Culture club in Abu Dhabi
Most people think of the Middle East as a stopover, but it’s time to see it as the main destination, writes Ben Strang.
On a recent trip to Europe, my partner and I kept a running tally of the favourite places we had visited.
No matter where we went, top spot on the official power rankings kept going to our three-day stopover in the Middle East. Abu Dhabi was the winner. Rome? Nope. Croatia? Close. Venice? Very close, but it kept coming back to Abu Dhabi.
The capital of the United Arab Emirates is based on a series of islands sitting in the north of the nation’s largest emirate, also Abu Dhabi.
A city of more than 1.5 million, it is the second largest in the UAE behind Dubai.
Where Dubai is insane – with skyscrapers plotted randomly like pins on a Battleship grid, motorways looping endlessly across the desert and a whole new city being built for World Expo 2020 – Abu Dhabi is a bit of normal.
But by normal, that means it gives you hints of home while being a lavish, beautiful Middle Eastern city.
Although undoubtedly wealthy, Abu Dhabi is more reserved. It’s a cultural hub which has discovered subtlety while remaining utterly mind-boggling. That sentence may not make sense, but when you’re in Abu Dhabi it all clicks together.
Abu Dhabi has a strong smell to it, one of oud wood burning throughout almost every building.
Oud is a dark heartwood that forms in some trees when they are infected with mould. Placed on a small, burning disc of charcoal in an oud burner, it gives off a strong, woody smell unlike anything you’d experience in New Zealand. From mosques to shopping malls and hotels, oud will waft into your nostrils and become a common theme throughout your travels. Oud will even be a smell you’ll discover in taxis, which are easily the best way to get out and experience the city. Abu Dhabi Island is like a squashed triangle with landmarks at each corner. You can travel from the Emirates Palace to the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque and back again, barely parting with $20 to a taxi driver in the process. The Grand Mosque lives up to its name and reputation. Constructed over an 11-year period, the Grand Mosque was completed in December 2007 at a cost of around $800 million.
The late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan wanted to build a mosque that would unite the Islamic world. As a result it had to be constructed using materials from around the world.
For instance, the world’s largest carpet graces the floor of the main prayer hall, measuring in at 5627 square metres. The 31.75 tonne carpet is made of 70 per cent New Zealand wool, and was handmade by more than 1000 Iranian women over a two-year period.
Hanging above the carpet are chandeliers made in Germany, which are decorated by millions of Swarovski crystals.
Imagine, hundreds of people are taking photos of the beautiful chandeliers while this Kiwi was focused solely on the carpet. It’s the Kiwi way.
It’s worth visiting the palace twice, once during the early morning when crowds are at a minimum, and again at sunset when the incredible structure looks its best under faint moonlight.
In between time it’s worth heading to the Emirates Palace, an outrageous structure on the western corner of Abu Dhabi Island.
Comprising 394 rooms and suites, the Emirates Palace is situated on 1.3km of private beach. It includes huge gardens and lawns, sports facilities such as a football ground where Manchester City have trained, a conference centre with an 1100-capacity auditorium, and swimming areas at each end of the building.
Inside the hotel there are several restaurants to choose from with food from around the world, and the signature is the Palace Cappuccino – your standard coffee with a sprinkling of genuine
gold flakes on the top.
Unless you’re a guest, several areas of the hotel are off limits, and even then you have to be royalty or a head of state to be granted access to the top floor of the Palace.
The $4.25 billion hotel has six suites on the top floor specifically for kings, queens and the leaders of countries.
While off limits to us mere mortals, the palace still makes you feel like royalty with the level of service and care the staff put into their jobs.
That is very much an Emirati thing. They are the ultimate hosts and it seems to be a genetic trait.
During a one-hour boat ride on the Abu Dhabi Pearl Journey, your host explains a few of the Emirati customs while also looking back into the history of the region.
Before striking oil, Abu Dhabi was all about pearls. Workers from throughout the Emirates would head to Abu Dhabi to work on graceful dhows, diving all hours of the day in search of oysters and their elusive pearls.
The Pearl Journey is a time for role play, as you step into the life of one of those pearl divers, minus the actual diving, thankfully.
By the end you’ve been given a lesson in Emirati history, and leave with your own pearl torn from an oyster by your own hands.
For more culture it pays to visit one of the many souks throughout the city.
One of the best is the World Trade Centre Souk in the central city, a place where you can buy an endless number of Middle Eastern knick-knacks.
It’s weird for a city that hits 50 degrees in summer, but inside the souk is a brilliant scarf store. Pop in and see the store owner and he may give you a deal on his already well-priced cashmere scarves. You won’t need it in Abu Dhabi, but they do a fine job when battling the Wellington wind.
For a final view of Abu Dhabi, the Observation Deck at 300 is a perfect place for high tea.
With panoramic views 300 metres above the city, ocean and desert in the distance, you can survey where you have been and where you might want to go next while sipping on a selection of teas and nibbling on a number of cakes and slices.
It’s also a good spot to discuss your future travel plans.
For my partner and I, Abu Dhabi is no longer a stop over. The Middle East is our next destination. The writer toured Abu Dhabi courtesy of Abu Dhabi Tourism.