Dubai's lil' bro Abu Dhabi is apparently doing more than just becoming a cultural capital of the UAE--now it's heading into a new career in being environmentally conscious too.

Well, they're calling the new Desert Islands project "conservation," but we're not quite sure yet. With the first stage just open, the Desert Islands are just southwest of Abu Dhabi and while they used to be a royal retreat, this area is becoming home to individually-irrigated trees and an incredible mix of animals.

So far in the Arabian Wildlife Park section there are 23 species of animals, including the almost-extinct Arabian oryx, along with giraffes and antelope. Cheetahs are due to arrive soon and in time the fences that divide the animals will come down, allowing them all to mix in a "like wild" habitat. Conservation--or feeding time?

Related Stories:
· Desert Islands [Official Site]
· Animal Prints [The Australian]
· Abu Dhabi Sneaking Out Of Dubai's (Big) Shadow [Jaunted]

[Photo: Desert Islands] ]]> amandak 2009-01-02T09:30:41-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/11/10/44744/112

Playing little brother to international city of the moment Dubai would definitely suck, but tourism officials are keen to make the UAE’s second city Abu Dhabi famous for something other than bizarre morphing skyscrapers. Abu Dhabi is proudly striving to become the cultural capital of the Middle East instead.

And while we scoffed a bit at first, on closer investigation it seems like Abu Dhabi does know something about culture. There’s going to be a Guggenheim Abu Dhabi by 2012, and in keeping with the UAE's penchant for world records, it'll be the world's biggest Guggenheim museum.

They've also got a bunch of national cultural buildings in Abu Dhabi like the National Theater and the main national library. Perhaps we’ll soon be able to skip the skyscrapers of Dubai and spend our layover soaking up the museum culture of Abu Dhabi. Pity the shopping will probably never be as good.

Related Stories:
· Oil’s Well in Abu Dhabi [The Age]
· The Incredible Morphing Skyscraper [Jaunted]

[Photo: Ioan Barbulescu]]]> amandak 2008-11-10T09:00:10-05:00 Search Jaunted string http://www.jaunted.com/search/