Introduction
Abu Dhabi is by far the largest of the seven emirates, covering the great majority of the country's land area while the other six share what remains. The capital city occupies an island at its northern tip; behind it the emirate runs south through open desert to the oasis city of Al Ain, the dune country of Liwa and the northern edge of the Empty Quarter.
Discover Abu Dhabi
The city of Abu Dhabi occupies an island at the emirate's northern tip and holds most of what visitors come for — the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, the museum district on Saadiyat, the corniche and the entertainment island at Yas — all of which are covered in the Abu Dhabi city guide rather than here. What is worth grasping at emirate scale is the proportion. This emirate is the overwhelming majority of the UAE's territory, and the city is a small bright dot at the top of it. Everything south is desert, punctuated by the oasis belt around Al Ain on the Omani border and the dune country of Liwa near the southern edge. Between them are the gravel plains and camel farms that most people drive through without registering, and a road network good enough that the scale is easy to miss from behind the wheel — Liwa is over two hours from the capital and the drive feels like forty minutes of nothing repeated three times.
Ways to Experience This Destination
Al Ain's palm oases and millennia-old falaj irrigation, Bronze Age tombs at Hili and Jebel Hafeet — the UAE's only UNESCO World Heritage listing.
Liwa's crescent of oasis villages at the rim of the Rub al Khali, where the dunes rise to a scale nothing near the coast matches.
Gulf island reserves with Arabian oryx, gazelle, cheetah and giraffe on open range, reached by boat or short flight.
Jebel Hafeet above Al Ain — a summit road with a view over the oasis belt, best at sunset and cool enough to linger.
Frequently asked questions
Cities in Abu Dhabi
Visaja keeps this page's contact details and visa guidance under continuous review — still, requirements can change at short notice, so confirm the essentials with the mission or the official government portal before you travel.