Emerging City of the World

The wealth and opulence of Abu Dhabi is probably the very first thing that will strike you as you enter this gleaming city. Its uglier side will take some more time before it reveals itself to you, provided you look hard enough. Abu Dhabi certainly isn’t always as vibrant and glamorous as the ultra Vegas-style neighboring city of Dubai. It’s certainly a lot quieter as well as a lot more traditional but it definitely has its own charms and attractions. Although the Emirate of Abu Dhabi occupies most of the land area in the UAE, the city is quite compact and getting around doesn’t take too long, even with the evening bustle and increasing vehicular traffic.

A must visit is the picturesque Abu Dhabi Corniche, a seaside boulevard with both young and elderly crowds strolling, jogging, running and biking along its paths. Some, perhaps, are oblivious to the sounds of water crashing onto the rocky front of the reclaimed land while others are engrossed in the overpowering tint of the sun-drenched sky filled with the refracted beauty of oil refinery pollution, with shimmering skyscrapers forming the backdrop in this city of contrasts. A spurt of water soaks a band of giggling girls as sniggering beach boys on their powerful jet skis show off their moves in the still waters of the Persian Gulf. Further down the expansive boulevard, the giant domes of the opulent Emirates Palace Hotel come into view. With 114 domes in total and a main dome with a silver finish and gold finials, the hotel is billed as one of the priciest in the world.

In the heart of the city, one can see shiny, glass skyscrapers and the occasional crumbling building teeming with poorer workers, which although seemingly out of place in the glossy environment, provides for a fair share of the city’s environment. Most old buildings have by now been brought down and replaced with skyscrapers and towers as the petrodollars continue to flow in, and those that remain have their days numbered. Abu Dhabi is very unlike most cities in the world in the sense that it doesn’t have any “upmarket,” or “posh,” areas as such. The city is designed in the Manhattan-style grid pattern although each “block,” is much larger in area than in New York. Driving along the main roads, only the towering skyscrapers are visible to the eye, but yanking the steering wheel to drive inside one of these, “blocks,” hidden behind the façade of tall, shiny buildings shows a poorer Abu Dhabi. Old three-storey buildings jostle for space in areas crowded with innumerable little grocery shops, tailors and travel agents amidst a sea of impoverished expatriate workers, who struggle to make a living in this giant oil & banking mecca of the Middle East.

A visit to the old marketplace or souq, as it’s called, is a treat for the eyes and the olfactory senses. The aroma of roasting coffee beans and the tantalizing, fruity smell of hookahs quietly bubbling away in the warm evening air set the scene for a typical Arabian souq with luxurious varieties of incense and perfumes on sale as advertised by the shopkeepers who vociferously hawk their wares. Walking through the narrow alleyways amidst the entire din, you will invariably bear witness to a haggling showdown between shopkeepers and buyers, both screaming of impending bankruptcy. Another world within this world is the typical Indian refreshment shop, serving piping hot tea, or chai, flavored with cardamom, a favorite with the Indian and Pakistani laborers who enjoy the taste of home.

Walking around in the back streets of Abu Dhabi requires one to be adept in dodging little boys enthusiastically playing soccer on the streets, paying no heed to pedestrians or passing vehicles. The young kids dribbling their soccer balls seem to co-exist quite peacefully with the apparently angry Afghani taxi drivers, who occasionally let out a few earthy expletives to those that come in their way. The taxis, usually run down ten year old Toyotas, can be found speeding away alongside the numerous Mercs and Porsches. Street cafés abound and hookahs, smoking instruments shaped like a voluptuous woman, are quite common with the local population who spend their evenings taking in the cafés while playing checkers and half watching a soccer game being broadcast on the television screen in front of them. The younger patrons of the cafés imitate the sound of drums on their tables while smoking and chattering noisily. Hookah enthusiasts will feel as though they’re in paradise.

For reasons both cultural and recreational, I urge you to visit Abu Dhabi – the city of contrasts and an “Emerging City of the World,” according to Forbes and enjoy all it has to offer - from hookahs, back streets and bazaars to fancy hotels, designer shopping and everything in between.