Trifter

The gulf dream is all that people bring with them when they board the flight to one of the princely states in United Arab Emirates. It was my turn to pursue the gulf dream in 1997, when I shifted to Abu Dhabi. The island of Abu Dhabi though small and occupied horizontally and vertically with skyscrapers is actually one of the largest provinces of the seven princely states of UAE. Neatly kept roads, manicured gardens that bloom with rare flowers from around the world, modern architecture and a fantastic cornice along the desert shore is what would greet you once you land into Abu Dhabi. But it’s not the modernity that makes Abu Dhabi special to me, but its culture and traditions. The traditional clothing is still worn by Arabs, even after so many years of cultural influences from east and west. In the desert it would have enabled them to keep cool in the scorching desert and the headgear would keep the person wearing it away from heat strokes. One may wonder what more can we see in Abu Dhabi other than the green boulevards and sophisticated high-rise buildings? There is much more sandwiched between all these and very well preserved by the original tribes called the Bedouins.

A walk along one of the roads on Madinat Zayed, Electra or Al Nasser Street would always allow you to see a glimpse of the handicrafts such as carved doors, wooden chests, carpets and curtains. Abu Dhabi Cultural Foundation reintroduces all the traditional handicrafts not only to the young locals but also to the children from around the world, includes calligraphy, painting and pottery. Another place of interest is the Heritage Village, set on a small island on the breakwaters close to Abu Dhabi Marina. This houses all the cultural treasures of Abu Dhabi depicting the life of the Bedouins before the oil boom, also includes pictures taken in the past.

UAE national day ushers the traditional musicians out into an open stage, allowing the world to view the rich culture. One of the attractions is the traditional dances, where men stand in a battle formation as the music plays on they move forward depicting victory and backwards depicting defeat, Where as the little girls decked up, with colorful clothing and hair let loose, sway their hair to the Arabian beats. This dance is named the Kaleezi Style. In yesteryears this dance was a way to cope with stress and hardship of life, and was believed to bring healing. At present this is a feast to the eyes just to watch the colorful riot and listen to the soulful music. Every weekend, that is usually a Friday evenings, one would see traditional songs sung to the fans, around um-al-nar, in an amphitheater or open-air stages.

On the western coast, where traditional boats called Dhows are built, is another treat by itself, They are made out of polished teakwood and glisten in the sun. The shape of the handcrafted boat would make you watch and admire it once it is afloat on the porpoise blue waters of the gulf. They say getting a drivers license in the gulf is equivalent to getting a PhD in the gulf. Most probably because of the strict rules and the fine sense of lane discipline that is maintained through out. On one such driving classes just before my driving test, I decided to go towards the palace roads, the rising sun and the arched structures of the buildings gave it a look as seen on the Arabian Nights Book.

Even through the expatriate would work in the most modern facility; the royal family would prefer to stick to living in villas designed per the traditional architecture with modern facilities and eminites. But that was not so some centuries ago. How would the people get cool air into their buildings, your question is answered by the old faithful wind tower. I got my first experience of a wind tower, during the Dubai shopping festival, when Dubai ran into the Guinness book of world records by preparing the largest Biryani in the world, Biryani is spice flavored fragrant rice with succulent chicken or mutton and prepared during special occasions in the UAE. Continuing with the wind tower, I noticed that this festival not only promoted shopping but also art and culture. A make shift home made up of gunny bags or canvas was set up on the banks of the Dubai creek. There was a tall tower that protruded out of this make shift house. As I entered I was almost swept away by a gush of cool air, as I faced upwards, I was right under the wind tower and enjoyed fresh air that was cooler than an air conditioner or fan. It could compete any time with the latest technology and still be a winner. All this with out using electricity but pure physics and ancient design. This wind tower had the ability to grab air from any direction and drive it downwards towards the living room.

Abu Dhabi is a melting pot of all cultures and takes care of the basic necessities of all cultures. The tasty Arabian food would always top the charts in my menu. Arabic bread is easily available in all the super markets, including snacks such as Zathar, bread sprinkled with edible seeds, which has a lovely sour and nutty taste. The falafel mostly an influence of the Lebanese including the Sawarma, made up of Arabic bread, Roasted chicken or Mutton, with garlic sauce, finally the parcel is stuffed with salted pickles. Any person could afford this meal, which would cost them around DHS 3.00, if they were looking for a quick fix. Dates are in abundance out here and a lot of sweets include the dates. I cannot forget savoring Arabic bread along with Hummus a paste made of chickpeas, limejuice and olive oil on one of the jetties. The famous fish of UAE is the hammour red dotted fish, would be served as a fillet, deep-fried or curried. Variety of fish is available includes the Seer fish, Crabs, Mackerel, Sardines, Tuna, and the red snapper. You can buy them at the fish souk or catch your own by angling down the cornice. I have managed to get some rare fish straight out of the calm breakwater area. That would take you a long time and lots of patience. There is nothing like getting the fish on the pan and savoring the delights of your labor.

During the pastimes the elderly gather together in Shisha parlours and discuss the events around the world. Shisha is a traditional multi-stemmed glass based water pipe device used for smoking. Even though it has originated in India and known as Hookah it’s a very popular smoking device in Abu Dhabi and the Arab world. Another pastime is spending time at the coffee parlors sipping on the strong black coffee or sulaimani tea.

Other attractions in the UAE would be the desert safari, which usually could be very well extended into staying overnight in the Bedouin Tent and enjoy the Arabian or continental flavors. December would bring along with it sailing, Dhow boat races and speed boat races. Its just amazing to see the two, modern and traditional thriving side by side not posing a threat to the other. A talk or tale of the desert is incomplete with out the mention of the ship of the desert, the camel a faithful friend to the Bedouin. Camel milk has a unique property it does not curdle. Many a tales of its faithfulness and bravery has been told among the Arabs. And also about the Arabian purebred horses, the localities are fond of horse racing and would spend fortunes in maintaining and betting on their favorites.

Working here would be a pleasure because of the favorable exchange value you would get for your labors. Learning the Arabic language was a bit tough though I managed to quote fares and manage a few sentences. Interaction with the local people was interesting and humorous, to narrate one such incident, I received a call at the travel help desk with a request to carry an elephant onboard the aircraft, In response to that query I advised the lady that she cannot carry elephants, later realized the lady wanted to carry her infant. This left my colleagues in splits as I realized the cultural and language gap that existed between us. And this made us unique. Yet the diversity in language and culture made this city thrive as everyone had something to contribute. So I pursued my gulf dream as a young girl and surely enough it groomed me into the travel professional that I am right now.

 [CD1] Visit the site http://www.cultural.org.ae/E/CF.htm

 [CD2] http://www.uaeinteract.com/culture/abu.asp