Judging from the rate at which this city changes, everything I remember has probably been torn down and replaced. I was told that there was practically nothing there 20 years before I arrived. I saw a well organized city, which even had some neat glass skyscrapers among the distinctly middle eastern smaller buildings that were more common. On the way from the airport into town, I was surprised to see nothing but palm trees on either side of the road. We were told that this was just a thin strip, and beyond that was desert. Even in town, every tree had its own automatic irrigation system.
This was one of the most unique places I've visited. There was quite a clash between rich and poor areas (seeing lots of Mercedes running around, and off into the distance, some rather abandonded looking apartment complexes). There were great market places, mosques -whose purpose it seemed was to wake you up early in the morning- , and an overall appearance (local clothing and architecture for example) that was new to me.