The UAE was established in 1971 and is a federation of seven independent Emirates.

Abu Dhabi is a city of 1.4 million people and is the capital of both the Emirate of Abu Dhabi and the United Arab Emirates. International residents from 120 countries make up 80 percent of the population of the city of Abu Dhabi, and English, Hindi, Malayalam, Urdu, Farsi, Tagalog, and French are spoken as often as Arabic. All signs are either in English or in both English and Arabic. 

Buses will be arranged to take you to and from Southern Sun Hotel to NYU Abu Dhabi for the duration of the conference.

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If you would like to make your own arrangements for personal excursions (e.g., shopping, touring, etc.), taxi and bus services are available. Taxi service is relatively inexpensive compared to cities like New York, and drivers are required by law to use their meters. Tipping for taxis is optional, but it is fairly standard to round up the fare to the nearest denomination of AED 5 or 10.

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TransAD hotline 600 535 353 

Trans Ad (silver taxis): 600-535353

Al Ghazal (white taxis; more expensive than silver): 02-447-7787

Abu Dhabi’s climate is subtropical, with temperatures that vary from moderate in the winter months to very hot in the summer. The weather in Abu Dhabi is most appealing between November and March, in which temperatures range from 56-75° F (13-28° C).

The workweek in the UAE is Monday through Friday. Some business environments have a half day on Friday for Friday prayers. 

The UAE is in Greenwich Mean Time plus four hours.

Abu Dhabi is considered conservative but tolerant when it comes to dress code. Given the diverse nature of the population, one can see many different types of dress in Abu Dhabi (e.g., jeans, saris, business suits, dishdashas, and abayas). Visitors are free to wear the same clothes that they would wear at home, but both men and women typically refrain from wearing excessively revealing clothing out of respect for the local culture and customs. Warmer clothes are needed during the winter months, especially in the evening.

Travelers visiting the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi should be mindful of the required attire.

The currency of the UAE is the dirham (AED), which is divided into 100 fils. The UAE dirham is fixed to the US dollar at a rate of 3.67 dirham to the dollar. Credit cards, such as Visa, MasterCard, American Express, and Diners Club, are widely accepted in the UAE.

Sometimes fees and extra service charges are included at certain restaurants (in hotels). Tipping is not expected, but if you are very happy with the service it is quite common to leave a 10% tip on top. 

Abu Dhabi has a crime rate of close to zero, but should you require assistance, NYUAD Public Safety (02-628-7777 or 8-7777 from a campus phone) and the Abu Dhabi Police are available to you 24 hours a day, seven days a week. For any emergency, we recommend calling emergency services: 

Fire Department: 997

Ambulance: 998

Police: 999

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Cleveland Clinic is the closest hospital to Southern Sun Hotel and NYU Abu Dhabi. You can reach them at: 800 82223.