Abu Dhabi’s Tourism Development & Investment Company (TDIC), which is overseeing the mixed-use development of Saadiyat Island, which lies just 500 metres offshore the United Arab Emirate’s capital city, has pledged to protect archaeological sites uncovered on the island.
Saadiyat Island – which translates from Arabic into Island of Happiness – is being developed in three phases to transform the unique 27 square kilometre natural asset into a strategic international tourism destination.
“Over 20 archaeological sites have been identified on Saadiyat Island, most of them concentrated in two groups on rocky outcrops and dating back to the late Islamic period, over the last few hundred years,” explained Mubarak Al Muhairi, Director General of Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority (ADTA) and Managing Director of TDIC.
“The discoveries include fireplaces, the remains of small buildings and scatters of pottery and seashells which give an indication of the way of life of former Saadiyat inhabitants.”
The findings came to light following an archaeological baseline study carried out last year by a team from the Abu Dhabi Islands Archaeological Survey, ADIAS. The study was commissioned by the ADTA as part of a general environmental study undertaken in line with government legislation relating to development projects.
“In association with ADIAS and Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage, we are now planning to protect these sites,” said Al Muhairi. “Further studies have been commissioned which involve a detailed mapping of the sites, to be followed by test excavations and the collection of material for further analysis.
“The protection and promotion of Abu Dhabi’s cultural and archaeological heritage is an important part of the Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority’s strategy of introducing the emirate to foreign visitors. With important archaeological sites on our flagship development project, we will seek not only to protect them, but also to investigate ways in which the sites, and the information to be gained from them, can be integrated into our tourism development strategy.”
ADIAS Executive Director, Peter Hellyer, has welcomed the TDIC initiative.
“As a result of the development of the last 30 or 40 years, very little is known about the past pattern of life in the vicinity of the island-city of Abu Dhabi,” he said. “This joint project provides us with an opportunity to learn much more about the way in which past inhabitants of Abu Dhabi and neighbouring islands lived, and will help us to understand the patterns of human settlement in the area.”
Under a fully master-planned community Saadiyat Island will have six distinct districts delivering a multitude of experiences with complementary environments and all connected by a palm-lined arterial freeway. It will have 19 kilometres of white, sandy beach, two golf courses, 29 hotels with over 7,000 rooms, including an iconic 7-star property, three marinas with berthing for 1,000 vessels, over 8,000 private villas, resorts set on spectacular beaches, over 38,000 apartments and eight iconic ‘string of pearl’ architectural landmarks housing museums, a concert hall, art gallery and major cultural offerings.
About Saadiyat Island:
Saadiyat Island – which translates from Arabic as Island of Happiness – is the largest single mixed-use development in the Arabian Gulf. The 27 square kilometre natural island – half the size of Bermuda – lies only 500 metres offshore Abu Dhabi island – the capital city of the United Arab Emirates. Saadiyat Island is being developed into a complete visitor and residential destination.
Saadiyat Island represents one of the most important development opportunities in Abu Dhabi’s history. The island, which has 30kms of water frontage and boasts many natural eco-features including mangrove forests, is being developed as a strategic international tourism destination and marks a new era in the rapid evolution of Abu Dhabi, the largest of the seven emirates which form the UAE Federation.
Saadiyat Island will be developed in three phases with total completion scheduled for 2018. The masterplan envisages six highly individual districts and includes 29 hotels, including an iconic 7-star property, three marinas with combined berths for around 1,000 boats, museums and cultural centres, two golf courses, civic and leisure facilities, sea-view apartments and elite villas.
Saadiyat Island is expected to be home to a community of more than 150,000 people – the same population size as Chang Mai in Thailand, Oxford in the UK or Hollywood in the USA.
Saadiyat Island will be linked to the main Abu Dhabi island and the Abu Dhabi mainland via two, 10-lane freeways making the destination easily accessible to Abu Dhabi International Airport, which will be just a 25 kilometre drive away.
Saadiyat Island is being developed by the Tourism Development & Investment Company (TDIC), an independent public joint stock company of which Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority is the sole shareholder. TDIC’s strategy is to dispose of development land on the island to private investors who will each develop their sites in accordance with the masterplan and supporting planning regulations and design guidelines.
About Tourism Development & Investment Company:
Tourism Development & Investment Company (TDIC) is a public joint stock company established under Law No: 12 of 2005 as decreed by the Abu Dhabi Ruler and UAE President, His Highness Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan. TDIC is an independent organisation empowered to manage the tourism investment zones of the Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority (ADTA), which directs and implements strategy for the expansion of the emirate’s tourism sector. TDIC will develop the real estate assets that support ADTA’s mission of assisting UAE economic diversification through tourism development.
TDIC, launched with an initial paid-up capital of AED100 million (US $27.5 million) with its shareholding fully owned by ADTA, operates along strictly commercial lines with its projects being self-sustaining and economically feasible. Its activities include creating development and tourism related concepts for specific sites and locations, disposing of, or repositioning, government-owned tourism related assets, entering into joint ventures with investment partners for assets such as hotels or residential products, as well as serving as the master developer for large scale projects.
About Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority:
The Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority (ADTA) was created in 2004 by Executive Decree of the Abu Dhabi Government to assist the economic diversification of the United Arab Emirates through supporting and expanding the emirate’s tourism industry.
Key ADTA responsibilities include the development of an overall tourism strategy for Abu Dhabi – the largest of the seven emirates which form the UAE Federation - directing the implementation of activities needed to achieve strategic objectives and creating the physical infrastructure required by tourism operators and their clientele.
Abu Dhabi is planning to add 17,000 hotel rooms in a bid to increase tourism to the emirate from almost a million in 2004, to more than three million by 2015. ADTA has approved investment packages for 4,000 new rooms to be added in the next three years.
ADTA is chaired by His Highness Sheikh Sultan bin Tahnoon Al Nahyan.
About Abu Dhabi:
Spread over 87,340 square kilometres, Abu Dhabi is the largest of the seven emirates which make up the United Arab Emirates and accounts for more than 85% of the country’s total landmass. The UAE is one of the six members of the Arabian Gulf Co-operation Council.
Abu Dhabi city, built on the largest of almost 200 natural offshore islands in the emirate, is the capital both of the emirate and of the UAE. It is the federal seat of government and home to most ministries and institutions, embassies, state broadcasting facilities and oil companies.
Abu Dhabi’s population is currently around 1.6 million and is expected to grow by 6.8 per cent per annum over the next decade to a projected 3.4 million by 2015.
Abu Dhabi has an estimated 9.2% of the world’s proven oil reserves and 4% of its total proven natural gas reserves. The emirate has a per capita income of approximately US $30,000. Realising the challenges posed by the country’s heavy economic reliance on finite carbon resources, the emirate’s leadership is actively pursuing economic diversification.
