On the
way from the airport to Abu Dhabi City, the beautifully landscaped
highway provides visitors with a glimpse of the magnificent
beauty which awaits them across the Al Maqta Bridge.
The island
capital of Abu Dhabi is a modern garden city graced with wide,
tree-lined boulevards, lush, green parks, and beautiful fountains.
Many
more pleasant surprises great visitors to Abu Dhabi in the form
of startling contrasts, fas-cinating sights and astonishing
achievements.
Abu Dhabi,
being the largest and richest state of the United Arab Emirates,
is roughly twice the size of Belgium, with a population close
to 1,000,000. It borders Saudi Arabia to the west and south,
and Dubai to the east, with 600 kilometers of Arabian Gulf coastline
and several islands forming its northern boundary.
Until
half a century ago, Abu Dhabi was a simple society battling
for survival in a brutal environment. Today it is a prosperous
country enjoying all the conveniences of modern life: plentiful
water, air-conditioning, cars, free medical care, education
and welfare, a healthy environment, and the latest in communication
and transportation technology.
However,
beneath its recent urbanization lies a country steeped in the
mystique of an ancient desert culture. Much of its territory
remains inhospitable. Crossing vast tracts of gravel scrub and
pure sand flats is part of everyday travel in Abu Dhabi.
Abu Dhabi's
commercial and tourist infrastructure is among the best in the
Middle East. More than 46 airlines from all quarters of the
globe land here on their routes between Europe and the Far East.
Abu Dhabi has become as much a sunny playground for holiday
makers as a center for business and investment. Luxury hotels
vie with one another to provide the most lavish facilities and
the most absorbing entertainment. Good roads and air-conditioned
cars and buses make traveling inside the Emirates easy and comfortable.
That is just as well, because there is much to see, and even
more do in this old-new country.
