Wealthy Arab state, Dubia have revealed palms to build a £100m city in the middle of the desert.
The "Mars Science City" project was unveiled at a meeting of the UAE government this week and will consist of gigantic domes covering a 1.9 million-square-foot area.
It will house a team of researchers who will live there for a year carrying out experiments involving food, water and energy needs on the distant planet. The UAE hopes to eventually build a fully-formed Martian settlement within the next 100 years.
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, ruler of Dubai, said: "The UAE is a great country with vision and understanding of the challenges we face and the rapid changes our world is experiencing. We believe in the potential of space exploration, and in collaborating with global partners and leaders in order to harness the findings of this research and movement that seeks to meet people's needs and improve quality of life on Earth."