4 Must-Visit Libraries for Children in Abu Dhabi
Author Anna Quindlen got it right when she said, "Books are the plane, and the train, and the road. They are the destination, and the journey. They are home."
No activity is as transporting as reading, and bibliophiles are blessed. They can be anywhere at a moment's notice, walk in another person's shoes, and peek into somebody else's thoughts and feelings by simply cracking open a book.
Schools would do well, indeed, to instill in children an abiding love for reading. One of the ways to do this is to integrate library visits into school program tours.
The following are a few of the noteworthy libraries children on a school tour can visit.
1. Qasar Al Watan Library
Who hasn't heard of Qasr Al Watan in Al Ras Al Akhdar? This working presidential palace, opened to the public in March 2019, is a magnificent showcase of Arabic architecture and traditional Islamic design.
The pristine, book-matched marble walls and floors, impressively intricate mosaic patterns and the immense seven-story Great Hall with its grand 37-meter dome are a sight to behold. There's Mattar Bin Lahej's gleaming golden Arabic calligraphy sculpture and the approximately 26,456-pound chandelier with 350,000 pieces of crystal.
However, the Qasr Al Watan Library is one of its most impressive features.
Qasr Al Watan Library is a testament to the nation's commitment to the knowledge economy, one shaped, driven, and sustained by an investment in the human mind and human resources.
The magnificent library foyer, with its towering multi-story-high shelves, greets and draws in visitors. The grand entrance hall leads to twelve distinct wings, each home to a themed collection and study rooms. A separate, closed-off section holds 2,000 rare books that pertain to the region's literary history.
All in all, the library has more than 50,000 Arabic and English titles on various subjects in print and more in digital format.
Qasr Al Watan Library is open daily from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Anyone with a library card from the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi can check out books from this palace library as well as the rest of the libraries on this list.
Exploratory Glory YouTube Channel
2. Al Bahia Library
Al Bahia Library is a beautiful, circular building (i.e., a rotunda) on 2nd St., Al-Bahia Park, Al Shahama. It is a library set on beautiful park grounds.
Visit the main hall to find the library's largest book collections. It also houses periodicals in English and Arabic, reading spaces, and computers.
The children's library is one of Al Bahia Library's best features and is designed to attract young learners. It has an extensive collection of books appropriate for children and young adults. The section also features fun, interactive activities for young readers, including:
Author meet-and-greets
Storyteller meet-and-greets
Storytimes
Treasure hunts
Creative reading workshops
Puppet shows
Themed events (space day, forest day, women's day)
Al Bahia is home to approximately 30,000 books. The library opens at 8 a.m. and closes at 8 p.m. from Mondays to Thursdays. It opens at noon on Fridays and Sundays, while it's closed on Saturdays.
3. Khalifa Park Library
Khalifa Park Library is set on the beautiful grounds of Khalifa Park on Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Street. It is a major library like Qasr Al Watan Library and holds a massive collection of more than 50,000 Arabic and English titles.
It is a rich resource for academic research, with the thesis hall providing access to dissertations from regional scholars. Meanwhile, the rare books hall showcases the library's most prized and historic titles. The library also has a variety of periodicals and reference books on science and other subjects.
The library, however, places a significant emphasis on young readers with its dedicated children's library. This section alone offers an impressive 10,000 children's books and is thoughtfully designed with a reading hall and a computer corner for children. It also often hosts events for children, including.
Storytelling
Book signing events
Art exhibits
Back-to-school programs
National Day events
Khalifa Park Library operates daily from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
4. Al Marfa Library
The Al Marfa Library, located along Ghweifat International Highway, New Al Marfa, is a library in the city of Al Mirfa in the emirate of Abu Dhabi. It is a rich resource for researchers and scholars.
Academics will have a fine time exploring the more than 20,000 books on a wide range of specializations the library has in print. It has a special collection of oil and gas titles and materials on politics, religion and other subjects.
Al Marfa Library has a collection of around 2,000 recently published books. It has a computer corner, three reading halls, and a study room that provides a quiet reading space and houses a collection of Arabic and English magazines and periodicals.
The library has a dedicated section for young readers, with books especially suited to school-age children between five and 12. The library also often features child-friendly activities in the activity room, including puppet shows, storytelling, and film viewing.
Al Marfa Library operates daily from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Explore Abu Dhabi Libraries
If your school is planning a tour for children, consider visiting Abu Dhabi's best libraries. In the city of Abu Dhabi, you can visit Khalifa Park Library, Qasr Al Watan Library and Al Bahia Library. If you're venturing outside the capital city, go west to Al Mirfa to visit Al Marfa Library.
More Abu Dhabi Travel Articles
