Abu Dhabi is the second largest Emirate in the United Arab Emirates and is a thriving metropolitan hub of whirlwind activity all year around. The city boasts of high end luxury sky scrapers and facilities offering ever imaginable products and services.

Despite its dive into the international world and its high tourism attraction, Abu Dhabi has always prided itself on being well connected to its roots. The religion, culture and dynamics behind the Abu Dhabi way of life, is seen in every aspect of development.

In this way Abu Dhabi handicrafts have been given its due place of importance and many centres and institutes are dedicated to the making of handicraft items, training people in the art of these items, selling them and educating locals and foreigners about them.

The Al Reef Handicraft Centre situated in the Al Ain Sportplex is such a place where one can learn the art and craft of making these beautiful handicrafts such as Sado or wool/cotton weaving, Teli – the intricate embroidery form on many Arabic clothing, palm frond weaving, metal carving forms and many others. The training sessions are conducted by specialized staff members and as such prior reservation is a must if you wish to participate in such a forum.

The complex in which the Al Reef Handicraft Centre is situated is a brainchild of His Highness Sheik Mohammed Bin Zaied Al Nehayyan. It was initiated following the need for a centre in order to train and nurture the youth of the country in sports, crafts, hobbies and other leisure activities. It operates in the form of a club. This centre seeks to develop the cultural heritage especially amongst the young generation in the country.

A stay in Abu Dhabi should not only be for the leisure and fun activities but also for an opportunity to understand the culture of the country. An Abu Dhabi resort that meets your requirements is relatively easy to find. Of the many Abu Dhabi beach hotels travellers would do well to go for one that offers luxury comfort with a taste of traditional culture as well, such as Desert Islands Resort & Spa by Anantara which provides a truly unique holiday experience.

Chandrishan Williams is a travel writer who writes under the pen name, Caleb Falcon. He specializes in writing content based on the many exciting world adventures that await intrepid travellers. Google+