They are just some of the buildings that define the UAE. But what is the story behind them? In the third part of our summer series celebrating the country’s architecture, we look at the history behind Abu Dhabi's Main Bus Terminal.
Four years before Abu Dhabi’s Main Bus Terminal opened, expectations were very high.
Officials said the building planned for the city centre was partly inspired by the famous “shell roofs” of Australia’s Sydney Opera House.
It was to be an elegant and simple structure to make travel a comfortable experience.
“The shell-type design is featured in the central station by the sloping roof over the main departure area and its wings which cover the arrival and departure areas,” the Gulf News report from December 26, 1985 said.
Coverage of the planned terminal appeared frequently in the UAE press throughout the 1980s, and for good reason. The population was surging, and from 14 buses serving Abu Dhabi in 1979, more than 230 plied routes in the emirate by 1988, local reports said, putting huge pressure on the station on Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Street (Airport Road).
This was a pivotal moment in Abu Dhabi’s urban expansion and several key official buildings were going up amid a building boom in the emirate. The new terminal was one of those.
A public transport transformation
When it opened on March 13, 1989, the station heralded a new era for public transport. Archive photographs show the striking modernist building in all its glory of white concrete and sweeping curves that came together under that sloping roof.
A square structure evoking an airport sits on one side, while a circular space age disc housed the bus inspectors. Four concrete prongs stretch out from the main area to serve as shaded bus bays.
But the story behind the creation of one of the most striking stations in the Middle East has been lost to time. It is one of Eastern European design, forgotten Bulgarian architects and a flow of ideas, architectural exchanges and people set against the backdrop of the Cold War.
Technoexportstroy, a Bulgarian state-owned company, designed the terminal. It was one of many companies from socialist Eastern Europe that had operated across the Middle East and North Africa since the 1950s.
They were more affordable than western peers, appreciated the local sensitivities and stayed to oversee the projects in a time of acute labour shortages in the expanding Gulf.
“Some of the [Technoexportstroy] people were prominent in Bulgaria, and to attract people of similar standing from the West would be much more difficult,” said Prof Lukasz Stanek, author of Architecture in Global Socialism: Eastern Europe, West Africa, and the Middle East in the Cold War.
The Bulgarian couple driving progress in Abu Dhabi
Nowhere was this level of expertise more evident than the bus station, which was the work of Technoexportstroy's distinguished Bulgarian architects Kuno and Stanka Dundakov.
Individually and as a couple, the husband-and-wife team were also responsible for the revamped Vasil Levski National Stadium in Sofia and El Menzah Sports Palace in Tunisia.
“[Stanka] showed great pride in the station,” said Elena Balabanska, a Bulgarian architect who runs a Facebook group called Bulgarian Architecture Abroad. “She looked back fondly on it years after it was completed.”
The terminal is built in the modernist style, and while some have ascribed the label “brutalist” — a term coined in the West to describe post-Second World War concrete structures — it goes beyond these definitions to try to work with the city in a technologically competent and civic way.
Construction was completed by the Zakum company, while two smaller stations, in Tourist Club and Al Bateen, built to complement the terminal also had curved roofs with concrete canopies to provide shade for passengers.
Technoexportstroy designed a number of other important structures in Abu Dhabi, such as a municipality building in the capital and Al Ain, but these were the work of other architects.
What remains striking, however, is how all these official buildings are horizontal in an attempt to engage with the city amid many more taller, vertical ones.
“When I visited Abu Dhabi, I thought that horizontal buildings have a prominence as carriers of prestige: state, religious, civic, cultural,” said Prof Stanek. “The rest of city is vertical — even the buildings bordering the streets, so horizontal buildings stand out.”
Making a global connection
But another legacy of Technoexportstroy in Abu Dhabi was the exchange of ideas, technologies and ways of operating in the UAE between people from Eastern Europe and across the world during the Cold War. Technoexportstroy had an office in the capital and the Dundakovs visited to oversee the work.
“Remember that they were travelling from Eastern Europe, with power cuts in Romania and hardly anything in the shops in Poland, so the Gulf was very attractive also in this respect,” Prof Stanek said.
“But it also provided them with a crucial professional opportunity of learning. The Gulf was a place of experimenting with new ideas and technologies coming from all over the world. It was not an experience of exoticism but an experience of modernity,” he said.
“They were there to learn and that’s a really different approach to many western designers. It was not a third choice for them but a first choice.”
Traces of Technoexportstroy’s work live on not just in the buildings in Abu Dhabi that people still use today, but also in their collaboration with its local partner on the station. Tayeb Engineering used the knowledge gleaned to push on to larger, more complicated projects in the years after.
