Abu Dhabi first appeared in history during the 17th century, when the al-Nahyan family emerged as the rulers of the Liwa-based Bani Yas tribal confederation.
It was from the Liwa that Sheikh Dhiyab bin Isa sent out a hunting party in 1761 to the island territory on the Arabian Gulf. The hunting party followed the track of a gazelle and ultimately saw the animal drinking at a spring of water. The party returned to the Liwa to tell Sheikh Dhiyab of their discovery, who decreed that the island should be named as Abu Dhabi - Arabic for The Father of the Gazelle. The gazelle subsequently become the national symbol of Abu Dhabi.
Some time after the historical event of naming Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Dhiyab directed his son Sheikh Shakhbut bin Dhiyab to move to the island (1793). He ordered that a village be established there and had a small fort built around the spring. This fort became the residence and the seat of reign of the Abu Dhabi rulers. Having been renovated and extended several times the fort finally became known as Al Hisn (Arabic for The Fort). This palace of the ruler, on the outskirts of today's Abu Dhabi, has remained the most dignified building and one of the main traditional features of Abu Dhabi.
