Our WAHO Live! Abu Dhabi 2025 coverage is kindly sponsored by Rifat Arabians Australia
Saturday 5 April
Phew – what a scorcher! It’s hit real feel 49 degrees Celsius out there, I think the hottest I have ever been. It feels good to be back in a cool room and ready to share our day with you.
Firstly, thank you to the many who sent comments overnight about the coverage from Day One – it is greatly appreciated, and there is much more to come!
Today was all about Saadiyat Island and it was a special day.
We began at Louvre Abu Dhabi, and I loved the photograph of the Late HH Sheikh Zayed which dominated the room when we first walked in. I find that people in Abu Dhabi have a real sense of history, of where they come from, and they honour all that is past as well as looking to the future.
Once into Louvre Abu Dhabi, our brilliant tour guide walked us through the rooms, explaining how different civilisations and cultures were exploring similar things at the same time – starting with gold death masks. We went right the way through to the modern day, and it was a fascinating weaving together of history through art.
There were many highlights – mine were the amazing winged Chinese dragon, the fantastical lion, made by a man who had only had the animal described to him, and the magnificent soldier on a horse from the Ottoman Empire – which is my cover image. And I cannot forget seeing Ramses II on loan from Louvre in Paris either! I have always longed to go to Egypt and see the antiquities there, so it was a lovely surprise to see Ramses II here today.
There was so much to take in, and I am glad that we had a chance to walk through again at our own pace, and appreciate the hard work involved in bringing these artifacts together from around the world.
The Louvre Abu Dhabi is a true collaboration, and I thoroughly recommend visiting. And, as even more of a plus, it is home to the Abu Dhabi Turtle Rehabilitation Project. It was wonderful to see these amazing creatures swimming before us, the last step before they are released back into the wild. Head over to our Instagram page to enjoy my video of two of the turtles.
A typical Arabic lunch followed, which the food served from a dhow in the middle of the restaurant, and a Bedouin serving a rather strong and heavy-on-the-cardamom Arabic coffee, which was delicious!
The afternoon was spent at the Abrahamic Family House, where there was some confusion to start. Overnight, new rules had come in about what was acceptable clothing and what was not, so there was hasty redressing done outside and much sharing of scarves! It was well worth the kerfuffle, however, as inside was a peaceful place of worship, bringing together different religions. The Catholic Church, the Synagogue, and the Mosque are all in regular use, and I really noticed how calm and tranquil the environment was, and how the architecture of each building complimented the others. The Abrahamic Family House truly is a special place, and I love how it brings different people of different religions all around the world to meet in the Forum and talk. As I said yesterday, we need more of this in the world!
One thing I have really picked up on since our arrival here is how environmentally conscious people are here in Abu Dhabi. All the hotels have replaced single-use plastic as much as they can, and at both the Louvre Abu Dhabi and the Abrahamic Family House, there was a clear emphasis on conserving nature. Much of the world could learn a lot from the United Arab Emirates on this, and they seem to be leading the way from many countries I have been to.
Tomorrow is the long day – Al Ain Oasis. It will be an early start, and a late finish, but I think it will be more than worth it. It’s even going to be a degree or two cooler!
Please check back daily for the latest report, which will be posted in the evening UAE time, plus highlights on @thearabianmagazine on social media. A huge thank you once again to Rifat Arabians Australia for sponsoring our WAHO coverage, and enabling my live reporting. See you tomorrow!
