Mohamed bin Zayed announces official name of Martyr's Memorial Site

24/11/2016

The memorial site created to honour the UAE's brave heroes is be named "Wahat Al Karama" (Oasis of Dignity), His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, announced during a visit to the site, located to the east of the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi.

H.H. Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan said that the site will be a landmark that reflects the UAE's pride in the sacrifices made by its heroes, and where the values of dignity, unity, and solidarity for the sake of the nation are enshrined, making the UAE 'a true oasis of honour'.

Accompanying H.H. Sheikh Mohamed on his visit were Sheikh Khalifa bin Tahnoun bin Mohamed Al Nahyan, Director of the Martyrs' Families' Affairs Office at the Abu Dhabi Crown Prince's Court, Mohamed Mubarak Al Mazrouei, Under-Secretary of the Abu Dhabi Crown Prince's Court, and Lt. General Hamad Mohammed Thani Al Rumaithi, Chief of Staff of the UAE Armed Forces.

His Highness said that the people of the UAE would forever remember the brave sacrifices made by its heroes to keep the country free, sovereign, and proud. He emphasised that the UAE's heroes are an example to be followed, and would inspire future generations of young Emiratis to be devoted and loyal to their homeland, and spare no effort to uphold its values, its freedom, and the dignity of its people.

The Crown Prince said that the UAE's heroes gave their lives to preserve the UAE's achievements, allowing citizens and residents alike to carry on in the same spirit of hard work and ambition established by the Founding Fathers of the nation. He stressed that the UAE, leadership, citizens, and residents alike, would express its deepest gratitude for the heroes and their families and for their unmatched sacrifices that ensured the safety, stability and wellbeing of the nation's future generations.

"Wahat Al Karama is a national landmark to unite the people of the UAE in gratitude for the heroes that have honoured the UAE. It will tell the heroic tales of those who have given their lives for the country. The site will immortalise the heroes' memory, and forever bear witness to their sacrifices, inspiring future generations of young Emiratis to adhere to their country's national values," His Highness concluded.

The site covers an area of 46,000 square metres, symbolically located between the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque and the General Headquarters of the UAE Armed Forces. It is open to the public 24 hours a day.

The site includes the Memorial Plaza, a large open area of over 4,000 square metres which will host the annual Commemoration Day ceremony. A circular pool of water, 15mm deep, occupies the centre of the Memorial Plaza. The pool provides a unique reflection of the Mosque and also the Memorial's panels.

The 'Oasis' includes a Memorial Plaza, a large open area of over 4,000 square metres which will host the annual Commemoration Day ceremony. A circular pool of water, 15mm deep, occupies the centre of the area and provides unique reflections of the Mosque and the Memorial's 31 aluminium-clad panels. These panels represent the unity, solidarity and mutual support that binds together leadership and citizens. They are engraved with poems written by the UAE's Founding Father, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan. A long spine at the rear of the Memorial is engraved with the pledge of allegiance of the UAE Armed Forces.

Wahat Al Karama also includes the Pavilion of Honour with a roof made from eight large panels, seven of which represent the seven emirates, and the eighth represents the nation's heroes. At the centre of the pavilion are seven massive glass panels, on each of which is written the Armed Forces' pledge of allegiance.