Abu Dhabi: Giant mosques, gold markets and a lot of glamour in Dubai's big brother

By TERESA LEVONIAN COLE

Magnificent: In Abu Dhabi, even the mosques - including the Sheikh Zayed Mosque - are palatial


Leading me to my breakfast table one morning, the waiter said: 'This is the best place to sit. From here, you can see all the crashes at the 90-degree turn.'

I was parked at the Yas Hotel, surely one of the most curious and exciting hotels in the world. Futuristic in design, and protected from the intense Arabian heat by an LED-illuminated grid shell that glows like a bejewelled hairnet, the hotel is 20 minutes from the city centre, on Yas Island.

Its unique claim to fame is not just the brand new marina surrounding it - but the 5.5 km Formula 1 racetrack that dips and winds around and beneath the hotel like a giant Scalextric. Thrill-seekers who've paid £160 for 30 minutes' tuition in one of the racing school's Aston Martin GT4s were having a wonderful time. And in a few weeks, the stakes will be raised and the circuit animated by the V8 engines of the second Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

Guests at the hotel will overlook the track; those gliding into the marina on super-yachts can watch from the foredeck, while others will have to make do with the grandstands. For good measure, Ferrari World opens on the island later this month.

The largest indoor theme park in the world, its attractions will include the fastest roller coaster on the planet.

Abu Dhabi, capital of the UAE, doesn't do things by halves. It's limbering up to take the lead as the cultural capital in the district, with the world's top architects contracted to create public buildings.

One of the Emirate's 200-odd islands, Saadiyat, is currently laying foundations for the local outpost of the Louvre designed, with lace-like floating dome, by Jean Nouvel, and due to open in 2013.

Frank Gehry's space-age, angular Guggenheim Museum follows in 2014. Zaha Hadid is to design a performing arts centre, while Norman Foster's plans for the National Museum have yet to be unveiled.

Everywhere, cranes are at work. Land is being reclaimed, public beaches (separated into His and Hers zones) extended and the first residents have moved into the 2.3 sq mile Masdar district, the world's first zero-carbon, waste-free city. Extraordinary to think that a mere 35 years ago, this Brave New World was just a small fishing village at the edge of the desert.

For all that, Abu Dhabi is a curious, sprawling place, seemingly peopled entirely by European management and an immigrant Asian workforce. Downtown, along the Corniche, the high-rises lack the imaginative glitz of Dubai or Qatar, although there's glamour in the pinky-vast opulence of the Emirates Palace Hotel - built at a cost of $3 billion.

Seeking something more authentic, I headed for the Gold Souk, housed in an uninspiring concrete box. But inside, all that glitters is indeed gold. Two women, dressed entirely in black abayas, headscarves and burqas were bulk- buying diamond-studded gold bibs.


Sands of time: For all the modern developments, the desert, with its traditions, is never far away in Abu Dhabi


The men, meantime, in flowing white dishdashas, were on their way to prayer, summoned to the Sheikh Zayed Mosque by the muezzin.

This elegant white marble wonder is the capital's must-see. With more than 1,000 delicate pillars and 82 domes drawing on architectural elements of mosques from Granada to Damascus, it houses a riot of superlatives. It was well worth donning black from head-to-toe to marvel at the world's largest carpet, handmade in Iran; all 35 tons of it.

But the most striking feature is the floor of the 18,000 sq metre courtyard inlaid with giant flowers of coloured marble and semi-precious stones, the remarkable creation of British artist Kevin Dean.

A mere two hours' drive south of Abu Dhabi city and I was transported to rolling sand and camels. Here, in one of the world's largest sand deserts, where dunes reach almost 1,000 ft in height, the Qasr al Sarab hotel hoves into view: a luxurious mirage in the shape of a fort.

Ali, who lives in the nearby village of Hameem, is something of an ambassador for the hotel. 'The desert,' he said, ' is about tradition and honour.'
Up at dawn next morning, we watched the sun rise over the virgin dunes, the air fragrant with desert primrose.

In a 4x4, we drove along salt-encrusted valleys. As the sun climbed, the dunes turned to apricot ice cream. We ventured out again at dusk, after a lazy day and heavenly pummelling in the Anantara Spa.

This time, transport was of the traditional variety. As our small caravan of camels loped into the wilderness, the eerie silence of the Empty Quarter, the fabled Rub Al Khali, worked its hypnotic charm.

We dismounted to climb a high dune - two steps forward, one step back, as the sand cascaded beneath us. I found a vantage point and watched a herd of gazelles prance into the distance, as the sun sank into the Arabian night.

My camel waited patiently, in no hurry to return, while a mere 120 miles away, life in the fast lane sped on.


Travel Facts

Three nights' B&B at Yas Hotel and three at Anantara Qasr Al Sarab costs from £2,499pp, including return flights with Etihad Airways and private transfers (08444 937 531, www.premierholidays.co.uk).

The Etihad Abu Dhabi Grand Prix runs from November 12-14, www.yasmarinacircuit.ae.



source: dailymail