Abu-Dhabi is by far the largest and richest of the seven Emirates. It comprises 85% of the land mass of the UAE, including offshore islands, and has most of the oil (enough for 100 years at two million barrels a day). Fortunatley for the less well-endowed Emirates, it has taken a generous approach towards the development of the country as a whole. Abu Dhabi is the capital city, both of the Emirate of the same name and of the UAE itself.   

 In the last quarter centurey, the city of Abu Dhabi has changed beyond all recognition. In 1962, when oil was first exported, the present capital was no more than a fishing village with houses made of mud-brick and barasti (palm fronds). Now it is a totally modern skyscraper city.   

Its history goes back to 1761 when, the legend goes, a group of tribesmen pursuing a gazelle came upon a freshwater well, so they named it Abu Dhabi, "Father (or Fatherland) of the Gazelle". In the 1790s the ruler moved his capital there, and built a fort around the well. This fort is one of the few clearly recognizable extant buildings from that era; it is now called Al Husn Palace, but it is also known as the "Old" or "White" Fort. This is now home to the Center of Documentation qnd Research, and has many exhibits of interest to the tourist, including traditional artefacts and old photographs.   

The city grew at an enormous rate in the 1970s and is now growing again at an equally impressive rate. The business area has a string of skyscrapers that few European cities could match and every piece of vacant land seems to be a construction site. The Corniche is lined with high-rise office buildings overlooking carefully cultivated gardens with masses of colorful flowers. The gardens and parks are not just for decoration: they are very popular centers for recreation. Families meet on the grass of the Corniche to have picnics or to play games, especially at the weekends. Most people live in apartment blocks, and although they have very modern comfort, those families with children appreciate this thoughtful urban planning. Locals usually live in villas, but as Abu Dhabi is an island with limited land space, new developments must mean high-rise buildings. The city center was marked in the past by the Old Clocktower, but this is now dwarfed by the 22 storey tower of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry.   

Not surprisingly, the National Day celebrations are more elaborate in the capital than anywhere else. Millions and millions of green, red and white lightbulbs, the colors of the national flag, are draped over all the main buildings, along with portraits of the President and members of the Supreme Council (The Rullers of the seven Emirates). Arches festooned with garlands are built over the main roads, and nationals gather outside palaces to perform traditional dances and music.   

The physical structures of the oil industry are equally awesome. ADNOC (Abu Dhabi National Oil Company) has an imposing headquarters on the Corniche, and has built its own township on the mainland. Far to the west, the refinery at Ruwais is an extraordinary sight rising out of the bleak desert, The offshore oil rigs seem like invading giants when they come into port of repairs.   

Yet Abu Dhabi is the diversifying away from a dependence on oil to the development of a wide range of industries. The success of this policy is seen in the range of head offices of multinational companies in the prestigious buildings of the main business area - Hamdan Street, Zayed the First and Zayed the Second Streets, and the Corniche. The Arab Monetary Fund is located here and its gold-glassed headquarters is one of the grand sights on the waterfront. To cater for the over-growing number of visiting businessmen, most of the major hotel chains have opened large hotels here. The recently completed Fort Grande on the Corniche deserves special mention as it is the tallest building in the Middle East (1995). The main shopping streets bustle with establishments of all descriptions selling goods from around the world. Increasingly the focus is on modern, up-market products from the Far East (especially Japan), Europe and America. There are many specialist boutiques selling designer cloths and jewellery. Air-conditioned plazas are the latest addition to the commercial scene.   

The suqs manage to comBene the old with the new. The fish suq is probably the truest to tradition, offering the 100 plus varieties of fish that are cought locally. The fruit and vegetable market sells a wide range of locally grown and imported products (though an everwider range of foodstuffs is locally grown). Ornments featuring age-old designs are displayed in the gold suq, which is at the same time a world-class gold market. Gold is sold by weight at current world prices, and every little extra is charged for the design. Europeans go for the 18 carat (which can hold a design for a long time), Arabs prefer 21 carat, and the Indians buy the very soft 25 carat gold. The new handicrafts market is for tourists, and includes some very beautiful and exotic products, such as the heavily decorated khanjar curved daggers, swords, ceremonial and otherwise, and even old Martini-Henry rifles.   

 Abu Dhabi International Airport is moving into the front rank of world airports. It has a futuristic design based on hubs spreading out from a central area, which houses, among other things, very competitive duty-free shops. Travellers can also buy tickets for lotteries with fabulous prizes - from Ferrari cars to apartments in London.   

Apart from its modernity, the most striking feature of Abu Dhabi is its lushness. The municipality has spent a fortune and hired an army of labourers to turn this desert city into a garden. The visitor sees greenery all the way along thirty-minute drive from the airport. In the heat of the summer, especially, one realizes what a major achievement this is, as every tree and lawn and plant has to be watered continuously by a massive irrigation system. There are so many parks and gardens that, on the western side of the city in particular, it is possible to go for long walks without leaving the grass. New species of grass and bushes have been developed to cope with the harsh conditions. These new grasses continue to look good in blazing sunshine, even though they grow in soil which is mostly sand. Every park is like a botanical garden, full of fascinating plants.   

Despite, or perhaps because of, the breathtaking rate of development, the indigenous people of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi remain conservative. They attach the greatest value to keeping alive their traditional values and customs. Any visitor wanting to see the real Abu Dhabi would be well advised to attend a traditional function such as a wedding or an Eid celebration (Islamic festival). On such occasions it is possible to witness traditional Arab dancing. The men perform a slow, rhythmic dance, waving swords in the air. The young girls dance standing in a row and swishing their very long hair from side to side. Poetry is also recited and musicians play drums, goatskin bagpipes, ouds (a kind of lute) and Arab flutes.   

The handicrafts traditionally produced by women are displayed on these festive occasions. They can also be seen throughout the year at the women's Handicraft Center in Airport Road (one of the main thoroughfares of the city), and they can be purchased in tourist shops. Most of these crafts are based on fabrics: intricately embroidered cloths, coverings for furniture or decorative pieces that are simply designed to be hung on the wall. Some of the finest designs are in as Arab lace called telli.