Prosperity in the Desert
Abu Dhabi is one of the richest Arab emirates, competing with Dubai in everything. It’s an all-known fact that these lands were not very rich before oil was found there. Since then, these emirates have been developing fast. Abu Dhabi is the political center of the whole state, consisting of several semi-independent emirates. The sheikh is not only rich but also a good diplomat and a talented politician, so the emirate gained a lot of power and leverage on the international scene, mostly being a negotiator, an arbiter, and a creditor for so many.
Artificial land conquered from the sea. Skyscrapers among the highest in the world. Perfect roads. 100% air conditioning of everything from small kiosks to huge sports facilities. Offices and shops of the most expensive international brands. Luxurious cars. Glistening shopping malls. Gold and jewelry on every corner. Vast, spacious, cleanest beaches with ideal sand and all facilities ever needed. Perfect free drinking water available every 200 or so meters. Sweet (for some reason, literally, like being sprayed with gentle perfume) pure air everywhere, even in the downtown area. High quality of food. Polite policemen. Polite drivers. Perfect infrastructure. Luxurious hotels and mansions. No haste. An own Louvre! A super important transport hub with very numerous connections to all around the globe. Sounds like a utopia if not for the prices and summer heat waves.
Traditions and Tolerance
Abu Dhabi is a Muslim country, and most of the population is Muslim. And the religion is still dominating people’s lives. However, sometimes it looks quite hypocritical, when, say, they have a huge shopping mall right under the biggest mosque, they overcharge tourists for scarves and other religious clothing you need to get there (it’s one of the main sights in the city), and at the same time they are very demanding about how women cover every inch of their bodies in that mosque. Seems like a scamming scheme, honestly. As for the rest of the sights, everybody is polite and there are no problems with visiting mosques or museums. The government is trying hard to show its tolerance. They built three churches of 3 religions all at the same complex (a mosque, a Catholic church, and a synagogue). There are so many branches of the most famous museums like the Louvre and Guggenheim (still under construction), or a Formula-1 entertainment center, and tourists are more than welcome everywhere. They do not enforce any particular dress for tourists, though local women usually wear a burkini to swim and cover their heads.
Local crafts are almost forgotten because the population is mostly quite rich these days and doesn’t want to do anything with their hands. The primary tribe in Abu Dhabi is called Bani Yas. The authorities promote some local crafts to be available to see at least for tourists and for preserving national heritage.
I took a photo of this craftswoman in one touristic facility. She is wearing a sort of abaya traditionally being used for protection from the sun and desert dust but then repurposed for reasons of modesty and religious rules. Orange/red undergarment with woven patterns is a “thobe” displaying her own region and status. The golden edging is needed for the outfit to be more durable considering harsh climate conditions. The most interesting item is that golden mask on her face which is called the Gulf burqa (or batoola). Apart from purposes of covering a face out of modesty, or to show her status and identity, this thing is reflecting some sunlight and is contrasted beautifully with black fabric.
She is making something from date palm fronds. A date palm is the main crop in the region. It really has been giving life to local tribes as it provides food, craft materials, construction resources, you can create baskets, mats, ropes of that. Date palms are everywhere wherever they could grow.
Nature
There are two words to describe the emirate nature: sea and desert. Sometimes they meet together creating very beautiful coastal dune systems (sabkhas). The desert itself is incredible, a “real” desert “from the movies”. They are bright sand dunes consisting of silky sand, such a wonderful landscape to experience. Local entertainments for tourists include jeepping in the desert, surfing dunes (literally), riding camels (they are omnipresent as locals adore camel runs and spend a lot of money on them) and staying at night in a tent in the desert to watch stars and calmness.
Apart from deserts there are some small mangrove forests, mostly artificial, and some scarce greenery in oases.
