abu-dhabi Photos

Situated on an island in the Persian Gulf, Abu Dhabi is the capital of the United Arab Emirates. It has repeatedly been declared the wealthiest city in the world.

One of the world’s largest oil suppliers, Abu Dhabi has in recent years diversified its economy, most significantly developing its financial services, real estate investment and tourism.

The architecture of Abu Dhabi is a mix of traditional and modern. Among its most remarkable buildings the Emirates Palace Hotel must be named – the second most expensive hotel ever built in the world. Decorated with marble and gold plating, the hotel is surrounded by 85 hectares of garden. It also has a private beach of almost one and a half kilometres in length. The hotel became world-renowned with its December 2010 Christmas tree, evaluated at over eleven million dollars as the most expensive Christmas tree in the world.

One of the other emblematic buildings of Abu Dhabi is Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, the largest mosque in the United Arab Emirates and the eighth largest mosque in the world.

(see Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque)