Qaryat Al Sarab Heritage VillageLiwa, United Arab Emirates

Journey into the Arabian desert, explore the cultural heart of a people Abu Dhabi’s Tourism Development and Investment Company (TDIC) was developing an immersive heritage village in Abu Dhabi Emirate’s Liwa oases. TDIC’s goal for the Qaryat Al Sarab Heritage Village was to provide guests at the neighboring resort with the opportunity to experience traditional Emirati way of life as part of their visit.

APA developed a conceptual approach for interpretation that provided a thematic and experiential cohesion for several proposed areas in the Heritage Village: an Interpretive Center, a re-created Historic Oasis and four Iconic Species Areas that featured live animals. APA’s concept focused on a journey motif, showing links between the seasonal movements and practices of traditional nomadic Bedu, and the cultural heritage and identity of Emiratis today. APA also delivered preliminary detailed design documentation based on this conceptual approach, which provided dimensions, descriptions and circulation considerations for all exhibits.