Featured on the back of the Dhs1000 note, this fort started life in 1760 as a watchtower that safeguarded a precious freshwater well. After an expansion, it became the ancestral home of the ruling Al Nahyan family in 1793 and remained a royal residence until 1966 (its watchtower is Abu Dhabi's oldest surviving structure). An extensive years-long restoration ground to the finish line in late 2018, and it was reopened as a cultural hub with historic exhibits and gallery space.
Getty Images/arabianEye
Ïã¸ÛÁùºÏ²Ê¼´Ê±¿ª½±'s must-see attractions
8.94 MILES
Rising majestically from manicured gardens and visible from the bridges joining Abu Dhabi Island to the mainland, the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque is an…
4.49 MILES
Designed by Pritzker Prize–winning architect Jean Nouvel, the highly anticipated Louvre Abu Dhabi finally arrived in late 2017. Through 12 galleries, the…
22.3 MILES
Standing outside Abu Dhabi Falcon Hospital, watching anxious owners from across the region delivering their hooded 'patients' in person, you will quickly…
2.34 MILES
After six years of planning and construction, this memorial celebrating the life and achievements of Sheikh Zayed, the founder of the United Arab Emirates…
15.9 MILES
If you want bragging rights to having 'done' Formula Rossa, the world's fastest roller coaster, visit this indoor (perfect in summer) temple of torque and…
2.61 MILES
You almost walk away from this five-star urban park feeling like you've visited a museum. Manicured to perfection and full of design-forward and…
0.65 MILES
The waterfront Corniche, with its white sandy beaches and generous promenade, stretches the entire length of the northwest shore of the city. Giving…
2.76 MILES
What the Burj Khalifa in Dubai is to the vertical, the Emirates Palace is to the horizontal, with audacious domed gatehouses and flying ramps to the foyer…
Nearby Abu Dhabi attractions
0.2 MILES
In common with all mosques in the city, this beautiful mosque stands in nonalignment with the grid system, honouring the direction of Mecca instead. It is…
0.3 MILES
This iconic 27-floor building, with a 'golf ball' as its crowning glory, makes an excellent landmark for navigating the city's grid system. Built in 2001,…
0.3 MILES
There was a time when no self-respecting Gulf city would be seen without a giant concrete coffeepot. Those days have gone, for better or for worse, but a…
0.36 MILES
Spread over three distinct areas, Al Nahyan Park, Family Park and Urban Park, Al Markaziyah Gardens forms a broad band of recreational lawns parallel to…
0.37 MILES
Stare up – access is limited to residents – at this 92-floor, 382m landmark tower which forms part of the World Trade Center and is Abu Dhabi's tallest…
0.42 MILES
This square, trapped between busy main roads, offers good views of the tower-clustered skyline of the western Corniche Rd. Photos of the square's little…
0.65 MILES
The waterfront Corniche, with its white sandy beaches and generous promenade, stretches the entire length of the northwest shore of the city. Giving…
8. Abdullah Hamaid Al Rumaithi Mosque
0.71 MILES
Squeezed between looming towers, this mosque is one of two that bookend a plaza hidden off the main roads. Keen photographers should come here at sunset…