Unlike their neighbors from other emirates, the residents of Abu Dhabi are distinguished by a special degree and respectability. Abu Dhabi does not have such a crowd of tourists as Dubai. Here you will not find the tallest buildings in the world, the largest fountains, and the area of its shopping centers does not claim a place in the Guinness Book of Records. And yet the richest emirate in the UAE has its own piece of the tourist pie, because it has something to show its guests. Motorists who have visited the Emirates answer the question of what to see in Abu Dhabi. The city is famous for its Formula 1 track, amusement parks with an auto racing slope and collections of expensive cars, which are famous not only for the palaces of the sheikhs, but also for the usual rental cars at the hotels.
TOP 10 attractions in Abu Dhabi
Capital gate
The palm in the number of nominations of the Guinness Book of Records in the United Arab Emirates is undoubtedly Dubai. But Abu Dhabi also has something that tourists admire. For example, a completely new skyscraper, called unique in all guidebooks. The not too high height of the structure is more than compensated for by its original appearance.
The Capital Gate Tower was commissioned in 2011. Its height is only 160 meters, and the main feature of the project is that the technology of a diagonal grid was used in the construction of the "Gates of the Capital". This allows the building to absorb and redirect air currents and seismological pressure. In other words, the skyscraper is not afraid of strong winds and earthquakes.
Externally, the tower is noticeably tilted to the west. Its roll angle is 18 degrees, which is 4.5 times more than that of the Leaning Tower of Pisa. The wavy décor of the skyscraper protects it from heating by the sun, and the latest ecological developments of the designers reduce the need for electricity when air-conditioning the structure.
Aldar HQ
No less attention of the guests of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi is attracted by another modern building, whose shape is very unusual. Aldar HQ became the world's first round skyscraper. Its construction lasted for three years, and in 2010 the building, which looks like a disk standing on an edge, was inaugurated.
Already at the design stage, the skyscraper won the Best Futuristic Design nomination at the prestigious 2008 Architects' Conference in Valencia.
The idea of the shape was inspired by the round sea shells. When creating convex surfaces, curved glass elements were not used. Only certain surface alignment technologies were used.
The designers have not forgotten about modern environmental problems. During the construction of the skyscraper, energy-saving technologies and materials made using recycled materials were used. As a result, the project and its implementation were awarded a silver certificate for energy efficiency standards.
Sheikh Zayed Mosque
The largest mosque in Abu Dhabi is also a remake, but this does not make it less beautiful. The structure is one of the six largest on the planet, its construction took 11 years and was completed in 2007.
In the Abu Dhabi Mosque, you can look at unique solutions in the design of interiors, the luxury of which can serve as an illustration to ancient oriental tales:
- The interiors are decorated with seven chandeliers made in Germany with gold leaf and Swarovski crystals.
- The main chandelier of the mosque looks huge. Its weight is 12 tons, it is 10 meters in diameter and 15 meters high.
- The carpet covering the floor was woven in Iran. Its area is more than 5600 sq. m., the carpet weighs 47 tons, and more than a thousand weavers worked on it, tying a total of 2,268,000 knots.
At the same time, 40 thousand people can be in the Sheikh Zayed Mosque. The main prayer hall accommodates 7 thousand believers. The minarets rise more than 100 meters each, and there are 82 domes on the outer row of the main building. The main material used in the construction and decoration of the mosque is white and colored marble.
Yas Island
Most of the entertainment in Abu Dhabi is located on Yas Island. Here you can watch Formula 1 races, relax in the Ferrari World amusement park, play golf or polo, rent a villa, dine in a restaurant or go shopping in one of the malls.
Yas Island is of artificial origin. The American company Aldar Properties is working on the project and its implementation. The work began in 2007, and after just a couple of years the idea was named the leading tourism project on a global scale.
Ferrari world
Ferrari World theme park in Abu Dhabi was a joint brainchild of the car concern of the same name and Aldar Properties. It is called the largest indoor theme park on the planet:
- The roof area of Ferrari World is 200 thousand square meters. m., and the length of the perimeter is 2200 m.
