Mug Shot — «Abu Dhabi - Al Maqtaa Fort»

City: Abu Dhabi Country: United Arab Emirates Edition: 2008 Icon Edition Belongs to: 666 users (69 trading, 95 seeking)

Abu Dhabi is the capital and the second largest city of the United Arab Emirates in terms of population and the largest of the seven member emirates of the United Arab Emirates. Abu Dhabi lies on a T-shaped island jutting into the Persian Gulf from the central western coast. Abu Dhabi houses important offices of the federal government, and is the seat for the United Arab Emirates Government and the home for the Abu Dhabi Emiri Family and the President of the UAE from this family. Abu Dhabi has grown to be a cosmopolitan metropolis. Its rapid development and urbanisation, coupled with the relatively high average income of its population, has transformed Abu Dhabi to a larger and advanced metropolis. Today the city is the country's center of political, industrial activities, and a major cultural, and commercial centre due to its position as the capital. Abu Dhabi alone generated 56.7% of the GDP of the United Arab Emirates in 2008. Abu Dhabi is home to important financial institutions such as the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange, the Central Bank of the United Arab Emirates and the corporate headquarters of many companies and numerous multinational corporations. One of the world's largest producers of oil, Abu Dhabi has actively attempted to diversify its economy in recent years through investments in financial services and tourism. Abu Dhabi is the second most expensive city for expatriate employees in the region, and 67th most expensive city in the world.

The 200-year old Al Maqtaa Fort is one of the most enigmatic old sights in Abu Dhabi. At the time it was built, Abu Dhabi was little more than a small fishing and trading port, and the isolated fort was used as a defence against bandits. Today, Al Maqtaa Fort has been somewhat neglected, which is a shame as it’s one of the oldest structures in the city, and the intricate architecture is well worth preserving. It’s also difficult to reach Al Maqtaa Fort, as it’s located not on the mainland but on a small rocky island at the mouth of the Khor al Maqta. The majority of visitors just head to the Maqtaa Bridge to snap a few photos of this sadly-underused architectural gem.

photo by lucky
edited by mobydick74

  United Arab Emirates, Abu Dhabi

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