Fresh-air fiends escaping the car-exhaust-clogged Dubai streets and sticky humidity of the coast have long made a beeline to this enclave of Dubai emirate on weekends. Scattered with palm trees and cradled by the jagged contours of the Hajar peaks, Hatta is a chilled-out mountain retreat within easy reach of the city.…

Rising majestically from manicured gardens and visible from the bridges joining Abu Dhabi Island to the mainland, the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque is an impressive welcome to the city. With more than 80 marble domes on a roof-line held aloft by 1000 pillars and punctuated by four 107m-high minarets, it's a masterpiece of…

For most people, the United Arab Emirates means just one place: Dubai, the sci-fi-esque city of iconic skyscrapers, palm-shaped islands, city-sized malls, indoor ski slopes and palatial beach resorts. But beyond the glitter awaits a diverse mosaic of six more emirates, each with its own character and allure. Oil-rich Abu…