To further their development as a major tourist attraction within the United Arab Emirates, Al Ain is in the beginning stages of development on a state-of-the-art luxury zoo.

Backed by the Abu Dhabi government, the multibillion-dirham resort is expected to be completed by 2014. According to Rebecca Bundhun of The National, the development will include luxury lodges, a five-star hotel with 200 rooms, and over 1,000 villas. The hub will be the wildlife park built in a 900-hectare area, and will be split into three zones: a north Kenyan Park; a North American area; and an Arabian sector.

Although the finished product is not expected until 2014, the building plan will be split into three phases, the first to be completed within two years. This initial phase will include the African area, a hotel, a lodge, and the Sheikh Zayed Desert Learning Center. The Center is named after Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the first President of the UAE and who was born in Al Ain. The main focus of the learning center will be adapting plants and animals into the desert climate, as well as natural history education and conservation efforts.

Built in 1969, the current Al Ain Zoo features such Arabian animals as antelopes, oryx, eland, gazelle, and lechwe. The 400-hectare property will be incorporated into the new luxury zoo.

As the second largest city in the Abu Dhabi Emirate, and 4th largest in the entire UAE, Al Ain is fast developing as a Middle Eastern tourist attraction. Nicknamed “Garden City” due to its vast amount of greenery, Al Ain also boasts other tourist attractions the National Museum, Palace Museum, as well as many oases.

-Affluent Page

[UAE Interact]