The extent of development in the Arabian Peninsula has been phenomenal: this region now has some of the most advanced contemporary architecture in the world. During the last few years, in order to adjust to the imminent depletion of the natural resources that have provided the region's wealth for the past decades the countries on the southern coast of the Persian Gulf have restructured their economies, which were based on the export of hydrocarbons, towards finance and tourism, but without forgetting their cultural roots. Tradition and modernity either stunningly contrast or beautifully fuse in the architectural projects by the most important architects and design studios. These projects are inspired by Islamic architecture, incorporating Islamic decorative motifs and age-old structural solutions for coping with the extreme Arabian climate. The architectural plans also reinterpret the urban layouts of Arabian cities.