Abu Dhabi and Eastern UAE Complete Guide 2026: Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, Yas Island, Sir Bani Yas, Al Ain and Liwa Desert
Browse more guides: UAE travel | Asia destinations Abu Dhabi and Eastern UAE Complete Guide 2026: Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, Yas Island, Sir Bani Yas, Al Ain and Liwa Desert TL;DR I planned this trip around five anchors that together explain modern UAE better than any single city can. Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, dedicated in 2007 to the country's founder, holds 40,000 worshippers under 80 marble domes and the world's largest hand-knotted carpet at 5,627 m². Saadiyat Cultural District pairs the Jean Nouvel Louvre Abu Dhabi (opened November 11, 2017) with the upcoming Guggenheim and Zayed National Museum. Yas Island runs Ferrari World, Yas Marina F1 circuit, Warner Bros World, SeaWorld Abu Dhabi (2023) and Yas Waterworld on one connected loop. Al Ain, the UAE's only UNESCO site (2011), keeps 3,000-year-old Falaj channels watering 147,000 date palms below Jebel Hafeet (1,249 m). Sir Bani Yas Island and the Liwa Empty Quarter add the wild side: 13,000 free-roaming animals o...