Abu Dhabi, Doha, Dubai, Kuwait City, Manama, and Riyadh?as metropolises of the Arabian Peninsula, all of these cities are connected by more than just geography. They also stand for a booming economy and rapid urban development with avant-garde architecture set amid breathtaking landscapes. And last, but not least, these cities boast a bustling everyday life defined by immigrants from all over the world. Traditions meets western modernity. What is home to one person is a stopover for another. Busy working life collides with a partying mentality. As gigantic places of transit, these metropolises represent transience, but also opportunity and dazzling encounters. Michele Nastasi has captured them all with a distinctive sense of presence, shaping an engaging journey through the cultural diversity and pulsating life of these cities.

00MICHELE NASTASI (*1980, Milan) is known for his photographs of cities and architecture, which are exhibited and published internationally. He holds a PhD in History of Arts from the Ca? Foscari University of Venice, and has done research work on the imagery of architecture.