“If there is a legacy, perhaps it lies in these instances of collaboration and exchange between the local partners such as Tayeb and these Eastern European firms,” Prof Stanek said.
“These exchanges are remembered and the people who came are remembered.”
The station, which was painted a bright green in later years, still serves as Abu Dhabi’s main terminal. A taxi stand built later was part of the Technoexportstroy master plan but not thought to be its architecture.
The two substations in Tourist Club and Al Bateen, meanwhile, have closed. Al Bateen reopened as a mall for a time, while the Tourist Club station was rebranded as check-in terminal for Abu Dhabi airport. But both now stand empty and their fate is unclear.
Many residents name the main terminal as one of their favourite buildings. But the work of the Dundakovs and Technoexportstroy has been largely forgotten and, in the West, often ignored.
“This era has not been talked about much,” said Ms Balabanska, who helped to stage several exhibitions in recent years in Bulgaria dedicated to this architecture.
“[But the] station is one of my favourite buildings,” she said. “It is one that made me start looking into this field.
“The building is timeless with clear lines and brought a very modern look to the capital at this time.”
A version of this article was first published on August 3, 2022
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
Timeline
2012-2015
The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East
May 2017
The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts
September 2021
Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act
October 2021
Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence
December 2024
Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group
May 2025
The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan
July 2025
The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan
August 2025
Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision
October 2025
Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange
November 2025
180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre 4-cylinder petrol
Power: 154bhp
Torque: 250Nm
Transmission: 7-speed automatic with 8-speed sports option
Price: From Dh79,600
On sale: Now
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Martin Sabbagh profile
Job: CEO JCDecaux Middle East
In the role: Since January 2015
Lives: In the UAE
Background: M&A, investment banking
Studied: Corporate finance
Huddersfield Town permanent signings:
- Steve Mounie (striker): signed from Montpellier for £11 million
- Tom Ince (winger): signed from Derby County for £7.7m
- Aaron Mooy (midfielder): signed from Manchester City for £7.7m
- Laurent Depoitre (striker): signed from Porto for £3.4m
- Scott Malone (defender): signed from Fulham for £3.3m
- Zanka (defender): signed from Copenhagen for £2.3m
- Elias Kachunga (winger): signed for Ingolstadt for £1.1m
- Danny WIlliams (midfielder): signed from Reading on a free transfer
The President's Cake
Director: Hasan Hadi
Starring: Baneen Ahmad Nayyef, Waheed Thabet Khreibat, Sajad Mohamad Qasem
Rating: 4/5
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbocharged and three electric motors
Power: Combined output 920hp
Torque: 730Nm at 4,000-7,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel consumption: 11.2L/100km
On sale: Now, deliveries expected later in 2025
Price: expected to start at Dh1,432,000
The team
Photographer: Mateusz Stefanowski at Art Factory
Videographer: Jear Valasquez
Fashion director: Sarah Maisey
Make-up: Gulum Erzincan at Art Factory
Model: Randa at Art Factory Videographer’s assistant: Zanong Magat
Photographer’s assistant: Sophia Shlykova
With thanks to Jubail Mangrove Park, Jubail Island, Abu Dhabi
Company%20profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EName%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Belong%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dubai%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Michael%20Askew%20and%20Matthew%20Gaziano%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Technology%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETotal%20funding%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%243.5%20million%20from%20crowd%20funding%20and%20angel%20investors%3Cstrong%3E%3Cbr%3ENumber%20of%20employees%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2012%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
|
1.
|
United States
|
|
2.
|
China
|
|
3.
|
UAE
|
|
4.
|
Japan
|
|
5
|
Norway
|
|
6.
|
Canada
|
|
7.
|
Singapore
|
|
8.
|
Australia
|
|
9.
|
Saudi Arabia
|
|
10.
|
South Korea
|
More on Palestine-Israeli relations
How the UAE gratuity payment is calculated now
Employees leaving an organisation are entitled to an end-of-service gratuity after completing at least one year of service.
The tenure is calculated on the number of days worked and does not include lengthy leave periods, such as a sabbatical. If you have worked for a company between one and five years, you are paid 21 days of pay based on your final basic salary. After five years, however, you are entitled to 30 days of pay. The total lump sum you receive is based on the duration of your employment.
1. For those who have worked between one and five years, on a basic salary of Dh10,000 (calculation based on 30 days):
a. Dh10,000 ÷ 30 = Dh333.33. Your daily wage is Dh333.33
b. Dh333.33 x 21 = Dh7,000. So 21 days salary equates to Dh7,000 in gratuity entitlement for each year of service. Multiply this figure for every year of service up to five years.
