The Higher Organising Committee of Sheikh Zayed Heritage Festival 2014 has announced that this year, the festival attracted more than 15,000 people on its third day, following a grand opening ceremony that rallied over 20,000 U.A.E. citizens, residents, and tourists.
The festival, which will run until December 12, is being held under the patronage of President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, having been launched by H.H. Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs, and held with the support of His Highness General Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the U.A.E. Armed Forces.
Delegates from Belarus, Georgia, and Saudi Arabia toured various attractions such as the "Memories of a Nation" wing, which included rare historical and cultural pictures of the U.A.E., and the "Zayed and Horses" gallery, where portraits of legendary horses from the Al Nahyan stables were on display.
Humaid Al Neyadi, Vice Chairman of the Higher Organising Committee of Sheikh Zayed Heritage Festival 2014 and General Manager of the Private Office of H.H. Sheikh Mansour, attributed the strong turn-out to the diverse attractions in this year's festival.
Al Neyadi pointed to the Memories of a Nation display of historical milestones and facts being shared with the public for the very first time as one example of these attractions. "(The wing contains) nine sections that display some of the rarest pictures of the U.A.E.'s late founder, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, in addition to many other exhibitions that portray his great accomplishments in various fields at various stages of the U.A.E.'s foundation," Al Neyadi explained.