This Black Friday I did my American duty; I went shopping. I may have only purchased a mouse pad made to look like a Persian rug, but what's a poor boy to do in the richest city in the world?
Abu Dhabi, the eponymous capital city and emirate of the United Arab Emirates, is a city of fabulous wealth considering its mere 900,000 inhabitants (half of whom have gotten here within the last decade). Thanks to the emirate's bountiful oil and natural gas supplies (which are slated to last through the better part of the century), it has been called the richest city in the world by Forbes magazine and CNN. The crane-filled horizon indicates as much, though the city hasn't yet lost its sense of self in the way that Dubai has. Abu Dhabi is still a plainly Middle Eastern city, with a quarter of its population being native Arabs, and the rest being made up of foreign workers, largely from South Asia, East Africa, and the Pacific. While most of the town feels as such, it has several examples of the grand opulence that only the Emirates can afford.
One such example is the Marina Mall, home to dozens of the highest-end retailers in the world. Black Friday isn't a national birthright in the U.A.E., and many of the shops were closed until later in the day (as Friday is the Muslim holy day). As the afternoon rolled on, the Emirates began to show up in force. You'd be forgiven for thinking that Maseratis and Lamborghinis were a minimum entrance requirement. Even a trip to the local Carrefour, the Wal-Mart like superstore in the basement of the mall, is done in full style. In Emirate culture, the mall appears nearly as central to life as the mosque. Boutique shops, restaurants, and a food court aren't enough. Emirates come to the mall to bowl, to buy a Mercedes-Benz, or to ice skate (and ski in the case of Dubai's Mall of the Emirates, opening soon at the Marina Mall as well). Perhaps the oppressive desert heat encourages people to stay under one, air conditioned roof while meeting all of their needs.
The Marina Mall is just one of many high profile developments in the city. All around it are other shining examples of the monarchy-led investment strategy that has come to characterize the U.A.E. Next door, the Emirates Palace is a massive, European style hotel reputed to be of unparalleled quality. Off the coast, the Emirate is investing in several man-made islands, surely future homes of high-end development projects. On Yaz Island, the recently completed Ferrari World is home to the worlds fastest roller coaster; its so fast it requires goggles. On the outskirts of the city, entire planned communities of apartments and condos are springing up from the sand, though most appear vacant for now. While Abu Dhabi is clearly laying the foundation for the days when its oil and natural gas have run dry, the emirate seems determined to play the tortoise to neighboring Dubai's dizzying hare.
