The capital of the United Arab Emirates has come a long way from its pearling town roots. With a magnificent outpost of the Louvre, head-turning Islamic architecture, and a new cultural park sited on Abu Dhabiâs original settlement, there is plenty here for visitors to admire â and thatâs before they even venture into the fantastical desert on the cityâs doorstep.
The main swimming pool at Qasr al Sarab, Anantaraâs desert resort on the edge of the Rubâ al Khali.
It was the desert that brought me to Abu Dhabi. Specifically, it was a photograph that came over my desk a decade ago of an impossibly picturesque Arabian fortress nestled amid great red dunes at the edge of the Rubâ al Khali, the worldâs largest uninterrupted expanse of sand. The caption identified this vision as Qasr Al Sarab â âPalace of Miragesâ â which, in fact, was not a fortress at all but rather a newly built resort designed to emulate one: a stately confection of crenellated walls, towers, and archways enveloped by undulating desert. I was captivated. One day, I promised myself, Iâd go.