Over this past weekend, visitors from across the UAE headed to the unique oasis of Liwa, in the Western Region of Abu Dhabi, to enjoy the Liwa Dates Festival, taking place here from July 22nd till July 30th.

Now in its 11th year, the annual festival, organised by the Cultural Programmes and Heritage Festivals Committee - Abu Dhabi, is expected to attract over 70,000 visitors, both UAE nationals and residents over its nine days of ratab (half ripe dates) celebration.

Among the thousands of visitors exploring the festival grounds so far were three expat friends, all teachers living in Abu Dhabi, Lisa Fawell from Australia, Zack Michael from USA and Joyce Lawson from UK.

"We all came to Abu Dhabi around three years ago, but this is the first time we are visiting the festival," said Lisa.

"It is really great! All of it! My favourite part is the dates. I've tasted fresh dates before, but I've never seen so many in one place. It is so impressive how everyone here is offering us dates to taste, and also water, Arabic coffee and tea, all for free. Now I can say I have truly experienced the proverbial Arab hospitality," she also said.

For Joyce, it was the traditional souk that she particularly enjoyed, although she too was in ore with the hundreds of baskets of dates on display that were competing in the ratab contests.

"Actually, I'm going back home for a holiday next week and I'm looking for some gifts for my family, something traditionally Emirati, which is so hard and rare to find in Abu Dhabi or Dubai. That's why I was so happy to find this great souk here, which has some real gems," said Joyce, who included traditional, handmade baskets, bags and Emirati dolls on her souvenirs shopping list.

An amateur artist and having a passion for history as well, Zack was instantly drawn to the heritage model area. The massive, air-conditioned tent that hosts the festival is split into different areas for different activities and one of them is dedicated to the heritage model competition. Some 15 models are on display here, each up to two square meters and by the end of the festival the best five will be crowned winners.

"The castles and forts work is quite impressive, and some of them have lots of details, showing great skills in creating fire camp sites or scenes inside the house. My favourite is this one here, representing the old crossing of Maqta bridge, the first bridge to connect Abu Dhabi island with the mainland. They placed these panels behind the model with old photos of the bridge, explaining its history, which is a good idea, then the artistic interpretation of the model seem quite accurate and well done," said Zack.

After wondering the souk's "alleys", sampling home made Arabic food, after learning the latest news from government organisations and private companies exhibiting at the festival, after engaging in the art of negotiation in the ratab market area, most visitors end up in the main festival area, taking a rest in the wooden built pavilion of the Cultural Programmes and Heritage Festivals Committee - Abu Dhabi, which is a public majlis for all visitors. Here, Asma Habib and her family share their impression of the festival, which they visit for the first time.

"We came all the way from Ajman. It took us almost five hours to get here, but it is worth it. My parents are visiting me from Pakistan and I'm showing them around the UAE for a couple of days," said Asma, adding:

"We really enjoyed the festival. I think it's very well organised. There are direction signs, so it was very easy to find, and once here there is a lot to see and do. My daughter, who is 7 years old, had a lot of fun in the children's tent; she even made a few new friends. My parents were very amused to find Pakistani honey in the market here. They didn't buy any, but we bought some fresh dates. The khallas variety is very expensive; they charge AED 50 for one kilogram, but the other varieties are much more reasonable, AED 15 for a one kilogram box".

Liwa Dates Festival is opened daily to the public, from 4 pm till 10 pm. Entrance is free of charge.