Living in Madinat Zayed

Madinat Zayed is a small city and is the capital of the western region. It is an hour and a half drive from the main city of Abu Dhabi to the town of Madinat Zayed. You travel west along the coastal highway for about an hour and then turn south and drive another half hour inland. MZ is not far from the southern border of the emirate of Abu Dhabi, along the leading edge of the Rub Al Khali, the world's largest sand desert, which is also the border with Saudi Arabia.  The western region, collectively known as "Al Gharbia" is the ancestral origin of the Emirati people and the traditional culture and heritage is still widely practiced and proudly preserved in this area. Camel racing, horse racing and falcon hunting are popular and competitions are frequent. Traditionally an agricultural and camel farming area, MZ has recently been the site of many large industrial projects and there is rapid growth and expansion occurring in the region. Much of the oil produced by the emirate comes from the western region.

MZ, like most small towns, has all the basic necessities, but lacks the cosmopolitan nightlife, museums and huge malls of the main city. MZ does have the following:

Two hospitals and two medical clinics
Two supermarkets
A small mall with clothing stores, shoe stores, a children's store, miscellaneous specialty stores and a small food court
Western food chain outlets (Popeye's Chicken, Baskin Robbins Ice Cream, Kentucky Fried Chicken, Pizza Hut)
A fresh fish market and fresh fruit and vegetable market
A 5-star resort hotel (Tilal Liwa Hotel)
Many large, well-maintained public gardens and parks
Banks and various other locally owned stores (office supplies, cell phone stores, hardware, appliances, etc..)
A post office

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Teachers live in rented housing provided by the school. Glenelg School in MZ has rentals in three different complexes, all within 3-5 driving distance to the school.

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