A Night at the (Camel) Races

by David and Jeanette Whiting

In the middle of the 8th century, a sheikh was hunting on an island. He saw a gazelle in an oasis, then it disappeared, but he discovered a freshwater spring where it had been standing. The city, bearing the name Abu Dhabi (meaning Gazelle Spring), was founded on the site. Around 100 years later, the UAE became rich through the pearl trade, but this declined in the 1930s when artificial pearls were manufactured elsewhere. The country's pearl trade was almost wiped out and Abu Dhabi lapsed into poverty until oil was discovered, both in the desert and in the Persian Gulf. Now, it has so much money they don't know what to do with it!

Architecture is very beautiful and elaborate, with pastel colours and glass liberally used. There are also many high walls and fences for security. Some beaches and parks are reserved for women only. Parks and gardens are very well maintained by an army of 4,000 gardeners. Older buildings, made with mortar mixed with sea-water, are crumbling, so they are being torn down and replaced with new structures. The streets in the city are very broad and lined with trees and flowers. However, traffic is badly congested. Sheikh Zayed, the ruler of Abu Dhabi (aged over 80, but his exact age is not recorded) decided that the rubble of demolished buildings could be used to build a breakwater to a sandbank offshore and then enlarge it for pleasure parks. From it, we had a marvellous view of the city skyline, sometimes referred to as the Manhattan of the Middle East, as there are so many high-rise modern buildings stretching along the coast.

Our first stop in Abu Dhabi city was a women's craft centre. The women sit cross-legged on cushions on the floor in different rooms, making intricate decorations for clothes, embroidery, baskets etc., mostly dying arts. The scene was spoilt by one of the women using a mobile phone! (Perhaps, ten years from now, mobile phones will be a dying breed too!) Our next stop was at Al Husn Fort, built to protect the original well in the middle of the 18th century, now containing the Government's documents; then the fishing harbour and the fish market.

We drove along a short section of the 12km Corniche Road, recently built for pleasure walks and drives. It is lined with several fountains and gardens, as well as a splendid coffee pot monument. The coffee pot is the symbol of Bedouin hospitality: coffee was always offered to guests in Bedouin camps. This pot is surrounded by seven cups, symbolizing the seven Emirates.

Returning through Sharjah, our final stop was at the magnificent New (or Blue) Souq, which consists of two long rows of buildings, connected by bridges, with rows of merchants on two levels in each. We have time for shopping before returning to the hotel where we arrived about 2.30pm, had a snack, then we began our final excursion at 3.30pm, a sundown safari aboard a 4-wheel drive vehicle.

Our first stop was at the camel race track, which is 10km long; we saw numerous camels being exercised. Camels are raced from the age of three years. Then we passed the Nad al Sheba course, where the Dubai World Cup, the world's richest horse race, is held. After that, we are in the Arabian desert, where the reddish sand is drifting in the breeze. We arrived at a meeting point, where about ten other 4WD cars on the same excursion meet. What happened next is more than we bargained for.

Air was let out of the cars' tyres, then we all headed off for a roller-coaster ride across the dunes. It's not too bad for those following the lead vehicle - if the leader can negotiate a crazy angle. the other cars will. But ours was the leader! It was pretty frightening, not knowing which way we were going to turn or what was over the next dune. The worst part was when the roof, which should be above our heads, was actually in front of our faces!

We stopped at a camel farm, where about 100 camels are being fed; goats are kept in a separate enclosure. Another roller-coaster ride followed, with a brief respite to watch the sun set, before continuing to a barbecue in a bedouin-type encampment, created by the tour company for these excursions. After the meal, there was a 40-minute belly dancing display. It was now 9pm, totally dark and we were still among the sand dunes. Fortunately, there were old tracks to follow and it was not a great distance to the main road, but on the way we passed one of the other vehicles in our group which appeared to have a puncture! The desert at night must be one of the worst places to have a breakdown! Nevertheless, plenty of help was at hand and we returned to the hotel at 9.45pm.

This text was first published as part of an article on a trip from Sri Lanka, via Singapore, to the UAE, in VISA issue 38 (autumn 2000).