Abu Dhabi is capital city of the United Arab Emirates and due to its immense natural resources of oil and gas has seen much transformation, although age-old traditions are still much respected. Even so, the city has developed a truly cosmopolitan atmosphere and contains more foreigners than locals. A mighty triumphal gate leads visitors into a fascinating Oriental fairytale world, the Emirates Palace, which has made Abu Dhabi world famous and has also assisted greatly in establishing it as a centre of tourism. Despite its name the Emirates Palace is not in fact a royal palace but a luxurious seven star hotel of the superlative and, at three billion U.S. dollars, cost more to build than any other hotel ever built anywhere in the world. Both the hotel’s main building and side wings are crowned by several cupolas, a hundred and fourteen to be precise! The Emirates Palace has taken Abu Dhabi out of the shadow of nearby Dubai and although further developments are planned nothing will outdo the Emirates Palace!