The United Arab Emirates rolls history and invention into a seamless experience. In Abu Dhabi, the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque stands out with its reflective pools, marble columns inlaid with floral patterns, and the world’s largest hand-knotted carpet beneath domes that glow by night. On Saadiyat Island, the Louvre Abu Dhabi shelters art that spans civilizations, all beneath a dome designed to scatter sunlight like palm fronds.

Across the emirate, sand tells a story of desert empires and resilient life. Many visitors head out from the city into the Rub’ al Khali (Empty Quarter), where dunes shift like rolling seas, some of which are too massive for even local Bedouins to climb on foot. Along the coast, Sir Bani Yas Island offers wildlife sightings in its Arabian Wildlife Park, but for history seekers, a nearby Christian monastery founded in the seventh century holds quiet significance.