The Rub Al Khali and the Emirates National Car Museum

 

A three hour drive from Dubai takes you the Rub Al Khali, the largest uninterrupted sand desert in the world, with its beautiful tall red dunes. At the edge and close to the border to Saudi Arabia lies Qasr Al Sarab, a beautiful Anantara hotel with amazing views.

On the way there you can find the Emirates National Auto Museum, definitely one of the more unexpected UAE attractions. Situated in a lonely pyramid-shaped building off the road towards Liwa, it features the collection of HH Sheikh Hamad Bin Hamdan Al Nahyan. Cars include such special vehicles as the world’s largest truck, a Rolls Royce used by the Queen, an 1885 Mercedes and his rainbow colour collection of S class

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Took the opportunity to shoot a timelapse video of the Milky Way over the desert from 2 am into the sunrise. Watch below.

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Milky Way Panorama

My first attempt at a Milky Way Panorama, shot over the Rub Al Khali.

Rub Al Khali

While this is the "empty quarter" there are still a few sources of light, mostly power lines and oil fields.

Multipresence

A stacked exposure with the obligatory flashlight.

The Core

The bright star is Jupiter - what else can you spot?

Castle in the Sand

The Palace of Mirage truly lives up to its name.

Sunrise

An early morning shot after a night out on Milky Way hunt.

Castle Walls

Like a true palace, Qasr Al Sarab has a few wall around it.

Architecture

Typical arabic architecture and lamps adorn the building.

Green bits

Plants are a rare luxury in this part of the desert.

Entrance

The main gate into the hotel.

Palace Quarters

The building features several wings spread over multiple floors.

The Royal Pavillion

Somewhat secluded (even more so) are the Royal Villas of the resort.

Dunes

The dune in front of the hotel is a popular sunset spot.

The House Dune

The Rub Al Khali features some of the tallest dunes in the world. The white spots in the bottom third? Gazelles!

Water Hole

A small pond attracts gazelles and other animals.

Up

It's a tough walk up the house dune.

Sunset

Desert sunsets always evoke a special atmosphere.

Qasr Al Sarab

A view of the full resort.

Sand tones

The sands in the Rub Al Khali are darker and of more intense colours than in the northern parts of the UAE.

Dawn

As the new day begins before sunrise, the air is clear and fresh.

Spots

Every corner brings a new view of the desert and the palace's architecture.

Valley

A small valley between the dunes is home to a few spots of greenery, with the Milky Way behind.

Shadow

The iPhone flashlight made for a different type of selfie.

Panorama

Qasr Al Sarab was built in between three dunes.

Oryx Warning

Didn't spot one this time - but what majestic animals they are.

Valleys

The typical Rub Al Khali scenery, showing valleys with afew plants surrounded by tall dunes.

The Earth on Wheels

Scale unknown.

History

The oldest car in the collection is an 1885 steam powered Mercedes.

The Museum

The building is pyramid shaped, and completely open inside, with two floors of cars.

In the Distance

Many of the UAE's and Saudi's largest oil fields are located in this part of the Arabian peninsula.

Mix

Yellow taxis, police cars, you name it!

Rainbow Collection

One of the most famous collections of Mercedes cars, as Sheikh Hamad Bin Hamdan Al Nahyan, was also known as the 'Rainbow Sheikh'.

Guiness World Record

The world's largest Jeep - it actually runs! For scale, the tires are about 4m in diameter.

Abu Dhabi - A weekend of Sights

 

While I do prefer Dubai over the capital, Abu Dhabi features a lot of interesting sights. A weekend trip in March 2019 took me to a few new ones: The Presidential Palace, the Founders Memorial, Qasr Al Hosn and the Etihad Towers observation deck, with a quick stop at Emirates Palace as well.

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Ritz Carlton, Grand Canal Abu Dhabi

A strange hotel in a Venice style setup, that could be straight out of Las Vegas.

Overlap

The entrance gate to the Ritz Carlton with the mosque in the background.

Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque

It was designed by Syrian architect Yousef Abdelky. I've been inside in 2016 and more photos are on my blog - defintely worth a visit.

Contrasts

Pink glass facades with minarets in Abu Dhabi city.

Confidence

Company name = Win!

Qasr Al Hosn

The evolution of the oldest stone building in Abu Dhabi city.

Exploration

The fort is now open for the public with exhibitions on its history.

Gates

The former gates to the fort with Sheikh Zayed the first in the background.

Hallways

Each door to the left features small exhibitions on the history of the country and the ways of life of the Bani Yas.

Fort

The fort with the old watch tower in the center in a darker brown shade, originally from 1761.

Local Spices

Guess them?

Growth

The tree in the courtyard of the fort.

Crossroads

A local woman and man cross paths in the courtyard of the building.

Entrance

The entrance doors to Qasr Al Hosn.

Emirates Palace

The main lobby of Emirates Palace featured an exhibiton on culture of determination, as the Special Olympics World Games are taking place in Abu Dhabi in 2019.

Looking Up

The roof of the main lobby and the surrounding corridors.

AccessAbility

In 2017 the UAE passed a law that describes all people with any disability as "people of determination".

Colours

One of the art pieces on display.

Views

One of the wings of the building, with ADNOC HQ, Etihad towers and Hyatt Pearl in the background.

Observation Deck

Etihad towers features the highest observation deck in Abu Dhabi with a view of Emirates Palace and the Presidential Palace to the left.

Presidential Palace

It opened to the public earlier in 2019.

Entrance

The entrance to the Presidential Palace is relatively simple...

Wow Moment

...so that the moment you step inside is even more impressive.

Corner

One of the 4 courners of the Great Hall.

Details

The palace features rich and rare materials from Italy, India, China and elsewhere.

