Dubai is the quintessential home of sand, sun and shopping. A
century ago, it was a tranquil town whose coral-and-gypsum huts
housed Bedouin traders and pearl divers. Today the merchants have
gone international and science-fiction skyscrapers stand alongside
the mosques and wind towers of Old Dubai.
The audacity of the city's rulers is breathtaking. Running out of
coastline to build hotels? Build vast artificial islands with 120km
(74.5mi) of new beachfront. Need better connections with the world?
Build up an award-winning international airline in 15 years.
Need some publicity? Stage the world's richest horse race,
million-dollar lotteries, international tennis and golf tournaments,
and a month-long shopping festival. Need a few landmarks for people
to recognise? Up goes the world's tallest and most lavish hotel,
perched on an artificial platform, and a city skyline to boggle the
eye.
Time Zone: GMT/UTC +4 (Standard Time)
Telephone Area Code: 4
When to Go
When to Go
The best time of the year to visit Dubai is between November and April,
when the weather is coolest. The rest of the year you're more likely
to be running from one air-conditioned environment to the next
instead of getting out and exploring. Ramadan, which takes place at a
different time each year on the Western calendar, is the Muslim
month of fasting and is strictly adhered to throughout the UAE. That
means that it's illegal, not to mention rude, to eat, drink or
smoke in public from sunrise to sunset at this time. On the up side,
hotel rates drop up to 70%.
This district, on the waterfront east of the Dubai Souq and Diwan,
features a number of traditional wind-tower houses. Built in the
late 1800s, the quarter was once the home of wealthy Persian
merchants, most of them from the Bastak district and lured to Dubai
by its relaxed trade tariffs.
Bur Dubai Souq has been beautifully rebuilt to appeal to
shopping-mad tourists, but mostly caters to the Indian and Pakistani
expat community. It does not sell many Arabian things, but is
certainly the place to purchase a custom-made sari.
Deira's celebrated Gold Souq attracts buyers from all over the world.
Pass through its wooden lattice archways and you'll find great
dazzling heaps of gold chains, rings, earrings, bracelets and every
other kind of jewellery. It also sells silver.
This souk has more of an Indian flavour than an Arabic one. It sells
just about everything, but notably textiles, clothes, kitchenware,
walking sticks, and all the henna you'll ever need.
Dubai's waterfront epitomizes the city's personality. If you do only one
touristy thing in Dubai, make sure to visit Dubai Creek and see the
grand trading port from the water. You can book a cruise or abra
(small boat) for an hour or so; ask the captain to take you to
Al-Maktoum Bridge and back. It's also worth taking some time to walk
around the dhow wharfage on the Deira side of Dubai Creek, to the
west of the abra dock. Dhows bound for ports from Kuwait to Mumbai
(Bombay) dock here to unload just about everything, including
kitchen sinks.
Dubai Museum
Dubai Museum

The Dubai Museum is housed inside the Al-Fahidi Fort, which was built in
the late 1790s, and is believed to be the city's oldest building.
The museum has collections of everything from Arabian sailing boats
to the curved daggers known as khanjars. There are multimedia and
interactive displays, and all the exhibits have captions in Arabic
and English.
This multidomed mosque boasts the city's tallest minaret. The mosque
might appear to be a beautiful example of restoration work, but it
was in fact built in the 1990s. As well as being the centre of
Dubai's religious and cultural life, the original mosque was also
home to the town's kuttab (Quranic school) where children learnt to
recite the Quran from memory.
Maintaining the style of the original Grand Mosque, which dated from
1900 and was knocked down to make way for another mosque in 1960,
its sand-coloured walls and wooden shutters blend in perfectly with
the surrounding old quarter of Bur Dubai.
Built in 1896, this was once the home of the ruling Al-Maktoum family.
It was built using traditional methods, from coral coated with lime
and plaster. Inside there's an interesting exhibition of photographs
showing how little time it took for Dubai to go from a little
fishing and pearling town to a big money, resort-style oil city.
Dhow Building Yard

Down at the dhow building yards you'll see various kinds of Arabian
sailing boats still being built by hand, using traditional tools and
teak and shesham woods. However, not everything at the yard is done
as it has been for centuries: sometimes, after the sails are done,
the boys will pop an engine in.
Hatta, an enclave of Dubai nestled in the Hajar Mountains, is a great
weekend getaway. The main attractions are its relatively cool, dry
climate, the mountain scenery, excellent 4WD options and the
magnificent Hatta rock pools, which are great for a swim, roaring
year-round with plunging waterfalls.
Jumeirah Archaeological Site

Built sometime in the 6th century AD, this township is now the biggest
and perhaps the most significant archaeological site in the UAE.
You'll see the remains of stone walls, a souq, several houses and
what is thought to have been a governor's palace. Objects found on
the site, such as pottery and coins, are on display at the Heritage
Village in Diera.
This lovely grassy park adjoins Jumeirah Beach. It has walkways, kiosks,
barbecue pits, picnic tables and a children's play area. The long
stretch of beach is clean, lined with shady palm trees, and
regularly patrolled by lifeguards. The women's only days are an
opportunity for the ladies to get a tan without unwanted male
attention.
smile~
(^-^)
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