Abu Dhabi was our first stop in the United Arab Emirates. We did a half day coach tour to get an impression of the city. Our tour guide was less than sterling. He kept repeating himself and felt compelled to talk non-stop while we were on the bus. The main stop of the tour was at the 2 billion USD Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque named (funnily enough) after Sheikh Zayed who was largely responsible for the formation of the UAE. He was also the driving force behind building the mosque.
The mosque was built of the best materials, lots & lots and white marble and the mosaics were truly beautiful. The chandeliers were Swarowski crystal.
But to us, and other we’ve spoken to about it, it felt like a a show place mausoleum, not a place of worship.
We also visited an outdoor museum showing what Abu Dhabi was like in to the 1960s—kinda like Upper Canada Village. But then oil was discovered and well …
Abu Dhabi is really just a modern city full of competing sky scrapers. Never been on our list and still isn’t.
