Masdar is a planned city project in Abu Dhabi, in the United Arab Emirates. Literally it means ‘Source City’. Its core is being built by Masdar, a subsidiary of Mubadala Development Company, a state-owned construction company, with the majority of seed capital provided by the Government of Abu Dhabi.
Masdar City is a hub for innovation, research and development, advancing real-world solutions in energy and water efficiency, mobility, and artificial intelligence. Its first tenant was the Masdar Institute of Science and Technology, which has been operating in the city since it moved into its campus in September 2010. Masdar City is a highly planned, specialised, research and technology-intensive municipality.
Masdar City a ghost town or a green lab?
Cars are not allowed inside the city. You have to park the car in the car park provided. In the city you can take autonomous pods and self drive buses for movement within the city.
Masdar City is a living, working community where residents, academics and business professionals live, learn, work and play in an environment that pushes the boundaries of sustainable design, construction, and operation. The city contains one of the largest clusters of low-carbon buildings in the world.
Masdar City Free Zone is a powerful business enabler and incubator. More than 800 companies from six continents operate from Masdar City ranging from multinationals such as Siemens, Honeywell, Lockheed Martin, to regional corporations, SMEs and startups.
Masdar City
Masdar Park features a children’s playground, music wall, and art installations themed on sustainability.
The companies in the city will concentrate on energy saving and energy substituting projects as well as reuse of water.
Due to the impact of the global financial crisis, the initial 1,000,000 square metres of buildings which was estimated for completion in 2015, was pushed back to between 2020 and 2025 and final completion was estimated to be 2030.
Qaryat Al Torath Heritage Village is located in the Ain Al Fayda district of Al Ain, Abu Dhabi. The Village features 32 market stalls offering a variety of traditional Emirati handicrafts and foods. You can watch Bedouin (nomadic Arab people) women making beautiful craft pieces.
Qaryat Al Torath Heritage Village
The shops also sell traditional clothing, spices, perfumes, date palm products and accessories.
Qaryat Al Torath Heritage Village
Dining options include authentic Emirati fare from several kitchens selling traditional tea, Arabic dishes and moreish sweets.
Featured Image : Photo By Noor Ali – [1], Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=3727996
The Dubai way of life did not always center on oil and its profits. Dubai was originally a fishing settlement. Inhabitants lived by fishing, pearling, herding sheep and goats, and by the turn of the century was an important trading port. Trade expanded even as Dubai was under the British colony, and Dubai began to grow in merchant appeal. By the early 1900s, almost a quarter of the population was foreign.
The population in the 1930s was 20,000, and of that, 2,000 were Persians, 1,000 Baluchis, many Indians and substantial communities from Bahrain, Kuwait and the Hasa province in eastern South Arabia. In 1954, the British established a political agency there as well.
In 1971, the British withdrew and Dubai joined with Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Aiman, Umm Al Quwain, Fajairah and later Ras Al Khaimah to create the federation of the United Arab Emirates. Oil was discovered in 1966 and by 1969 Dubai exported its first shipment of oil. The success of this venture fueled the rapid development of the area and through the insight of the late ruler provided for the general welfare of the inhabitants. Dubai worked to build up its infrastructure of transport facilities, schools, hospitals, tourism developments and other amenities of an advanced society.
The journey continues today. The story of Dubai reads like a rags-to-riches tale, and indeed, it is hard to imagine anywhere else in the world that has developed at such a pace, in such a short time. Dubai is a magnificent expression of the Emirate’s incredible vision and a tribute to its sea-faring heritage, an uncompromising statement of success in a land that century after century has provided immense opportunity.
