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  Abu Dhabi - Culture

Abu Dhabi, the largest of the seven emirates making up the United Arab Emirates, constitutes nearly 80% of the nation's total land area including nearly 200 islands. The cities of Abu Dhabi and Al Ain are the two largest in the emirates. Abu Dhabi is a vibrant and captivating city with an impressive skyline, parks and gardens, luxury hotels, palatial villas and mansions, wide boulevards and beaches. The city is a financial, transportation, and communications centre for a rich petroleum-producing region and the site of an international airport and an artificial deepwater harbour at Port Zayed. Products include steel pipe and cement. Urban development projects have been important in relieving a housing shortage caused by rapid growth since the late 1960's. 

The main thoroughfare is the 7-km (about 4-mi) long Corniche, a landscaped and seafront boulevard. The elegant Corniche has made Abu Dhabi unrecognisable from its earlier 1960's photographs. Ancient charm still prevails in the Emirates. The old Fort or Diwan Amiri is restored to its original glory and is now a centre of academic research. Open-air 'souqs'' have much to offer - fruits, oriental spices, richly coloured fabrics and the prized Persian rugs, together with traditional and modern imaginative designs in Jewellery.

Greetings can be protracted affairs as an Arab may enquire after you and your family's health. The polite reply is that all is well, thanks be to God. It is usual to use 'Sayed' (Mr) or 'Sayeda' (Mrs) followed by the first name. The name should always be prefixed with the honorific title when conducting business. The Bedouin custom of offering food and shelter to strangers in the deserts is preserved today by the coffee ceremony. Business often starts with a tiny cup of cardamon - 

flavoured coffee poured from the traditional metal pot or dallah. To indicate that you have had enough, guests must wiggle the cup from side to side. The United Arab Emirates is the most liberal part of the Persian Gulf, however still very conservative by Western standards. This means that great offence would be shown by wearing revealing clothing or in any way showing disrespect in Mosques or other public places. The official and local language is Arabic but English is widely spoken. 

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