A camel waits for a rider to board during a safari between Al Ain and Abu Dhabi. (Lew Fournier/Toronto Sun)

ABU DHABI -- Just the name conjures up images of camel caravans crossing the desert.

In many ways, this is still a traditional Arabic hub. But in recent years, the desert has bloomed -- with lavish hotels, soaring new development and the third largest mosque in the world.

The capital of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Abu Dhabi churns out 3 million barrels of oil a day. Considered to be the richest city in the world, Abu Dhabi has reinvented itself from a small trading centre that relied on a failing pearling industry to becoming a sophisticated, modern city that attracts visitors from around the world.

It boasts one of the most lavish hotels on Earth -- the Emirates Palace. Billed as a seven star hotel, the hotel was built and is owned by the government of the United Arab Emirates and managed by the German Kempinski Group.

With only 294 rooms and around 1,400 staff, levels of service are superb. Each room comes with its own butler on call to fill the guest's every need.

The spectacular central dome of the hotel is covered in gold leaf, with imported Italian marble on the walls and floors.

Celebrities from George Clooney to former British Prime Minister Tony Blair have padded their weary feet across the petal-strewn floors of the luxury suites. Access to the prestigious eighth floor is restricted to visiting royalty and government leaders.

You need a lift from the airport? One of the cars the hotel owns is a Mercedes Maybach, considered the most luxurious car in the world.

The hotel stretches along 1 km of beachfront property, cost $3 billion, took two and a half years to build and has 1,002 glittering Swarovski chandeliers and 102 elevators.

If all that is a little rich for your blood, there's a building boom in the hospitality sector in the UAE. Hotels such as The Shangri-la offer rooms and suites at a more reasonable cost, yet still provide the services, such as luxury spas, to pamper western travellers.

If you're looking for an off-beat taste of the desert, try a "dune-bashing" barbecue. Not for the faint-hearted, a driver will take you on a roller-coaster ride across desert dunes in a four-wheel drive truck.

A short trip to feed camels at a farm and then you're off to a sunset barbecue.

Lounging on pillows on traditional Arabic carpets, you can even re-live your misspent youth with a few puffs on a traditional bubble pipe. And no, the stuff in the pipe isn't going to get you high. Muslim law strictly forbids booze and drugs, but you can try a few rounds of tobacco flavoured with apple and honey.

Abu Dhabi's staggering oil revenues have fuelled a building boom. Created in 1971, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) comprises seven states, of which Abu Dhabi is the largest and wealthiest.

The late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, father of the present ruler, is revered in Abu Dhabi and considered the father of the UAE. He is widely credited with transforming the economy of the country from an underdeveloped nation to its now thriving economy.

Emiratis now enjoy one of the highest standards of living in the world. They pay no income tax, corporate tax or sales tax. When an Emirati marries another Emirati, they are given a lump sum payment of money and a new home.

Sheikh Zayed -- father of the present ruler Sheikh Khalifa Ben Zayed Al Nahyan -- is buried in the a spectacularly elegant newly constructed mosque named for him. It is the third largest mosque in the world.

The incredible wealth of Abu Dhabi attracts cultural icons from around the world. On Saadiyat Island, work has already begun on a $200 million Guggenheim Museum. Designed by architect Frank Gehry, the museum is slated to open in 2011. As well, there are plans to bring art galleries, a performing arts centre and a branch of the Louvre to the island.

Another must-see in the city is the dhow yard. Dhows are traditional Arabic racing boats that you can watch being built in the local yard entirely by hand, using no power tools. Costing up to $100,000 each, skilled workers rely only on hand tools to built these elegant boats.

Muslim culture is still strong in Abu Dhabi. Men are allowed four wives and you'll often see the women walking respectfully behind their husbands in public.

There are even special women's-only beaches, where Muslim women can bathe modestly without being watched by men.

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DUBAI -- This is Boomtown, Middle East. In just a few short years, it has gone from Bedouin tent to Silicon Valley.

Soaring buildings such as the spectacular Burj Al Arab -- a hotel built in the shape of a sail -- survive cheek by jowl with the gold souk and the classic Jumeira mosque.

In the glittering gold souk, stores are jam-packed with 22 and 24 karat gold, and you can bargain with the vendors for a good buy. And in this, the duty free capital of the world, there are no taxes.