Mirrors

A photo of the mirror cubes on the 4 sides of the main hall (the meaning of which I could not figure out).

Main Hall

Its sheer grandeur is hard to understand until you visit in person.

Sheikh Zayed

The portrait of the late father of the nation in one of the rooms.

Seating Areas

Official government meetings take place here.

The Great Hall

100m by 100m in size, it's the centerpiece of the palace.

State Gifts

The palace includes a room displaying gifts brought by officials from other nations visiting the UAE.

Ornaments

These include several official medals, bracelts, necklaces and more.

Artifacts

Jordanian and Greek gifts.

Circle

The room where GCC and Arab Nations council meetings take place.

Architecture

The level of detail and ornamentation is breathtaking.

Looking Up

Upwards view of one of the wings of the building.

Exterior

The exterior courtyard at night.

The Library

One section of the building features a library.

Archives

It includes many reference works on the history of the UAE.

Palace in Motion

A daily light show takes place each evening.

A Story

The 15min show tells the story of the UAE's beginnings.

Outlines

The show uses projection technology to create 3D imagery on the palace facade.

Founders Memorial

The fireworks in the background were probably for the end of the Special Olympics World Games.

Founding Father

The tribute to Sheikh Zayed, including a three-dimensional silhouette of his face.

Emirates Palace

From the bridge towards Marina Mall, with Etihad Towers on the left.

Close Up

A close up of the hotel, which opened in 2006.

Sir Bani Yas Island - Greening the Desert

 

Bani Yas Island has always been on my UAE To Do List. The island is about a 3,5 hour drive and 30min boat ride from Dubai and lies off the coast of Abu Dhabi in the western region. It’s the largest natural island in the UAE. Its rich history, incredible flora and fauna and the story of how it evolved into a major conservation project truly makes it a globally unique destination.

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Peacock Central

One of the more common animals on the island are peacocks - in fact, a ranger told us they are considering to introduce some desert foxes to control the population, as culling is not allowed by law.

Bird Life

Some might say this one could be straight out of Angry Birds.

Gazelle

Probably the second most common animal on the island, after the Peacocks.

Turkey

I guess this is a female turkey, who didn't end up on a Christmas plate.

Desert Rose

With only a few days of rainfall per year, a huge irrigation system taking desalinated water from the shore was implemented over the last decades.

Peacock

Both green and blue types can be found.

Hyraxes

Believe it or not, these animals are closely related to Elephants.

Horns

Of an Arabian Oryx, if I recall correctly. Having seen them in the wild in the desert, these have become some of my favourite animals.

Show Off

Proud of its horns.

Ostrich

A male ostrich, with its pink legs signalling the mating season.

Battles

Two Barbary Sheep (if I am not wrong) measuring their strength.

Resting Deer

Several kind of deer can also be spotted on the island, although we heard they are Cheetah favourites...

Tribute

Workers are said to have planted the UAE's national tree, the Ghaf tree, on top of the mountain in honor of Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan who started the initiative on the island in 1977.

Hungry

There are only 8500 of the Somali Giraffe in the wild. The island is home to about 30.

Encounters

They are free roaming in the reserve.

Nom Nom

The cheetah had just made a kill before we spotted them.

Rest time

So of course it was time to rest after the meal.

Leftovers

This was what was left of the Gazelle after they were done.

Morning Walk

A guided walking tour through the nature park is the best way to truly get a feeling for the animals.

Conservation

The island is home to many critically endangered or vulnerable species, such as Barbary sheep, and Arabian tahr.

Sunrise Views

Many thousands of animals have been released back into the wild to help local and international conservation efforts.

Giraffe Family

After the last young has been born, male and female giraffes have been seperated on the island to avoid further population growth, as giraffes eat a lot...

Wildlife

More than half the island is made up of the Arabian Wildlife Park, which is home to more than 10,000 free roaming animals.

Under Observation

As we came closer during the walking tour, we were monitored quite intensely...

Car Tracks?

Actually - these are tracks from gazelles walking towards one of the feeding stations, they like to keep in line...

Greenery

Over 3 million trees have been planted on the island over the last 40 years.

Full Moon

Staying during full moon meant nights were bright.

Desert Islands Hotel

The first hotel on the island opened in 2008 and used to be Sheikh Zayed's guest house.

Dinner Time

It's getting cold in the Winter out in the sea, but a fire on the beach and some arabic food makes it more than bearable.

Wadi

The rugged mountain area features some beautiful Wadis which fill with water during (rare) rainy times.

Cemetary

Many animals are said to come here for their last hours.

Oxidized Iron

Haematite I believe?

Colourful

Gypsum mixed with iron turn into brown and red colour shades across the rocks.

Barren

The central part of the island has not been planted much, and shows the barren yet beautiful mountainous landscapes.

Nature & Culture

Aside from beautiful nature, the island is also home to the UAE's only discovered Christian monastery from around 600 AD - it is currently being renovated and can't be visited though.

The First Rays

Salt and sediments squeezed their way to the surface, creating the patterns in the rock.

Shadow Selfie

Sunrise always makes for the best light.

Green Dot.

Even in this landscape, some plants survive, although very few are naturally occuring.

Exploring

You can explore the island with a 4x4 or also by foot - although at 87sqm it was a lot bigger than I had thought.

Beach Life

The natural variety of the island is amazing.

Hotel Views

The island now has three hotels run by Anantara, with a total of less than 150 rooms. Al Yamm is located on the eastern shores in the mangrove area.

Fattie

Unsure of what kind.

Terrace Viewpoints

The Al Sahel hotel is located towards the centre of the island surrounded by greenery, with gazelles and other animals regularly passing by.