuing to expand.

The Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi has recently launched a virtual guided tour programme of the historic Al Hosn site, which students and individuals can book online.

The programme includes 360° virtual tours of Qasr Al Hosn and the Cultural Foundation, both of which are part of the Al Hosn site. Participants can also book cultural tour guides to take them through the exhibitions and answer any questions. Educators can also customise the online guided tours to suit their class requirements.

Pre-recorded tours of Qasr Al Hosn are available in Arabic, English, French, Urdu and Malayalam. The Cultural Foundation’s current shows include The Red Palace, which features works by Saudi artist Sultan Bin Fahad and Common Ground, a group exhibition with 13 artists that explores links between Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

DCT Abu Dhabi has worked with the Department of Education and Knowledge to develop this initiative, which conducted its first tour via Zoom with a group of 160 students.

Dubai Culture held a similar programme in April, providing tours of its various museums, including Etihad Museum, Coins Museum, Dubai Museum and Naif Museum. The initiative completed 298 tours with more than 11,000 students from 94 public and private schools. The tours have been held with support from the Ministry of Education, as a way to push remote learning during the pandemic.

Arts and culture venues in the UAE have slowly reopened over the last few weeks.

Dubai museums started reopening on June 1, beginning with Al Shindagha Museum and Etihad Museum, followed by the Dubai Museum, as well as the Naif and Poet Al Oqaili museums. The sites have a visitor capacity of 50 per cent.

On June 24, Louvre Abu Dhabi, along with Qasr Al Hosn and Cultural Foundation began welcoming the public again, also with limited capacity.

More information on virtual tours and timings can be found on alhosn.ae and culturalfoundation.ae