Who's on top?

Before embarking on this travel adventure, I must confess my knowledge of the Gulf region was pretty hazy. I would have been hard-pressed to even name all the countries on a blank map, much less discuss the distinctions between them. The longer I stay, though, the more I am able to pick up on the differences between different cities and countries--or at least the way locals PERCEIVE the differences.

Dubai and Abu Dhabi are the two main cities of the United Arab Emirates. I've noticed a bit of a rivalry between them. Dubai gets most of the publicity because of its quest to build the biggest this and the most opulent that. Its inhabitants are very proud of their achievements, and tend to think of themselves as the most cosmopolitan and advanced city in the country (and indeed, the region.) Dubai tends to be the most liberal and relaxed in terms of its openness to outside influence. Abu Dhabi, however, is by far the wealthier city and is also the nation's capital. It is less glitzy than Dubai, but is wealth is more solid. People from Abu Dhabi tend to think of Dubai as being a bit tasteless and over the top. One long-term expat called Dubai "a sham" and said its leader was full of "hubris." Abu Dhabi seems to be trying to "brand" itself as the cultural capital, with a wealth of museums, arts festivals and so forth, as opposed to the Capitalist Disneyland of Dubai. On the other hand, Dubai cheerleaders think of Abu Dhabi as being too boring and staid. (Personally, I prefer Abu Dhabi at this point. It is much greener and seems easier to live in. The corniche is gorgeous and very walker-friendly.)

On the level of international rivalry, the UAE thinks of itself as the most open, tolerant, progressive, and advanced of the Gulf states. One long-term expat said Emiratis consider the Saudis as a bit "balmy," (over-the-top religious conservatism, not allowing women to drive, etc.) but they have to be careful not to offend "big brother" too much. I've observed that Emiratis also tend to think of Qatar as being backward and boring. When we tell people we will be spending two weeks in Qatar, they look surprised and ask "why?" What could we find to occupy ourselves for two weeks? One Emirati today said Qatar is lagging about 20 years behind UAE, while another said it is lagging 50 years.

On the other hand, Egypt seems to trump UAE, at least in terms of cultural capital. One of our guides is Egyptian. She bluntly stated, "Egypt is better at everything." Our other guide (a Palestinian who has lived all her life in Abu Dhabi) cheerfully agreed.