Abu Dhabi over the next few weeks is home to a greater than usual collection of meaty intellectual treats. There’s the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair on 2nd to 7th March, for instance, and that features one of NYU Institute’s interesting musings about intellectual endeavour in geographic reality – how does a writer ground himself in a physical location that may be entirely foreign to them?

That’s a situation many expats will recognise, whether or not they see themselves as authors. It follows the end of Disorientation II, an exhibition of works by artists from a number of Middle Eastern countries which look at Arab cities under stress – particularly from the failure of Jamal Abdel-Nasser´s plans for pan-Arab unity and the often awkward interface between Arab nationalism, local nationalism and the challenges of Westernisation.

Abu Dhabi Classics continues, of course, and its spin-off Al Ain Classics is just getting under way. The first Abu Dhabi International Sculpture Symposium – an interesting collaboration between a number of local organisations – will see seminars, lectures and live-action sculpting from an international group of artists from 25th February onwards.

Akhram Khan is coming, too; he is one of the most exciting choreographers of his generation, internationally acclaimed for his cross-cultural, cross-disciplinary work. He’s bringing a new solo piece called Gnosis to Abu Dhabi on 25th and 26th February, and if he doesn’t get a full house there’s no justice in the world.

He probably will. Abu Dhabi is rapidly developing as a regional powerhouse of cultural and intellectual activity. It’s just what the Emirate needs to underpin the commercial acumen and the oil wealth.

Dennis Jarrett