Abu Dhabi, UAE

Thursday, December 3rd
Route of the Ancient Traders
Day 23
M/S Nautica
Abu Dhabi, UAE
Partly Cloudy - 77 Degrees

The United Arab Emirates is a loose confederation of seven sheikdoms that banded together in the 1970s. Abu Dhabi is the capital of the UAE, its largest, most populous, and wealthiest emirate. With most of the oil and 87% of the landmass, Abu Dhabi dominates its more famous and glamorous cousin, Dubai. The UAE just celebrated their National Day yesterday and evidence of the civic hangover is everywhere in Abu Dhabi. Cars, homes, and business are festooned with the UAE flag and the streets are strewn with the remnants of fireworks. In fact, the largest flag in the world flies atop a gold-plated flagpole at the Union Center where the agreement binding the emirates was signed.

Abu Dhabi was founded in 1761 and named after a breed of gazelle by a Sheik of the Bani Yas Tribe. Sheik Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan sits on the throne now, and also serves as the President of the UAE. Very little is known about the royal family as the press is prohibited from reporting on anything but official business, and that only in a positive light. Emirati citizenship is very hard to come by. Even children born in the Emirates are not citizens unless both parents are citizens of the Emirates. Thus, 80% of the population are foreign nationals. Everyone enjoys tax-free earnings here, but only citizens are entitled to public services.

Situated on a small peninsula of land that extends into the Persian Gulf, Abu Dhabi is surrounded by a cluster of islands and joined to the mainland by several bridges. The oil boom here has led to steady growth and development of a thriving government and financial sector dotted with gleaming modern skyscrapers, earning it the moniker of Manhattan of the Gulf.


We stopped on the docks to see the fishing fleet of dhows that troll the waters of the gulf fishing for export and local consumption. It was foul. We decided to skip the tour of the adjacent fish market. If the fish smells that bad fresh out of the water, it's not going to smell any sweeter after sitting around the market for a while.

We drove out of the port and up the Corniche on our way through town. The Corniche is miles long extending almost the full length of the island, and an urban planner's dream. Land was reclaimed, or created, in the gulf to widen the street and public space to more than 100 yards. Beachfront for strolling, bathing, volleyball, and barbecues lines the water. Biking and jogging paths meander through parkland landscaped with flowers and shaded by trees with fountains and plazas along the way. The boulevard runs inland of the beach, park, and trails, with more parkland inland of the street. All of this forms the front porch of the city with pedestrian tunnels connecting downtown to the water.

In between prayer services, we arrived at the Sheik Zayed Mosque, just completed and the current leader of the mosque arms race.


All women are required to wear an abaya to enter the mosque.


With inlaid white marble tile in flamboyant floral motifs, the mosque is evocative of the Taj Mahal. The carpet is the largest hand-woven Persian carpet in the world, the chandelier the largest as well.







Digital clocks around the room display each of the five prayer times, sunrise, and the date in both the Western and Islamic calendars. This New Year's Eve, Muslims will be partying like it's 1430.


The Grand Mosque in Muscat is a tease. There is no one vista from which to appreciate the whole. It reveals itself slowly in a series of plazas, gardens, paths, and courtyards. The colors are muted, the designs intricate, but subtle. The Sheik Zayed Mosque is in your face. It opens onto one enormous plaza to hold overflow crowds of the faithful. The tiles are stark white highlighted with every color of the rainbow. The chandelier is more kitsch than class. Both buildings are incredible gifts to the people of their nations and ultimate monuments to Allah. We are very lucky to have seen them both.

Late in the afternoon, we arrived at the Emirates Palace Hotel for high tea. The picture looks like a fairy tale, but this is the real deal.


This spectacular "seven-star" hotel which sits on a private white sand beach and is surrounded by cascading fountains and gardens, was designed to be modern, but classically Arabian. It was built by the Sheik and is owned by the royal family. The top floors are permanently reserved for the royal families of each of the seven emirates and are never opened to the public. The hotel was not intended to make a profit, but to showcase the wealth of the country and house visiting dignitaries in opulence and style. We were led through the gilded lobby into an open area set with opposing settees, each graced with three-tiered tea service of scones, finger sandwiches, and pastries. White-gloved waiters served tea and coffee from polished silver.




Refreshed, we toured the hotel and stopped at reception for a brochure and a rate sheet. Standard rooms range from 3,400 to 50,000 UAE Dirhams, or from just under $1,000 to more than $13,000 a night. It was a lovely afternoon, but we won't be staying overnight.

We drove back down the Corniche enjoying the last of the daylight before returning to the ship.

Next Stop: Dubai, UAE