It's estimated that 20% of all the building cranes in the world are located in Dubai

This city is growing so fast, a major new hotel opens just about every week.

The latest, the Intercontinental Festival City Dubai, which opened in November, boasts its own Belgian beer cafe and several other dining rooms. Its luxury hotel suites come complete with rainforest showers. It offers a spectacular view over Dubai Creek.

Dubai is home to the biggest shopping mall in the Middle East, the Mall of the Emirates, which boasts 450 shops and 16,000 parking spaces. And the mall turns global warming on its head with its own indoor ski hill.

The weather outside may be a frightful 35 C. Inside the encosed ski hill, skiers don tuques and mitts and sashay down the fake slope.

Unlike neighbouring Abu Dhabi, Dubai does not have a lot of oil revenues. What oil it has is expected to run out within the next few years.

That's why it has reinvented itself into a duty-free zone, a tourist centre and a playground for the rich and famous.

The two most sepctacular developments are Nakheel's Palm Island and The World.

In an attempt to expand the amount of beachfront property available for development, Nakheel has built three palm-tree shaped developments from reclaimed land that stretch into the Arabian Gulf.

Right next to it, they have recreated their own miniature "world" out of reclaimed land.

Each country will be sold off for development. A group of Irish businessmen has already bought what they have dubbed, "Ireland in the sun." Part of Greenland has been sold to one of the wealthiest families in Dubai -- rumoured to be Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.

Canada is represented by several provinces in the Nakheel's Coral Islands.

Among the Canadian communities represented are Saskatchewan, Quebec, Ontario, the Northwest Territories, Nunavut and Victoria.

Imagine owning your own piece of Canada -- where the average temperature is 30 C and the sun shines every day. Sadly, if you're thinking of buying into Canada, you're out of luck. The entire North American continent has been reserved.

The developers are mum on Canadian investors in The World, but they would say that there are 34 Canadian owners on The Palm Jumeirah. Since it's mostly high profile people who have bought into the development, Nakheel is discreet about who the buyers are. But prominent figures from the sports, entertainment and business world own luxury villas in the $60 billion development.

Cirque de Soleil will build a facility on the palms, there are 35 hotels -- all five star -- and when it's fully sold, it's expected there will be 60,000 residents and 25,000 hotel guests.

Culturally, Dubai tends to be more westernized than neighbouring Abu Dhabi. For example, Abu Dhabi strictly adheres to Muslim culture and pork is not offered in hotels there, while some Dubai hotels offer a clearly-labelled pork table, so western tourists can dine on ham, bacon, etc.

While the consumption of alcohol is prohibited for Muslims, it is available for tourists in hotels and licensed restaurants. And while Dubai is used to western customs and clothing, in Abu Dhabi, particularly, it is suggested that women not wear short shorts in public.

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UNITED ARAB EMIRATES FACTS

GEOGRAPHY

The UAE ocupies about 83,600 sq. km along the southeast tip of the Arabian Peninsula. It comprises seven emirates, of which Abu Dhabi is the largest and the capital.

GETTING THERE

Etihad Airways flies direct to Abu Dhabi three times a week from Toronto. Emirates flies direct Toronto to Dubai three times a week.

CURRENCY

The dirham -- roughly three to one dollar.

WEATHER

Between November and March, the daytime temperature averages at a comfortable 24 C. It can be cooler at night in the desert.

During the summer months, temperatures can soar as high as 48 C, with high humidity. Average rainfall is less than 6.5 cm annually -- mostly in December and January.

A FLYING JEWEL

A 13 hour flight is daunting to the average tourist. Memories of cramped seats, airless cabins and surly flight attendants make us wince at the thought of enduring such a marathon.

With long-haul flights something of a specialty, Etihad Airlines has a new approach to what otherwise might seem like a neverending journey.

The official airline of the United Arab Emirates, Etihad's Business class -- or Pearl as they call it -- is far more than just wider seats. They provide twice the amount of space of other airlines, with seats that fold down flat to form beds and a footstool so you can stretch out. Its Diamond (or first class) is even more luxurious, with a private bar/lounge area.

Etihad flies Airbus 340-600s three times a week from Toronto to Abu Dhabi. It may be a long flight, but with more space and comfort, it isn't as exhausting as it sounds.Contact etihadairways.com.