Dubai Information Sheet - 2 minute guide to Dubai Written by Aidan O'Rourke
2005-08-06
Dubai is the Gulf's leading centre for
trade, commerce, media, travel and tourism. Dubai has grown in 60 years
from a small Arabic style fishing and trading port into a futuristic
city of skyscrapers, shopping malls, parks and superhighways, but still
retaining some of the charm of the old city at its centre.
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There are countless reasons to come to Dubai and most visitors have a
fantastic and memorable Dubai experience.
Here are some Dubai highlights:
Shopping in Dubai
 In Dubai, shopping is cool. Prices
are relatively low and there's a huge range of goods on offer. You can
do the 'Grand Tour' of the shopping malls, stopping off the Bur Juman,
Dubai City Centre, Wafi, Jumeirah and lots more.
The Gold Souq in Deira offers a
traditional souq-style setting with dazzling shop windows full of with
gold and silver. Negotiate for the best price.
Walk through Deira's busy streets
with their tiny stores selling electronic items, cameras, computer
equipment and more at discounted prices. One of Dubai's most high
profile events is the Dubai Shopping Festival.
Sport and leisure in Dubai
Sport and leisure activities in
Dubai revolve around the hotels, many of which have sporting facilities
including swimming pools, health centres and opportunities for beach
sports. Hotels can also arrange tours to camel racing and horse racing
events. Dubai is famous for golf with its world-class golf courses
including the Creek Golf Club.
Dubai sights and attractions
Dubai has some stunning and world famous tourist attractions and
places of interest. My highlights would be:
The Burj Al Arab Hotel - Has to be
seen to be believed. Stay there if you're feeling extravagant, look on
the internet for special offers.
The Madina Jumeirah hotel - an Arab
style palatial fantasy come true. Visit or stay there. Check the
internet for rates.
The Creek, Dubai's sparkling
waterfront, looks like a river but it's an inlet from the Gulf,
overlooked by glittering modern buildings. The Creek is spanned by road
bridges and a tunnel, the best and cheapest way to experience the Creek
is to take an abra or water taxi, or you can hire a boat.
The Gold Souq - Even if you're not
thinking of buying, the Dubai Gold Souq is an experience in itself, and
a magnet for tourists.
The shopping malls, each one
glitzier than the next, the place for window shopping, sipping a coffee,
meeting up with friends and conact. The shopping centres are where
people in Dubai congregate.
The Dubai Museum is a world class
attraction based around the old fort. A multimedia exhibition tells the
story of Dubai from the earlest times to the present day. You must come
here to get a sense of Dubai's history. Nearby Bastakia district gives a
taste of how Dubai used to be.
The Heritage Village, based around
a reconstructed house, aims to recapture the character of a traditional
Gulf Arab village, with crafts, cooking, gift items, camel rides and
more.
Excursions from Dubai
From Dubai you can go in all directions to get a taste of the
wider UAE and its amazing cityscapes and landscapes.
Sharjah, a 15 minute drive from
Dubai, longer at rush hour, is Dubai's next door neighbour and has a
different feel and pace. It too has many shopping centres and
attractions, including the Blue Souqs, or traditional Arabic markets.
The inland town of Hatta belongs to
the emirate of Dubai and is a centre for excursions into the mountains.
You can go on guided tours by 4WD
in the desert with experienced drivers, and stay for an overnight desert
experience at a tourist camp, and get a taste of nighttime Bedouin life
under the stars.
UAE capital Abu Dhabi is 90 minutes
drive to the south and has many attractions, including shopping malls,
the old Fort and a newly created waterfront park.
All these excursions can be
organised from your hotel after you arrive, or you can book them in
advance through your tour operator.
Please ask me
anything you like about Dubai
Got any questions about Dubai? Please contact via the guestbook. Your request will help
me to provide useful and up to date information for the internet
community. Thanks very much to George for the information request on
which this article is based.
You can find more information about
Dubai on the Dubai Tourism website www.dubaitourism.ae
Article and
photos by Aidan O'Rourke, photographer writer. Aidan O'Rourke lived in
the UAE from 1992 to 1996 and has visited Dubai many times. His first
internet feature was 'Postcards from Dubai' written in 1995 and
published on the Virtual Manchester website. He regularly visits the
Gulf to photograph and document the changing face of Dubai and other
destinations. Go to www.aidan.co.uk
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