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Dubai Facts and Information
Before we take a tour on the tourist attractions in Dubai, let us take a look
at some facts and information about this city.
Dubai is one of the seven emirates that made up the oil rich United
Arab Emirates or UAE for short and is located in the eastern Arabian
Peninsula. It is also UAE's main city and is sometimes called Dubai City.
The emirate of Dubai was created with the formation of the UAE in the
year 1971 although there are documents suggesting that the city have existed a
century or two before the formation of UAE. With a population of about 1.5
million people, Dubai has the largest population in comparison to the other
emirates and is the second largest emirate by area, after Abu Dhabi.
However, according to the census done by the Statistics Center of Dubai,
only about 17 percent its population is made up of UAE nationals and the rest
are made up of expatriates, foreign workers and tourists on vacation holidays.
Arabic is the official language of Dubai, but Persian, Malayalam, Urdu,
Bengali, Tamil, English, Hindi, and Tagalog are widely spoken because of the
many foreigners living in this city.
UAE's Constitution declares Islam as the official state religion of the
emirates and as such, the government subsidizes almost 95 percent of all
mosques and employs all imams (religious teachers and authorities).
Tourist Attractions In Dubai
Dubai City is not a tour destination that it is easily explored on foot since
many of its tourist attractions such as Deira and Jumeirah Beach are located
far apart from each other.
Let us take a tour on some of the more popular tourist attractions and
sightseeing sites in Dubai :-
Bastakiya – Bastakiya district is located at East of Dubai Souk
on Al-Fahidi Street.
Way back in the days before there was electricity for fans and
air-conditioning, Dubai Creek used to have numerous wind towers that kept the
homes cool from the blistering dessert heat. Touring the Bastakiya district is
like taking a step back in time travel because of the many traditional
courtyard houses still have the wind towers.
The Bastakiya district is now undergoing massive reconstruction for its
transformation into a "tourist village".
Palm Islands – The famous Palm Islands (so called because of its
palm like shape), is actually a grouping of three islands and is said to be
visible from the moon. The Palm Island is an incredible largest manmade island
in the world. A large part of Palm Islands is still undergoing tremendous
construction at the time of writing this article.
There are about 7,000 apartments and 1,800 villas and
townhouses on The Palm, Jumeirah. Jumeirah will also offer an outstanding
array of retail and lifestyle options for residents and tourists when
construction is fully completed.
The Golden Mile when completed will offer the
world's most exclusive brands with an international array of boutiques, shops,
restaurants and cafes.
As an exclusive tie up between The Trump Organization and
Nakheel Group, The Palm Jumeirah will feature a number of Trump properties,
including The Palm Trump International Hotel and Tower.
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The Crescent Island will feature luxurious
international hotels in Dubai and situated near The Crescent are a number
of fascinating dive sites to thrill scuba divers.
Sheikh Saeed Al-Maktoum's House - Sheikh Saeed Al-Maktoum's
House, near Al-Shindagha Tunnel, Al-Shindagha Road is one of the oldest homes
in the city, as well as one of the best examples of traditional Arabic
architecture. The house was built exclusivly with sandstone in 1896 and offers
panoramic views of the sea. Sadly though, the fantastic view is now slightly
obscured by the more modern developments.
The Sheikh who was a former ruler of Dubai used the house to monitor
trading in and out of the country. This tourist attraction was reopened as a
museum in 1986 contains an exhibition showcasing the development of Dubai from
1940s to1960s.
Children's City – Tourists with children will be delighted to
take the kids the Children's City, located at Creekside Park. The Children's
City was opened in 2002 and is a smashing hit children and their delighted
parents.
This 7,700 sq-m (83,000 sq ft) wonderland takes young minds on a journey
through the human body, science and space, with the help of different 'zones'.
There are also plenty of hands-on activities to keep even the most playful
children occupied. All exhibits in this city are in English and Arabic.
Jumeirah Mosque - The Jumeirah Mosque on Al-Jumeirah Road is
perhaps the most photographed building by tourists in Dubai because of its
impressive example of modern Islamic architecture. Built along medieval
Fatimid lines and entirely of stone, the Jumeirah Mosque with its two minarets
is particularly beautiful in the night when subtle lighting increases the
mosque's dramatic effect.
Grand Mosque - The Grand Mosque in Ali ibin Ali Talib Street was
only rebuilt in 1998 with the city's tallest minaret standing at an impressive
70m (231ft) tall.The Grand Mosque is made up of nine large domes and 45
smaller ones. This mosque can accommodate up to 1,200 worshippers.
Souks - The souks, or traditional markets, are one of Dubai's
most popular tourist attractions. The souks are located on both sides of the
creek, with the most impressive ones on the Deira side.
The highlight of this tourist attraction is the colorful and bustling
Spice Market where tourist can find local delights like exotic perfumes and
watch noisy locals bargaining with vendors.
Dubai Museum – Not to be missed is the Dubai Museum in Al-Fahidi
Fort. The museum itself is actually a historic fort, dating back to 1799. It
was only converted into a museum in 1970. The exhibits in the museum ranges
from ancient weapons, pearl-diving outfits to an impressive range of military
artifacts.
Some of the most intriguing exhibits are those discovered from the 3000
to 4000-year-old graves at Al-Ghusais.
Heritage Village - The Heritage Village is located at Shindagha
Tunnel, Al-Shindagha Road and as the name suggests, it is an attempt to weave
in some local traditional heritage in contrast to Dubai's rapidly developing
modern skyline.
The objective of the project is to recreate the Bedouin way of life,
with locals dressed up in traditional Arabic garbs, exhibit traditional
handicrafts, music and dance.
Jumeirah Beach – Although much of the famous pristine crystal clear
water of Jumeirah Beach located at Al-Jumeirah Road is dominated by luxury
hotels and 5 star accommodations, some of the hotels do allow non hotel guests
to use their pools and stretches of beach if they dine at the hotels or pay a
nominal usage fee.
With so many tourist attractions, is it any wonder why Dubai is one of
the most popular tourist destination in the world? – Dubai
Tourist Attractions was posted on 25 Jan 2008
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