📰 Abu Dhabi · page 4

Major holidays in Abu Dhabi include Eid al Fitr which marks the end of Ramadan, Eid ul-Adha which marks the end of Hajj, and National Day (2 December) which marks the formation of the United Arab Emirates.[132]283

This unique socioeconomic development in the Persian Gulf has meant that Abu Dhabi is generally more tolerant than its neighbours, including Saudi Arabia.[133]284 Emiratis have been known for their tolerance; Christian churches, Hindu temples, Sikh gurdwaras (with the first synagogue commencing construction in 2020), and Buddhist temples can be found alongside mosques.285 The cosmopolitan atmosphere is gradually growing; as a result, there are a variety of African, Asian, European, Middle Eastern, and Western schools, cultural centres, and themed restaurants.286

Abu Dhabi is home to several cultural institutions, including the Cultural Foundation and the National Theater.287 The Cultural Foundation, while closed for reconstruction as of spring 2011, is home to the UAE Public Library and Cultural Center.[134]288 Various cultural societies such as the Abu Dhabi Classical Music Society have a strong and visible following in the city.289 The recently launched Emirates Foundation offers grants in support of the arts and to advance science and technology, education, environmental protection, and social development.290 The International Prize for Arabic Fiction (IPAF) will be based in Abu Dhabi.291 The city also stages hundreds of conferences and exhibitions each year in its state-of-the-art venues, including the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC), which is the Persian Gulf's largest exhibition centre and welcomes around 1.8 million visitors every year.[135]292

The Red Bull Air Race World Series has been a spectacular sporting staple for the city for many years, bringing tens of thousands to the waterfront.[136]293 Another major event is the Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Exhibition and Conference (ADIPEC).[137]294

The diversity of cuisine in Abu Dhabi reflects the cosmopolitan nature of society.295 Arab food is trendy and is available everywhere in the city, from the small shawarma to the upscale restaurants in the city's many hotels.296 Fast food and South Asian cuisine are also trendy and are widely available.297 The sale and consumption of pork, though not illegal, is regulated and sold only to non-Muslims in designated areas.[138]298 Similarly, the sale of alcoholic beverages is regulated.299 A liquor permit is required to purchase alcohol; however, alcohol is available in bars and restaurants within four or five stars hotels.300 Shisha and qahwa boutiques are also popular in Abu Dhabi.301

Poetry in Abu Dhabi and the UAE is highly regarded and often centres around satire, religion, family, chivalry, and love.302 According to an article from an Abu Dhabi tourism page, sheikhs, teachers, sailors, and princes make up a large bulk of the poets within the UAE. al-Khalil ibn Ahmad al-Farahidi formed a unique form of poetry to the UAE in the 8th century and was written in 16 metre.303 Another Emirati poet, Ibn Daher, is from the 17th century.304 Daher is important because he used Nabati poetry (AKA Bedouin poetry), a type of poetry written in the vernacular instead of classical/religious Arabic.305 Other important poets from the UAE are Mubarak Al Oqaili (1880–1954), Salem bin Ali al Owais (1887–1959), and Abdulla bin Sulayem (1905–1976).306 These poets made headway in Classical Arabic poetry as opposed to the Nabati poetry of the 17th century.[139]307

Today in Abu Dhabi, a group called the Abu Dhabi Cultural Foundation works to preserve the art and culture of the city.308 According to an article from the English Pen Atlas, Al Jawaher wal la'li was the first manuscript to come out of the UAE.309 According to another article, this book was written in the 1990s and was banned in the city for some time for making accusations about the ruling family.[140]310

For cultural influences, Abu Dhabi, since 2010, has become one of the major shooting spots for many film companies, including Hollywood.311 Some of the most famous films featuring Abu Dhabi are: The Kingdom (2007), Arrambam (2013), Baby (2015),[141] Furious 7 (2015), Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015), Dishoom (2016), War Machine (2017), Tiger Zinda Hai (2017), Race 3 (2018), Saaho (2019), Six Underground (2019), The Misfits (2021), Dune (2021), Vikram Vedha (2022), Crew (2024), Bade Miyan Chote Miyan (2024), War 2 (2025) and Welcome to the Jungle (2026).312

