For most people, the United Arab Emirates means just one place: Dubai. The glitter on the world's most famous city state may have faded a little recently, but the mix of ambition, money and outright hubris has created a 21st-century playground that has become impossible to ignore. But what lies beyond the hotels and the high-rises? Head out of Dubai and there are six other emirates to explore, each with their own sheikh, each determined to establish itself as different from the others.
A British protectorate for almost 100 years, the UAE came into existence in 1971 when an agreement between local leaders and the British government ended. The capital and by far the richest is Abu Dhabi, with vast amounts of oil beneath its deserts; its sheikh is the overall ruler.
The UAE is a world of contradictions – where racing camels change hands for over £1m but gambling is forbidden; where the temperatures can exceed 50C yet locals are more likely to go skiing than swim in the sea. It's conservative, still deeply Islamic and yet – in Dubai at least – Mammon is the true god.
The UAE is a world where money dominates as nowhere else – from the millions of guestworkers who build the skyscrapers and send the money home to their families in Pakistan, Bangladesh and the Philippines, to the expats lured by tax-free incomes, to the sheikhs themselves, who pour their vast wealth into increasingly ambitious projects. This is a slightly crazy, multi-faceted region – and to see just Dubai is to get only one side of the story.
The business emirate: Abu Dhabi
Only in the UAE could millions be spent on mind-bogglingly ornate hotels, yet tourism be dismissed as "something we're not really interested in". But for rich Abu Dhabi this is very much the case: Sheikh Khalifa dabbles in tourism, but finance and business are closest to his heart. That's not to say Abu Dhabi isn't worth visiting; it is fascinating, for one thing, to experience a world where money really is no object. This is an emirate with the most expensive hotel ever built – the Emirates Palace (00 971 2 690 9000; emiratespalace.com). This gob-smacking monument to ostentation is so big that members of staff are posted around the sprawling resort to assist guests who can't find their room. Even if you're not staying, it's a must-see: drop in for afternoon tea, when men in pristine white dishdashas and ladies in full burkas sip tea and eat cucumber sandwiches. The city also has a charming heritage centre, with exhibits on traditional Arabic life and small shops where metalworkers, carpenters and jewellers make and sell their wares.
Abu Dhabi's second city, Al Ain, is also worth visiting, an oasis in the heart of the blistering desert. There are amazing panoramic views from the top of the nearby mountain of Jebel Hafeet; there's a good road to the top, built solely because the sheikh decided he needed a mountaintop palace so that he could practise his falconry in the hot summer months. Millions was spent on building the road and the palace, but it is used only rarely.
Back in Al Ain, there's not a huge amount to see, although it's worth finding out if your guide can gain access to the oases. These are the city's allotments, where peaches, figs, citrus fruits and all manner of vegetables are grown beneath palm trees, with water fed along irrigation channels called aflaj. The largest is the Al Ain oasis: a long road snakes beneath date palms and in the centre there's a small mosque. The sight of rows of fruit and vegetables amid lush vegetation becomes slightly surreal when you remember that you're surrounded by arid desert.
Sheikh Khalifa has big plans for Abu Dhabi and – like the Dubai government – has embarked on a programme of land reclamation to create new islands. The first, Yas, is home to a gleaming new Formula One track, while Saadiyat Island (which means Island of Happiness) is set to be the new cultural centre for the region, with building work on Guggenheim and Louvre galleries starting next year. By the end of 2009, the region's first seaside golf course will open on Saadiyat, and hotels will come on stream in the next couple of years.
The beach emirate: Fujairah
The youngest emirate – it gained independence from Sharjah in 1952 – Fujairah is separated from its neighbours by the towering Hajar mountains and is the only emirate not to have access to the Persian Gulf. But the clear waters and white sand beaches of its coast on the Gulf of Oman have recently become home to a clutch of sizable hotels and resorts, offering the best snorkelling and scuba-diving in the region. The Fujairah Rotana (00 971 9 244 9888; rotana.com) is on a lovely beach and is ideal for families. Fujairah shares its northern border with the Omani exclave of Musandam, a region of stark beauty with vast mountain landscapes and, in the north, an almost fjord-like coastline. Day trips to Musandam are easy from Fujairah, and the mountains offer great off-roading.
If you're staying in Fujairah, a trip to the Friday Market is a must. Fruit and vegetable stalls line the roads, along with ramshackle antiques stalls that appear to be run by small boys, and round the back is a plant and garden section. This is a locals' market – although, as with most things in the UAE, it is staffed by Pakistanis and Bangladeshis. It's lively and colourful and if you escape without a carpet you'll be doing well. Oh, and don't be put off by the name: the Friday Market is on every day of the week, usually until the early hours. The other main site of interest is the Al Bidya Mosque, the oldest in the UAE.
