Abu Dhabi – Ancient and Modern by Design

Dhabi Means Deer

The second largest city, and capitol of the United Arab Emirates, Abu Dhabi sits upon an island that is T-shaped, jutting out into the Persian Gulf from the west coast side.  The city of Abu Dhabi covers a huge area, some twenty six thousand square miles, and has a population estimated to be about 860,000 as of the year 2007.

The term Dhabi means deer in Arabic and some speculate that is a nickname for an original “man who chased deer” or even the “father of deer”.  Some of Bedouin origins claim that Umm Dhabi means “mother of the deer”.   Long ago Abu Dhabi had the name of milh, which means salt in Arabic.  This was most likely due to the saltiness of the water.  There is still an island on the coast of Abu Dhabi called milh.  In any case, the region is extremely ancient and contains lots of history.

 

Home of the Emirati Royal Family

As capitol of the seven emirates, Abu Dhabi holds the federal government’s most important offices and is home to the entire Emirati Royal Family.  The area has become a huge cosmopolitan populous and is growing rapidly.  The income average is quite high, causing the metropolis to become more and more westernized, surpassing most other Arab towns and cities in that respect.

 

Abu Dhabi signifies wealth and power

The city of Abu Dhabi is the industrial and political centre of the country.  Abu Dhabi represents fifteen percent of the GDP for the United Arab Emirates, and is home base to some financial institutions of extreme importance to the region.  The Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange, the Central Bank of the United Arab Emirates, along with being the corporate headquarters to many multinational companies and corporations are based in Abu Dhabi.

As one of the largest oil producers in the world, Abu Dhabi strives to diversify the economy by way of investing in tourism and financial services.

 

Steeped in history

The emirate known now as Abu Dhabi was first settled around the third millennium BC, being mostly inhabited by nomadic herders and fishermen.  The modern Abu Dhabi can follow its roots back to tribal confederations that were of note back into the eighteenth century.  The Bani Yas tribe took control, including over Dubai until the nineteenth century when Dubai and Abu Dhabi parted company and went their own ways.  Abu Dhabi became known for camel herding and growing dates and other vegetables around several inland oasis such as Al-Ain and Liwa.  Pearl diving was a lucrative means of income, along with off coast fishing.

 

From pearls to petroleum

 

As petroleum became an important commodity in the late 1930’s drilling became another industry although when oil was located in 1958, it did not appear to be all that important.

In 1968, the UK announced it would withdraw from the Persian Gulf by 1971.  This led to independence for the Emirates and oil took on much more significance as an income source in the region.  Soon the traditional mud and thatch huts were replaced with modern buildings housing banks and boutiques and finally high rise buildings.  Abu Dhabi moved from being one of the most ancient parts of the world to one of the most stylish and modern.