In 2024, the Madison Square Garden Company confirmed that a second Sphere venue, identical to the Sphere in Las Vegas would be built in Abu Dhabi.[142]313 The following year in 2025 it was confirmed that Disney would build a theme-park in Abu Dhabi called Disneyland Abu Dhabi.314 It will be located on Yas Island.[143]315

Education

Main article: Education in Abu Dhabi

Abu Dhabi is home to international and local private schools and universities, including government-sponsored INSEAD, New York University Abu Dhabi, Khalifa University, Higher Colleges of Technology, Sorbonne University Abu Dhabi, and Abu Dhabi University.316 New York University opened a government-sponsored satellite campus in Abu Dhabi in September 2010.[144]317

All schools in the emirate are under the authority of the Abu Dhabi Education Council.318 This organisation oversees and administers public schools and licenses and inspects private schools.319 From 2009, the council has brought over thousands of licensed teachers from native English speaking countries to support their New School Model Program in government schools.320

Every year in the season of admissions, an exhibition is launched in Abu Dhabi Exhibition Center under government supervision.[145]321 Universities from every corner of the world exhibit their career programs and scholarship programs.322 Heriot-Watt University, University of Bolton, Cambridge University, Oxford University, the Petroleum Institute, Khalifa University, and Abu Dhabi University attend.323

In October 2019, Abu Dhabi announced the world's first graduate-level AI research institution, Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence (MBZUAI).324 It enables graduation for students, businesses and governments to advance artificial intelligence.325 The university began accepting applications for masters and PhD programmes a year before the classes, which are scheduled to begin in September 2020.[146]326

Sports

Abu Dhabi has a diverse and expanding sporting culture underpinned by investments in sporting infrastructure and the hosting of global sporting events.327 Liwa Motorsport and traditional sports such as camel racing and equestrian sports have developed alongside popular modern sports such as Jiu-jitsu and football.328 Abu Dhabi follows the UAE's National Sport Strategy 2031 which aims to increase general participation in sports and expand the types and frequency of sport facilities available in the city.[147]329

Zayed Sport City

Zayed Sport City (ZSC) is a large free zone complex in the heart of Abu Dhabi city with a mixed-use of properties and sporting facilities to encourage sport participation.330 ZSC offers practice facilities for basketball, billiards, football, paintball, and a dedicated ice rink.[147]331 The complex is also home to the Zayed Sports City Stadium, the largest in the UAE with a seating capacity of 45,000 and is the headquarters of the Abu Dhabi Sports Council, which is responsible for hosting events in the city and Mubadala Arena, the home of the UAE Jiu Jitsu team.332

Jiu Jitsu

Jiu Jitsu is a popular sport in the city with a dedicated complex in the Mubadala Arena.333 It is a 'Soft Art' originated from the ancient martial art of the Samurai in Japan several centuries ago and it has been adopted by Brazil in the early 1900s.334 Jiu Jitsu does not include punches or kicks, but it applies the techniques such as throws, control positions and locks.[148]335 Abu Dhabi government's Abu Dhabi Education Council (ADEC) maintains a comprehensive after-school program for interested and talented jiujitsu students.[149]336 The Abu Dhabi Jiujitsu Schools Program began in 2008 under the patronage of crown prince (now President) Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, a keen Brazilian jiu-jitsu competitor.337 The program launched in 14 schools for pupils in grades 6 and 7 and has since expanded to 42 government schools, with 81 Brazilian coaches brought in as instructors.[150]338

9 to 13-year-old students are taught Brazilian jiu-jitsu as part of the curriculum.339 The plan is for up to 500 schools to be participating in the school-Jitsu program by 2015.340 The project was set up by special request of Sheikh Mohammad bin Zayed Al Nahyan to the head coach of the Emirates jiu-jitsu team, Carlos "Carlão" Santos, now also the managing director of the School-Jitsu Project.[151]341

