Abu Dhabi

Abu Dhabi

Abu Dhabi is the capital of the United Arab Emirates and the second most populous city after Dubai. Part of the city of Abu Dhabi is located on an island in the Persian Gulf, off the mid-west coast. The greater part of the city and most of the Emirate is on the mainland connected to the rest of the country. Abu Dhabi is home to local and federal government offices, as well as the UAE Government and the President of the UAE, a member of the Al Nahyan family. The Abu Dhabi area is full of archaeological evidence of historical civilizations, such as the Umm an-Nar culture, which dates back to the third millennium BC. Other sites have been found further away from modern Abu Dhabi, including in the eastern and western regions of the Emirate. In the city, pearl diving was a key industry before the discovery of oil wealth. The Persian Gulf was the best place for pearls, according to one source on pearl fishing. The Sheikh Zayed Mosque is one of the most important elements of the city's architectural patrimony. The construction began during the reign of the late President Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, one of the key figures in the founding of the modern United Arab Emirates. The mosque was built using materials from all over the world, including Italy, Germany, Morocco, Pakistan, India, Turkey, Iran, China, the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Greece and the United Arab Emirates. Durability was the motivation behind the selection of many of the materials given in the design of the building. Among these materials are marble, stone, gold, semi-precious stones, crystals and ceramics.