Beyond culture, Abu Dhabi is doubling down on theme park tourism. Yas Island's vast entertainment zone is expanding, with Warner Bros. World Abu Dhabi adding a Harry Potter extension and Yas Waterworld building an additional mega-zone of slides and rides. Plans are also progressing for the Middle East's first Disneyland, set to break ground on Yas in the coming years. It's all an ambitious experiment that's a long way from the yards and sand forts that once defined the city. – Mike MacEacheran