Football

Football is the most popular sport in the city and the city has four football stadiums, namely Al Jazeera Stadium, Al Wahda Stadium, Sheikh Zayed Football Stadium (Zayed Sports City) and Hazza Stadium.[152]342 The city hosts the Al Jazira Club, Al Wahda FC, and Baniyas Club, all of which compete at the UAE Pro League.343 In addition to local tournaments, the city has hosted international football events including five FIFA Club World Cup and the 2019 AFC Asian Cup.[153]344

Abu Dhabi Formula 1 Grand Prix

The city hosts the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix of Formula One, which has been held at the Yas Marina Circuit since 2009.[154]345 The race takes place late in the Formula One season in November or December, and it is usually the last race of the season.346 The Yas Marina Circuit is one of the most expensive racing tracks built and regularly hosts various other local races and tours.[155]347 The circuit has also hosted other events such as the V8 Supercars series of Dubai.348

Abu Dhabi Grand Slam

Abu Dhabi regularly hosts the International Judo Federation Abu Dhabi grand slam.349 Engendering some criticism, the International Judo Federation refused to allow the Israeli flag and the Israeli national anthem at the international games in 2017.350 Some referred to this action as anti-Semitic.[156][157]351 The ban on Israeli symbols was lifted in 2018 and Israeli flag and the national anthem was allowed to be displayed.[158]352 Israeli minister of sports Miri Regev was also allowed to attend the event.[158]353

Special Olympics World Games Abu Dhabi 2019

Main article: 2019 Special Olympics World Summer Games

In March 2019, Abu Dhabi hosted the first Special Olympics World Games in the Middle East.354 The event took place from 14 to 21 March 2019 and featured more than 7,500 athletes participating in 24 sporting disciplines.355 The official World Games Flame of Hope was lit in Athens and flown to Abu Dhabi, where it then embarked on the torch run, visiting all seven emirates of the UAE.[159]356 It was the first time the Special Olympics World Games were hosted in the Middle East and North Africa region, with Abu Dhabi being the host city.357 More than 2,500 coaches and 20,000+ volunteers were available in the Olympics.[160]358

Other sporting events

The city has hosted multiple international cricket tournaments, such as the ICC Men's T20 World Cup,[161] and tennis events such as the Mubadala World Tennis Championship.It has also hosted many UFC events.359

Sites and attractions

Abu Dhabi has many sites and attractions that include the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, Mariam Umm Eisa Mosque, Emirates Palace, Qasr Al Watan, Six Flags Qiddya City Yas Marina Circuit, The Corniche, Hayyatii Towers, Etihad Towers, Yas Marina, Yas Waterworld Abu Dhabi, Ferrari World Abu Dhabi, Louvre Abu Dhabi, Yas Island, Saadiyat Island, Warner Bros.360 World Abu Dhabi, SeaWorld Abu Dhabi and Jubail Mangrove Park.[162]361

On 29 April 2022, Abu Dhabi announced a 100% capacity for commercial activities, tourist attractions and events in the emirate.[163]362

The Walt Disney Company announced on 7 May 2025 that it plans to build its seventh worldwide theme park resort in Abu Dhabi on Yas Island.[164]363

In popular culture

The American comic strip character Garfield the cat freqeuently tries to mail his archnemesis, Nermal the kitten, to Abu Dhabi as a running gag; he has done this 74 times.364

Sister cities

• Bethlehem, Palestine[165]365
• Brisbane, Australia[166]366
• Houston, United States[167]367
• Madrid corpus, Spain[168]368
• Minsk corpus, Belarus[169]369

See also

Abu Dhabi Fund for Development

Abu Dhabi Investment Council

Abu Dhabi Global Market

Abu Dhabi Vegetable Market

Abu Dhabi Mall

Archaeology of the United Arab Emirates

Department of Municipal Affairs (Abu Dhabi)

Dubai-Abu Dhabi Highway

Marawah

National Center for Documentation and Research

Postage stamps and postal history of Abu Dhabi

Bibliography

See also: Timeline of Abu Dhabi § Bibliography

External links

Abu Dhabi Government Services

Department of Urban Planning and Municipalities. .