Abu Dhabi: why it's growing as fast as sister city Dubai

If you want to enjoy a taste of the past, present and future, then Abu Dhabi, with its traditional waterside communities, skyscrapers and driverless cars, is the location to visit, discovers Simon Calder
Old and new: Traditional fishing boats contast against the city’s modern skyline
Alamy Stock Photo
Simon Calder8 November 2016

Perhaps like you, I first visited Abu Dhabi in the middle of the night. In the days before aircraft technology allowed non-stop flights from Europe to the Far East, planes were obliged to refuel along the way. One of the leading pit stops was the largest of the United Arab Emirates, Abu Dhabi. In an airport terminal that felt vaguely space-age, passengers from Heathrow and Frankfurt would mingle blearily for a while with travellers from Singapore and Hong Kong. I never got a chance to appreciate the surroundings, because no matter whether you were heading east or west, it always seemed to be 3am in AUH — the coide for the airport.

Today the terminal is still standing, as the airport expands around it. But AUH is no longer an aviation filling station: it’s now the gateway to an intriguing destination. Abu Dhabi is growing as rapidly as its sister city along the road, Dubai, but with a very different look and feel.

The capital of the United Arab Emirates ripples inshore from the Corniche — the waterfront beach, park and road that runs for miles beside the Gulf. At the northern end, the Dhow Harbour gives a glimpse of traditional life, with sailors mending nets in preparation for their next voyage. But this waterside scene, and the adjacent fish market, are among the few constants in a city of change.

Downtown Abu Dhabi has an array of steel and glass skyscrapers, best viewed from the UAE Heritage Village, a complex almost at the end of the breakwater that juts out from the corniche. Yet it’s not all about height. At the very end is the Abu Dhabi Theatre and a giant UAE flag. And close by, the massive Marina Mall. This is a city of scale.

At the point where the breakwater connects with the mainland, the grounds of the Emirates Palace Hotel begin. The gardens are painstakingly tended, and enlivened with fountains that bring a touch of coolness to this corner of the Arabian Peninsula. But they are just an overture to a lavish structure that feels more palace than hotel. Even if you’re staying somewhere else, you can take afternoon tea here, and gaze up at the dome.

At the other end of the city (which means less than half an hour, and under £20 in one of the excellent, air-conditioned taxis), the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque provides a spiritual complement to the material comforts of the Emirates Palace. This was built on a hill, and seems to catch the eye from wherever you are, even in a city rich in modern monuments. Free tours provide an insight into it, the UAE and Islamic culture.

Cultural: Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque
Alamy Stock Photo

Global culture is coming to a triangle of territory to the north-east of the city centre: Saadiyat Island. An entire cultural district is under construction, though the “universal museums” planned for it — including an annexe of the Louvre and a Guggenheim — are several years behind schedule. While you wait for them to be completed, the Manarat Al Saadiyat exhibition space on the edge of the complex provides a glimpse into the plans for the isle.

The future is the focus at Masdar City, a new urban concept installed on a swathe of desert close to the airport. The architecture provides a model for working, studying and living with a light environmental footprint: solar energy is combined with modern takes on traditional Arab design, such as the wind tower at the centre of the complex. And you can even take a ride in a driverless, lithium-powered car, a fleet of which provides the personal rapid transit for a city that seeks to be the shape of things to come.

Follow Simon on Twitter @SimonCalder

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