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ABU DHABI | |
| Made famous by Garfield as the
void he exiled his dog-sidekick Odie, Abu Dhabi is not only the capital of the
United Arab Emirates but also the largest Emirate, encompassing 225,330 sq. km
(87,000 sq miles), 86% of the country's total area. Despite its vastness (as
compared to with its six neighboring Emirates), the Emirate of Abu Dhabi
contains only two major cities; Abu Dhabi and Al-Ain. West of these two cities
is the Rub Al Khali (the Empty Quarter). Abu Dhabi was nothing but a barren little fishing village until the late 1960's when oil was discovered in the region. It had had slight economic success with its pearling industry in the late 1800's however the discovery of the Japanese cultured pearl caused that to collapse. The building of the Suez Canal in 1869 also took out the Persian Gulf's vitality as a "middle man" of trade between Western Europe and the Far East. Right: Abu Dhabi in 1962....... From rags.......... |
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Left: ....... To
riches....... Abu Dhabi in 1997. Roll over the picture to find out which
building my folks live in..... the Baynunah Tower is one of the tallest
buildings in the Middle East After the British announced their withdrawal of the Trucial States in 1968, the Sheikh of Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan, realized his country sat on a potential goldmine of oil reserves. He also realized that there would be a huge threat to capture reserves, coming especially from Iran, Iraq, the Soviet Union or any other ambitious Imperialist. Thus the Federation uniting neighbor Emirates Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman, Umm Al Qaiwan, Fujairah and Ras Al Khaimah was formed in order to secure a strong unified foothold for its latent oil haven. |
| "From rags to riches" is often
the term used to describe Abu Dhabi's remarkable transition from a lifeless
obscure coastal town to one of the most modern, upscale cities in Arabia.
Lavish hotels, skyscrapers and state of the art architecture now dominate the
city skyline as opposed to the dungy shacks that lay there less than 40 years
ago. The Baynunah Tower (pictured above) is one of the most distinctive sights
in Arabia as is the golf ball roofed Etisalat Building. Oddly enough, Abu Dhabi often gets stick from it's rival metroplitan neighbour Dubai for being boring and conservative. True, Abu Dhabi does not quite have Dubai's immediate charisma but it is by no means boring. There are plenty of bars and nightclubs in many of the breathtaking hotels here and a wonderful, super friendly expat community who will embrace any newcomer as I so gleefully found out. There are also several Beach Clubs; nowhere near as crowded as those in Dubai, as well as the local cultural museums and "Souqs". The Souq, Arabic for market, is a great shopping destination where you can find everything from pirated watches and soccer jerseys to authentic Frankincense and Arab Souvenirs. The Corniche also livens up at night and makes a delightful little walk. Right: A reenactment of Alice in Wonderland in Arabia starring Yours Truly. |
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| In fact, Abu Dhabi is by far
an easier place to live than Dubai. You get all of the good qualities
metropolitan mania; the nightlife, thriving employment and cultural diversity
yet all the inconveniences aspects; crime, traffic, overwhelming crowds, etc.
are all auspiciously missing. May I declare Abu Dhabi the official "city for
those who don't like cities" ......... ha ha! The only downfall to living in Abu Dhabi is the feeling of entrapment does rear its ugly head every now and then. It's virtually impossible to go anywhere interesting outside of Abu Dhabi. Dubai is a good 2 hour drive. Al-Ain (which borders Oman) is also about the same distance. Excursions into the desert are always fun. However, after the 10 years spent in Oman, they don't quite live up to my high standards. |
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Thus I conclude my little
write up of my "home away from home". Of course, the best way to truly
experience Abu Dhabi is to turn off you're computer and actually go visit the
frigging place! If by some slight chance, this does happen and you want to go
out and get a few pints - remember as Friday is the Islamic holy day (like the
Christian Sunday), the weekends fall on Thursday & Friday not
Saturday & Sunday! Here's a few places I can suggest: the Forte Grande has some excellent bars / nightclubs. You may want to start off at O'Reilley's before eventually making you're way up to Illusions and the American Bar for a night of disco and clubbing. The Coliseum in the Marina is very popular with the foreign contingent and be sure to visit the infamous Zakher Hotel and it's eerie "Ethiopian Bar". My brother is one its chief customers ha ha ha!....... just kidding Dusty! |
Questions or comments? E-mail me @ glennaldo_sf@hotmail.com
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