- The Ferrari logo is placed on the roof of the building. It is also a record holder of its kind: its dimensions are 65x48, 5 meters, and this is the largest logo ever created by world companies.
- The roof is supported by metal structures, the creation of which took more than 12 thousand tons of steel.
- There are 20 attractions in the park. Their main theme is auto racing and Ferrari cars.
For those who are fans of Italian cars, a gallery of Ferrari cars is open in the park. In size, it is second only to the collection in Maranello, where the headquarters of the concern is located.
To get there: bus. N170, 180, 190 and 195.
Formula Rossa
The main attraction of the Ferrari amusement park in Abu Dhabi is the American hydraulic slide, which is considered the fastest in the world. The Formula Rossa wagon accelerates to 240 km / h in less than 5 seconds. Its launch system is based on hydraulics and resembles the launch catapult of aircraft carriers. The shape of the slide follows the Formula 1 race track in the city of Monza, where the Italian Grand Prix is held.
The length of the attraction in the Abu Dhabi Park is 2.2 km. All passengers of the trolleys are given protective goggles before the start to prevent insects and dust particles from getting into the eyes while passing the track. The whole trip takes just over one and a half minutes and takes place at an altitude of 52 meters.
Yas Marina
On the track on Yas Island in 2009, the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix debuted in Formula 1 racing. Her project was developed by the German architect Hermann Tilke. The peculiarity of the track is that the racers move counterclockwise along it.
Yas Marina includes several difficult turns and high-speed sections. It is laid among the sand dunes, and 50 thousand spectators are freely seated in four covered stands.
The total length of Yas Marina is 5554 meters, and the width varies from 12 to 16 meters. The maximum speed that a driver is able to develop on the Formula 1 track in Abu Dhabi can reach 317 km / h.
Historical and ethnographic village
Residents of Abu Dhabi not only build new modern facilities, but also carefully preserve antiquity and their own history. You can get acquainted with the life of the indigenous inhabitants of the Arab desert and see how the Bedouins live in the open-air museum, which is called a historical and ethnographic village in Abu Dhabi.
It was opened in 1997 on the shores of the Dubai Creek. In the museum you will see adobe buildings and houses made of coral limestone, huts made of palm leaves and fishing boats, ovens in which Bedouins bake flat cakes, and pottery wheels, looms and forges. All the crafts of the inhabitants of old Abu Dhabi are carefully preserved, and visitors to the village will learn how the Bedouins make jewelry, sew clothes, weave canvas and care for animals.
The entertainment program for tourists includes traditional dances, festivals and camel rides. Falconry is often held in the museum - a traditional entertainment of the inhabitants of the Middle East.
Free admission.
White fort
In Abu Dhabi, according to the Sheikh's order, all old buildings over 15 years old are being demolished and new and modern ones are being rebuilt in their place. That is why Al Husn Fort is a unique building, carefully preserved since its construction at the end of the 18th century.
At that time, the fortress was of great defensive importance and was built in compliance with all fortification standards of that era. Initially, its task was to protect the drinking source that supplied the city with water. Today, the White Fort has turned into a research center, where the history of the region and its cultural traditions are studied.
Tourists can climb the observation tower of the Al Husn fortress and look at Abu Dhabi and the surrounding area from above.
Sir Bani Yas
The name of this reserve, located 200 km off the coast of Abu Dhabi, allows us to imagine the purpose of its discovery. The Arab Wildlife Park began to be established in 1971, and work is still ongoing. The island is home to rare and endangered species of local fauna. During the excursion, you can look at gazelles, Asian mountain sheep, giraffes and the rarest representatives of the order of cloven-hoofed white oryx or saber-horned antelopes.
Thanks to the system of artificial irrigation, the island was greened, which made it possible to restore a special ecological system in the reserve. It almost completely coincides with the one that existed in Arabia several centuries ago.
Since the Arabian Wildlife Park is a nesting site for seabirds and is part of the habitat and reproduction of sea turtles, it has been assigned the status of a marine reserve. Among the major achievements of scientists working in the park are the success in the breeding of the Asiatic cheetah.
Tourists who come to the park can rent a bicycle or book a horse ride.
To get there: by ferry from Abu Dhabi.
