We’re in Abu Dhabi on the sparkling Arabian Gulf, about 100 miles from Dubai. Abu Dhabi is the richest city in the world and it shows. Glittering high rises, extreme theme parks, two giant palaces, and one of the world’s largest and most opulent mosques.
The UAE is only 53 years old, and its cities were created out of whole cloth (and marble and other stuff) from what was practically nothing but desert inhabited by nomads living in tents. Those nomads and their descendants are today Emiratis. When the region discovered oil, every Emirati — today, about a million of them –became rich.
The city is no slouch when it comes to public projects — a palace that is open to everyone, a walking path along manicured public beaches, parks, public housing, bridges that are works of art, and dozens of universities and colleges. Even the Louvre is here, completed in 2017 in partnership with the French government (we didn’t have to ask — it’s on Jacques Chirac Boulevard). Dozens of galleries display and describe what is ancient and also modern — a wonderful walk through the story of human civilization with artifacts and art. (Imagine being the museum curator who got to go through the Louvre’s Paris storage rooms to create a whole new museum!)
We were lucky that the temporary exhibit was of post-impressionist paintings by artists including Matisse, Chagall, Toulouse-Lautrec, Van Gogh, and Gaugin.
And look who showed up in the Louvre to make us feel right at home — one of the Olmec heads on loan from the Anthropological Museum in Mexico.
The Olmec head seemed like a reminder that we are on our way home tomorrow. Some of us have mixed feelings about that. What a great privilege it is to love the road and also home.
“Don’t tell me how educated you are, tell me how much you have travelled. “–Mohammed
Camino Milagro 
Lovely closing! Is there anything in that corner (?!) of the world that you still want to check?
Oh yes, anywhere! Oman and Yemen especially.
A wonderful bookend post for this journey. Seems to me this was one of your more enjoyable trips filled with eye candy, historical sites of renown, encounters with welcoming locals, amazing opportunities to see spectacular architecture,… and art, art, and more art.
Back here in the States, we’re awaiting your safe trip “home” and brief visit here before you recharge your batteries in SMA to get ready for your next adventure.
You’re a modern day Freya Stark.
Well, thank you but Freya Stark is way out of my league!
Weird how so much of this feels sad and empty to me. Borrowed artifacts from other places, just like museums all over the world, but no there there, no real context. All of it borrowed. The overwhelming feeling I get from these images, as lovely as they are? A hard-to-describe poverty at the core of slick, capitalist displays, whiffs of colonialism. Maybe I’m the only one to react like this. The realest thing, to me, is the desert. I’d love a tent, maybe goats, a bell.
Hi Kirsten, Yes, I understand your sentiment on this. The Olmec head is very temporarily on loan from Mexico’s Anthropological Museum and the Jordanian statue is part of an arrangement with Jordan which has several other of the same artifacts. I could not have provided much context in my blog but the museum certainly did. Most people in the world could never see any of this if it weren’t for museums, and we learn a lot about ourselves and our own cultures from those who came before us. Still, the fact remains that a lot of museums display and “own” stolen goods, including the Louvre, and they present a perspective that is not a tent in the desert.
Great blog, as usual, Kim! “Buen viento y buena mar” for tomorrow’s journey homeward… 😉
Thank you Fred xoxox
What a great final stop and blog for this series! I would love to know if you would recommend your route and stops for future travelers? Anything you would add or take out? And did you plan enough time for all of your explorations?
Good questions! Arabian Peninsula — I loved AlUla and I’m glad we spent 6 nights in Doha. I would skip Dubai altogether and only spend a day in Abu Dhabi to visit the Louvre. Jeddah is definitely not for tourists who expect to find entertainment but we learned a lot in our five days there, especially during our visit to Madinah. I’m glad we visited those three countries as independent travelers and engaged locals for 3-6 hour tours. I want to return to visit Oman and Yemen. Uzbekistan — I’m glad we were with an expert tour guide because we learned a lot of history. On the other hand, tours separate you from locals. My favorite part of our time in Uzbekistan was our two days in Tashkent before the tour. Local people reached out to us and we saw places you don’t see on tours. I hope you get to visit!
Stunning mosque. Compelling architecture of the mosque and the Louvre (I’m surprised at the name.) The unnamed Matisse is, per my phone, Fatma II, painted in 1912. You can even meet your artistic needs by getting a “paint-by-numbers” version on Amazon. Who knew? The Olmec head was another beautiful surprise.
This has been a marvelous journey with you! What a delight and a privilege.
Sharon
Thank you Sharon — for your comments and the title of the Matisse. I want the paint-by-numbers kit! xoxo