While the Abu Dhabi racetrack might have been laid out a decade ago for the world’s best Formula One drivers to hurtle along – as they will do this Sunday – it’s the same track I find myself jogging along on one scorching October evening.
On race days, the likes of Lewis Hamilton battle it out on 55 laps of the 3.452 mile track, reaching speeds of up to 202 miles per hour and creating noise that can exceed 130db (the human pain threshold is between 120db and 140db). For me, it’s a rather more sedate experience as I jog along the Yas Island Marina track.
On Sunday and Tuesday nights, residents of the UAE’s capital city flock to the floodlit racetrack for a free fitness event, which is part of a government public health programme.
Most have, sensibly, opted to cycle clockwise around the track, taking up the offer of free bike hire. As the lycra-clad groups of cyclist speed past, I run in the opposite direction with a scant handful of fellow runners who have opted to brave the desert heat.
Happily, as sweat drips from my head onto the Tarmac, a sign marked “shortcut’ looms into view allowing me to cut my run down to a more manageable distance of just under two miles.
Desert metropolis
For most of the year, Abu Dhabi is seriously hot, making outdoor life something of a novelty – hence the evening track sessions. Joined by dozens of Emiratis and expatriates, I’m getting a flavour of this city of 2.3 million beyond the glistening skyscrapers, shopping malls and motorways.
Arranged over a cluster of islands in the bathwater-warm Arabian Gulf, Abu Dhabi is making big strides in the cultural sector as seeks to attract a different type of tourist from its ostentatious neighbour Dubai.
A short trip across the Sheikh Khalifa bridge onto Saadiyat island delivers a very different picture to the thrills of the Yas Marina circuit. The centrepiece is the Louvre, the result of an intergovernmental deal between France and the UAE.
‘Rain of light’
The museum houses an expansive collection that takes you chronologically from the most early forms of human artistic endeavour up to the present day. Artworks such as Da Vinci’s La Belle Ferronniere and Rodin’s The Thinker appear on loan from French institutions, alongside one of the world’s oldest Korans from the Syrian Mamluk Dynasty.
But it’s the Jean Nouvel designed structure that arguably steals the show, its galleries set under a vast dome that filters the blistering rays of the sun through three layers of geometric lattice structure into shards of bright light on the cool marble floor. It’s an effect the architects have called a “rain of light.”
Nearby, construction continues for the Zayed National Museum by Norman Foster; and the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi by Frank Gehry will host yet more architectural wonders. For all its man-made ambition, Saadiyat isn’t short of natural attractions. It boasts one of the best beaches in the UAE, with pristine white sands and clear blue waters providing a haven for sun-worshippers.
Meanwhile, protected marine areas ensure a habitat for hawksbill turtles and pods of dolphins that greet early-morning swimmers.
Mangrove swamps
Just off Abu Dhabi’s main island, Mangrove National park harbours many species such as turtles, foxes, manatees and dolphins. As I kayak deep into the swamps, the city’s towers drift into the distance. I spot armies of small crabs foraging in the shallows, where the mangrove shrubs’ peculiar finger-like roots protrude above the waterline.
The mangroves offer a snapshot of a landscape almost entirely unrecognisable just 20 years ago. And it’s not just the skyline that has changed. Today, Emiratis make up just one in five people in the UAE; Abu Dhabi is home to a huge mix of cultures.
Qasr al Hosn, the city’s oldest building and the former seat of the Bani-Yas tribe – that moved to the island in the 1800s – is a good place to start if, like me, you’re keen to learn more about Emirati culture.
The fortress – once home to the ruling family, the seat of government, a consultative council and a national archive – is now a museum that charts the city’s transformation from a fishing and pearl village to the booming metropolis that is today. It’s here that I experience a traditional Emirati coffee ceremony.
In a special chamber within the fortress, coffee maker Ahsan prepares the coffee, gently roasting the beans and then infusing them with cardamom and saffron as they are decanted through various ornate pots, known as dallahs, until it is brewed into a translucent but deeply aromatic coffee.
Ahsan conducts the process in what his colleague Salwa explains is customary silence, bar ceremonial ringing on the side of pestle and mortar as the beans are crushed, as a sign for neighbours to attend the “majlis”.
Qahwa, or Arabic coffee, is an integral part of Emirati hospitality, and the majlis, which loosely translates as “place of sitting” as well as council or parliament illustrates the gravity this social event is afforded.
“You have to shake your cup from side to side or Ahsan will think you want more” Salma tells me, demonstrating me the actions to indicate that I have had enough. Instead, I take a date and sit back and enjoy a few more cups of the pungent brew.
When to go
Temperatures dip to the mid-20s between November and March, perfectly syncing with the cold, short winter days in northern Europe. Avoid July and August when temperatures can hit as high as 46C and locals spend much of their time indoors.
How to get there
Etihad Airways offers return fares from Heathrow and Manchester to Abu Dhabi from £470pp, etihad.com
Where to stay
Saadiyat Rotana Resort & Villas has doubles from AED800 (£171) B&B. The hotel is set on the pristine white sands of Saadiyat Island’s beach and is just up the road from the cultural hub where the Louvre is based. It also boasts impressive grounds and seven different eateries, that include lively gastropub Hamilton’s and luxurious Turtle Bay Bar &
Grill. Book at: rotana.com
Where to eat
Chef Hemant Oberoi’s contemporary Indian Martabaan, set within the gold encrusted Emirates Palace, offers a high-end take on Indian classics. The Diamond set menu (AED 469/£100pp) culminates in a gold leaf kulfi.
For something a bit more rustic, head down to the Al Mina fish market where you can select your own seafood from the market and take it to one of the adjacent canteens were they will cook it for you in a manner of your choosing.
What to see
Spend an afternoon marvelling at the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque. The huge building is able to accommodate more than 40,000 worshippers, the Grand Mosque has 82 domes, more than 1,000 columns, 24-carat-gold gilded chandeliers and the world’s largest handmade carpet, which took 1,200 women two years to make.
The mosque is open to non-Muslims, is free to enter and complimentary guided tours are offered daily, except on Friday mornings. szgmc.ae/en
Qasr Al Watan, or ‘Palace of the Nation’ houses the formal offices of the President, Vice President and Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and is where foreign dignitaries are received. Visitors can walk the halls of the vast palace and enjoy an evening light show after sunset.
Open daily from 10am – 8pm, with last entry 1 hour before closing. Adults AED 60 (£12), qasralwatan.ae
More information: visitabudhabi.ae
Ask a local:
“Make sure you book a Friday brunch. They are something of an institution; most hotels will offer one, and most of them are incredibly opulent. They have endless live cooking stations, rooms full of cheese and desserts and any form of luxurious seafood you can imagine. Not to forget the bottomless bubbles..! Some are themed, some have entertainment, some are more child-friendly and others have more of a party vibe, there is certainly one for everyone.” Boel Watson, Swedish expat
