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| Dubai
Travel Guide |
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Dubai is known as the
‘Pearl of the Arabian Gulf’and grew up as a seafaring
village along either side of the Creek, a natural harbour for dhow
traders, fishermen and pearl divers. Bur Dubai to the south
and Diera on the northern bank are connected by
a tunnel and two bridges and can also be reached by water
taxi known as abras. Bur Dubai has a number
of old buildings, traditional alleyways and the local souks
or markets. It is also home to the world-famous Gold Souk
and colourful Spice Souk. Glimpses of the past
can be enjoyed from Al Fahidi Fort, the Dubai Museum
that houses, among other things, artifacts recovered from the ancient
graves at Al-Ghusais. Other areas of interest are
the traditional wind tower houses of the Bastakiya district.
At the mouth of the Creek you will come across, the magnificently
restored Sheikh Saeed’s Palace, as well as the diving
and heritage villages. On the Diera side of the creek life is more
cosmopolitan. Here you will find many attractive gardens and first-class
shopping facilities, ranging from Western-style shops to the ancient
souks where perfume, spices, clothing, handicrafts, antiques
and jewels are widely available.
Dubai’s growing tourist industry is based on solid sunshine,
a clean and safe environment, bargain shopping and a wide range
of sporting facilities, golf and water sports. A long corridor of
development alongside the Gulf, extending west and south of Dubai
city to Jebel Ali offers an incredible array of coastal hotels
and resorts. The sporting and recreation complex en route to Jebel
Ali includes an all grass cricket pitch and a golf course. Freshwater
lakes full of Japanese carp can also be seen here.
There are many well-qualified tour companies offering such activities
as camel riding, desert safaris by four-wheel drive, moonlit bedouin
barbeques, sand skiing and dhow cruises. The emirate also holds
the world's richest horse race, The Dubai World Cup, the
popular PGA Desert Classic Golf Tournament, Dubai Shopping Festival
and over 80 major trade exhibitions are some of the high-profile
events bringing business and leisure visitors to the city each year.
By looking at all the newly built structures and futuristic skyline,
it is tempting to think of this emirate as a thoroughly modern creation.
But Dubai’s history goes back to at least the third century
BC, when nomadic tribes struggled to make a living in the arid
deserts. Dubai became an important hub on the ancient trading route
between Mesopotamia and the Indus Valley. By the 19th century, a
fishing village inhabited by the Bani Yas tribe
had taken root on the Shindagha peninsula, at the mouth of Dubai
Creek. This tribe who were led by the Maktoum family,
still presides over Dubai today. As Europe entered into World War
I, Dubai still had no running water, no roads. The main mode of
transport was the camel. Dubai’s success began in the 1960s.
While shaking off the shackles of British colonial rule, oil was
struck in 1966.
Incredible wealth came to this small emirate in a short time. Dubai
drew in billions of dollars from the sale of oil. The money
that was wisely invested in building up infrastructure. Contrary
to popular beliefs about Dubai oil only accounts for 10% of the
economy. Today the emirate has expanded its portfolio into trade,
service industries, finance, light industry and tourism. Another
myth is the idea that alcohol is completely banned. In the city’s
numerous hotels, bars and restaurants, drinks flows freely. With
gleaming skyscrapers vying for attention along Dubai Creek the astronomical
wealth on display cannot be ignored. Even more elaborate is government
sponsored construction projects that are underway. The latest is
Palm Islands, a massive undertaking that will bring 120
km (75 miles) of new beachfront creating the world’s
two largest man-made islands, as well as hotels, villas,
shopping malls, cinemas and Dubai’s first marine park.
Even though Dubai is one of the hottest and arid places on earth
, there are four first-rate golf courses and more on
to come. Now underway is the construction of an indoor ski
slope with real snow scheduled to open in late
2006. Dubai does not take short cuts. With some of the
world’s tallest and most expensive buildings with top designers
brought in to supervise the ever more elaborate projects. Dubai
has become a real playground for the rich and famous. Now with
almost 400 hotels, first-class shopping and plenty of space
for future development, there is also enough room for tourists of
every budget.
Dubai enjoys an ideal climate for much of the year. Constant sunshine
and very little rainfall is the forecast for most days. During the
summer months the heat is extreme and making trips away from air-conditioned
cars and buildings somewhat challenging. |
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