The cultural emirate: Sharjah
Thirty years ago, while Dubai was still not much more than a slightly seedy trading port, Sharjah was at the forefront of tourism development. But Sheikh al-Qasimi had a change of heart and decided that western influences were not what he wanted for his people. Sharjah became a dry state, with strict sharia laws, which extend to western hotels. Even the Radisson Blu (00 971 6565 7777; radissonblu.com) can only run to mocktails and root beer. Fortunately, the neighbouring emirate of Ajman is not dry, and the border is in the middle of Sharjah city, so you don't have to walk too far for a pint. This is not to say it is an unwelcoming place: tourism in Sharjah is family oriented, and the many museums that Sheikh al-Qasimi has created – 17 at the last count – are all child-friendly.
Sharjah city is definitely worth a visit: all tours start at the marvellously (and aptly) named Cultural Roundabout, where mock-Renaissance buildings housing various museums encircle the, yes, roundabout. The best museum to visit is arguably the Sharjah Art Museum, the largest art gallery in the Gulf, with an impressive collection of Arabic and Orientalist art. Take a break in the tea room on the third floor, with its beautiful vaulted ceiling painted with constellations and the night sky.
As well as the cultural side, Sheikh al-Qasimi is more concerned than the other leaders with preserving what is left of the area's past. A collection of old buildings house yet more museums; and there's also an impressive fort. One old house, preserved as it would have been when the family lived there, gives an interesting insight into how moneyed Arabs lived before the arrival of the high-rise apartment.
Sharjah's heritage centre lies on the north side of the corniche, and opposite it, traditional dhows from Iran still bob on the harbour, as they have done for hundreds of years. They used to unload their wares and sell them right there on the seafront. The souk has moved now, to a fairly soulless two-storey building in the heart of town, but it is a great place to shop for souvenirs, and prices are lower than in Dubai.
Sharjah is also the place to come if you want to get a glimpse of authentic Arab life. Head for the beach, but don't be surprised to see no one swimming. In Arabic culture, the beach is a place to meet and hang out, to picnic with family and friends. It's worth bearing in mind that beaches are perceived as family places, so groups of men aren't allowed on the beach without women. If there are people in the water, don't be surprised to see women swimming in full burkas. And don't think the rules don't apply to westerners: shorts and T-shirts are fine, but wearing a bikini on a public beach will raise eyebrows.
And if you're on holiday with your partner, keep your hands to yourselves: overly amorous behaviour (and this includes kissing) can get you arrested.
The fly & flop emirate: Ras al Khaimah
Tucked away in the north of the peninsula, Ras al Khaimah was once a small fishing community, and the remains of a ruined village can still be explored. Some travel brochures still refer to Ras al Khaimah as a fishing village with old-world charm, but they are seriously out of date. Right now, most of it resembles a building site, as this tiny, northernmost emirate gears up to try to get its hands on some of the tourist money flowing into Dubai.
But if you want guaranteed sun without the bling of Dubai, or fancy a twin centre holiday, there are a couple of excellent fly-and-flop options. The Cove Rotana (00 971 7 206 6000; rotana.com) is a village-style development, nicely landscaped with rooms on small "streets" overlooking the sea. There are swankier villas by the shore, and the beach is stunning – it's a great family option. Ras al Khaimah has staged something of a coup with the opening of the first Banyan Tree (00 971 7 206 7777; banyantree.com) hotel on the peninsula; hidden away in Wadi Khadeja amid desert 20 minutes from Ras al Khaimah city, it opens in January, with stunning private villas around the dunes. Every villa has a private pool and there's an impressive spa.
Pocket-sized emirates: Ajman & Umm al Qwain
The two smallest emirates are worth dipping into if you're set on collecting the pack. Ajman's biggest claim to fame is the lovely white-sand beach that lies within the confines of the Kempinski hotel (00 971 6 714 5555; kempinski.com/ajman). If all you want is to lie on a palm-fringed beach, this is as good a place as any, and the nearby Ajman Fort has been converted into an interesting museum, with exhibits on Arab life (using some rather scary mannequins). Umm al Qwain is worth visiting just to say you've visited all seven, but a drive-through is probably enough.
Getting there
Cox and Kings (020 7873 5000; coxandkings.co.uk) has a seven-night Emirates Explorer tour with two nights each in Abu Dhabi, Ajman, Ras al Khaimah and one night in Al Ain from £1,595, including flights, B&B and a private driver. Etihad (0800 731 9384; etihad.com) flies from Heathrow to Abu Dhabi from £399.