Did you know? · Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi fun facts
Things you might not know about Abu Dhabi. Every fact comes from an official or primary source, named alongside it.
Updated November 2026
A fort among the towers
Qasr Al Hosn is the oldest stone building in Abu Dhabi; Visit Abu Dhabi dates the fort to the 1760s. It tells the story of the city from a pearling settlement to a modern metropolis (qasralhosn.ae).
A hospital for falcons
The Abu Dhabi Falcon Hospital opened in 1999 as the world’s first and largest hospital for falcons, the national bird; about 6,000 birds pass through it each year (Visit Abu Dhabi).
A 300-metre dune
Tel Moreeb, in Liwa, rises more than 300 metres from the sand at a 50-degree incline, one of the tallest sand dunes in the world (Visit Abu Dhabi).
Dunes four million years old
The Al Wathba Fossil Dunes Protected Area holds more than 1,700 fossil dunes over 7 square kilometres; geologists put their age at over four million years (Visit Abu Dhabi).
147,000 date palms
Al Ain Oasis spreads across 1,200 hectares with some 147,000 date palms, watered by falaj channels (Visit Abu Dhabi). Jebel Hafit, above the city, rises to 1,249 metres, Abu Dhabi’s highest peak.
Questions and answers
What is the oldest building in Abu Dhabi?
Qasr Al Hosn, whose watchtower dates from the 1760s.