Places

Sheikh Zayed Bridge

Zaha Hadid's sine wave in steel — 842 metres of dune, lit in colour that flows across the spine.

Abu Dhabi

Sheikha Fatima Park

A ladies' park from another era rebuilt as an urban forest of reclaimed materials, skate ramps and an open-air amphitheatre.

Abu Dhabi

Souk Qaryat Al Beri Canals

Wooden abras threading man-made canals between an Arabian souk and a Venetian one, with the Grand Mosque across the water.

Abu Dhabi

Special Olympics Gardens

Six permanent commissions in a garden outside Manarat Al Saadiyat — including a mirrored bridge you can walk across.

Abu Dhabi

The Liwa Desert

The northern edge of the Rub' al Khali — the largest continuous sand sea on Earth.

Abu Dhabi

Battoula by Ghada Al Suwaidi

A Qatari woman in traditional dress, painted in the same soft pastels as the port's walls.

Doha

Hood Mural, Mina District

A wall that argues for graffiti itself — the fight to make street art legitimate expression.

Doha

My Inner Peace by Noura Al Mansoori

A façade turned into a meditation on stillness and finding one's place.

Doha

Sofles Mural, Mina District

A futuristic figure, Gulf patterns and a single fish — old Qatar meeting the new city at the water's edge.

Doha

1010 Mural, Satwa

The German artist whose layered colour portals appear to open holes straight through the wall.

Dubai

18b Street Murals, Karama

Twenty-four murals above the 'handbag street' souk — 3D illusions, falcons and a floating green pickup, painted over one hot summer.

Dubai

Address Sky View — The Sky Bridge

A three-storey sky bridge slung 220 metres above Downtown, joining twin towers with a cantilevered glass Skywalk and infinity pool.

Dubai

Al Fahidi Wind Towers

Dubai's oldest neighbourhood, where coral-stone lanes are crowned with barjeel wind towers — air-conditioning from before electricity.

Dubai

Al Jaddaf Dhow Building Yard

Dubai's last working dhow yard on the Creek, where craftsmen still build wooden ships by hand as they have for a century.

Dubai

Al Seef Promenade

Nearly two kilometres of Dubai Creek waterfront split in two — a re-aged heritage village on one side, glass-and-steel pavilions on the other.

Dubai

Al Sheraa Heritage Area

A 200-year-old mosque and one of the UAE's most important archaeological sites, in the heart of old Hatta.

Dubai

Al Wasl Plaza Dome

A 130-metre steel trellis dome at the heart of Expo City — the world's largest 360-degree projection surface, glowing translucent at night.

Dubai

Alex Senna Murals, La Mer

Black-and-white silhouette figures reaching from shadow toward light — permanent works by the colour-blind Brazilian muralist.

Dubai

Alif — The Mobility Pavilion

Foster + Partners' gleaming stainless-steel trefoil, with three cantilevered petals and the world's largest passenger lift.

Dubai

Apple Store Solar Wings

A Foster + Partners kinetic mashrabiya of 340 carbon-fibre rods that open at dusk toward the Burj Khalifa.

Dubai

Arabian Stallion, Gold Souk

A bronze Arabian horse guarding the south entrance of the Gold Souk — heritage counterpart to the camels up north.

Dubai

Bedouin Portrait by Vhils

A portrait of a Bedouin carved into the wall with hammer drills and chisels — not painted on, but cut out of the surface.

Dubai

Ben Eine Typography, City Walk

Bold letterforms set high on a wall by the artist whose work a British prime minister gave to the White House.

Dubai

Burj Khalifa

The world's tallest building and the world's largest LED screen

Dubai