2. For those who have worked more than five years
c. 333.33 x 30 = Dh10,000. So 30 days’ salary is Dh10,000 in gratuity entitlement for each year of service.
Note: The maximum figure cannot exceed two years total salary figure.
The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
- have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
- undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
- A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20APPLE%20M3%20MACBOOK%20AIR%20(13%22)
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EProcessor%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Apple%20M3%2C%208-core%20CPU%2C%20up%20to%2010-core%20CPU%2C%2016-core%20Neural%20Engine%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDisplay%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2013.6-inch%20Liquid%20Retina%2C%202560%20x%201664%2C%20224ppi%2C%20500%20nits%2C%20True%20Tone%2C%20wide%20colour%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EMemory%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%208%2F16%2F24GB%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStorage%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20256%2F512GB%20%2F%201%2F2TB%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EI%2FO%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Thunderbolt%203%2FUSB-4%20(2)%2C%203.5mm%20audio%2C%20Touch%20ID%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EConnectivity%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Wi-Fi%206E%2C%20Bluetooth%205.3%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EBattery%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2052.6Wh%20lithium-polymer%2C%20up%20to%2018%20hours%2C%20MagSafe%20charging%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECamera%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%201080p%20FaceTime%20HD%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EVideo%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Support%20for%20Apple%20ProRes%2C%20HDR%20with%20Dolby%20Vision%2C%20HDR10%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EAudio%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204-speaker%20system%2C%20wide%20stereo%2C%20support%20for%20Dolby%20Atmos%2C%20Spatial%20Audio%20and%20dynamic%20head%20tracking%20(with%20AirPods)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EColours%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Midnight%2C%20silver%2C%20space%20grey%2C%20starlight%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EIn%20the%20box%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20MacBook%20Air%2C%2030W%2F35W%20dual-port%2F70w%20power%20adapter%2C%20USB-C-to-MagSafe%20cable%2C%202%20Apple%20stickers%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20From%20Dh4%2C599%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The Settlers
Director: Louis Theroux
Starring: Daniella Weiss, Ari Abramowitz
Rating: 5/5
RESULTS
Manchester United 2
Anthony Martial 30'
Scott McTominay 90 6'
Manchester City 0
About Tenderd
Started: May 2018
Founder: Arjun Mohan
Based: Dubai
Size: 23 employees
Funding: Raised $5.8m in a seed fund round in December 2018. Backers include Y Combinator, Beco Capital, Venturesouq, Paul Graham, Peter Thiel, Paul Buchheit, Justin Mateen, Matt Mickiewicz, SOMA, Dynamo and Global Founders Capital
The specs
Engine: 5.0-litre V8
Power: 480hp at 7,250rpm
Torque: 566Nm at 4,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: L/100km
Price: Dh306,495
On sale: now
RESULTS
2pm: Handicap (PA) Dh 40,000 (Dirt) 1,200m
Winner: AF Senad, Nathan Crosse (jockey), Kareem Ramadan (trainer)
2.30pm: Maiden (PA) Dh 40,000 (D) 1,000m
Winner: Ashjaan, Fabrice Veron, Eric Lemartinel.
3pm: Maiden (PA) Dh 40,000 (D) 1,700m
Winner: Amirah, Conner Beasley, Ali Rashid Al Raihe.
3.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh 40,000 (D) 1,700m
Winner: Jap Al Yaasoob, Szczepan Mazur, Irfan Ellahi.
4pm: Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan Cup Prestige Handicap (PA) Dh 100,000 (D) 1,200m
Winner: Jawaal, Fernando Jara, Majed Al Jahouri.
4.30pm: Handicap (TB) Dh 40,000 (D) 1,200m
Winner: Manhunter, Ryan Curatolo, Mujeeb Rahman.
The biog
Place of birth: Kalba
Family: Mother of eight children and has 10 grandchildren
Favourite traditional dish: Al Harees, a slow cooked porridge-like dish made from boiled cracked or coarsely ground wheat mixed with meat or chicken
Favourite book: My early life by Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, the Ruler of Sharjah
Favourite quote: By Sheikh Zayed, the UAE's Founding Father, “Those who have no past will have no present or future.”
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Lamsa
Founder: Badr Ward
Launched: 2014
Employees: 60
Based: Abu Dhabi
Sector: EdTech
Funding to date: $15 million
The Gandhi Murder
- 71 - Years since the death of MK Gandhi, also christened India's Father of the Nation
- 34 - Nationalities featured in the film The Gandhi Murder
- 7 - million dollars, the film's budget
