A Time Picture of Abu Dhabi

ABU DHABI 1980's

I have never been to Hong Kong or Shanghai in the late 19th century (obviously for logistical reasons) but I feel from viewing some records that Dubai's vibe today seems similar to such places -minus the poor slumps of course.

Abu Dhabi, on the other hand, was until 1990 the embodiment of what a Utopian national Arab capital would have been like if the Arab Nationalists of 1960's got their way in history.

After 1991, Abu Dhabi enjoyed a decade of Cultural Localism -a condition where the distinctiveness of the Locals could be felt in every aspect of culture and social relations. Personally, I am glad I lived my teenage rebellion in such a decade.

ABU DHABI IN 1990'S

Today, the city is being reinvented as the regional core of industry and innovation, capital and culture, and politics and partnerships.

If Dubai is becoming the mercantile London of the Middle East, Abu Dhabi is definitely the region's industrious Berlin. I wonder which city in this part of the world dreams about the creative city of lights.

ABU DHABI IN 2008