Sheikh Zayed Road is a major highway in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) that runs through the city of Dubai and connects us to Abu Dhabi, the capital of the UAE.
It’s a bit hard to miss, given its prominence on the map. Whether southbound towards Abu Dhabi or northbound to Sharjah and beyond, you’ve no doubt travelled on E 11 - or SZR as it’s also known.
The name itself is in honor of the UAE’s first President, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan.
Interestingly, it goes by other names in different parts of the country! Here’s some other things to know about Sheikh Zayed Road:
Construction: this began in 1971 and was completed in 1980.
Length: Sheikh Zayed Road is an 8-lane motorway and is over 500km in length, stretching from Abu Dhabi right up to Ras Al Khaimah. It’s the longest road in the UAE.
Speed limit: It varies from 100-120km/h for most of the length.
Landmarks: Sheikh Zayed Road is home to many of Dubai's iconic landmarks, including the Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest building, and the Dubai Mall, one of the largest shopping centers in the world. You’ll also spot the world’s most beautiful building - the Museum of the Future, with its unmistakable curved shape and exquisite Arabic calligraphy, along with Emirates Towers, Mall of the Emirates (and Ski Dubai!) and you’ll also spot the luxurious Burj Al Arab in the distance.
Public transport: Dubai Metro is the main form of public transportation that tracks alongside most of the Dubai portion of Sheikh Zayed Road. This is in conjunction with bus services that run alongside.
Accommodation: dotted all along Sheikh Zayed Road are a plethora of high rise buildings which serve both commercial and residential purposes. There’s also lots of hotels, mostly in the Downtown Area near the Burj Khalifa.
Tolls: there’s toll gates in the Dubai portion of SZR and they’re called Salik. You can read more about Dubai's road tolls here.
Sheikh Zayed Road is a joy to drive on and even if you happen to get stuck in traffic, there’s plenty of things to check out along this well maintained stretch of road!
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