Dubai is the largest and most populous city in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). It is located on the southeast coast of the Persian Gulf and is the capital of the Emirate of Dubai, one of the seven emirates that make up the country. Abu Dhabi is the capital city of the United Arab Emirates .
Beautiful beaches of the Persian Gulf.
Year Round Sunshine, Pristine Beaches,
spectacular sand dunes and pulsating cosmopolitan lifestyle await every guest in the UAE. These emirates known around the world for its massive oil reserves and majestic mosques with towering minarets. These, combined with the distinct Arabic hospitality, mystique, and world-class infrastructure, make the UAE an excellent destination both for the experienced and novice traveler.
Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, Abu Dhabi. Click on pictures to supersize them.
Abu Dhabi city bursts with dazzling business-cum-leisure facilities ranging from state-of-the-art convention center, luxurious hotels, spas, designer golf courses, theaters and very soon, some of the world’s most famous museums. The palace-like shopping malls and indigenous souks in Abu Dhabi make for a great shopping expedition. Gastronomic treats further abound from cool and sophisticated cafes, clubs and restaurants. For the fitness conscious, jogging and cycling are a welcome treat in along the city’s charming Cornice or beachfront, merely minutes away from the bustling city center.
Abu Dhabi business center and the Yas Island F1 Circuit with Ferrari F1 Theme park. The yearly Abu Dhabi Gran Prix is held here. Also water parks, hotels, beaches and marina round off the entertaining range .
Oil Created the United Arab Emirates.
Although stone tools have been found at many archaeological sites, little is known about the UAE’s early inhabitants as only a few settlements have been found. Many ancient towns in the area were trading centers between the Eastern and Western worlds. The remnants of an ancient mangrove swamp, dated at 7000 BC, were discovered during the construction of sewer lines near Dubai Internet City.
Oil, Oil, Oil, the billions they pump out.
Under British occupation of the region in the 1800s, the various tribes, called sheikdoms, had constant disagreements and wars largely due to British influences. This prevented solidarity among the sheikdoms that would have been a threat to the British power. In 1892, Britain signed a treaty with the sheikhdoms that prohibited the ruling sheikhs from establishing any political or economic relations with any other nation. Essentially, they were not allowed to talk to any nation except Great Britain. In return, Britain offered the protection of its royal forces against any enemies.
British imperialism (top left) in the Middle East. The other 3 pics are from the fine article „How the British Screwed Up the Middle East“. A history in 10 Classic Cartoons by Sambourne, in Punch 1907.
The Sun Never Sets on the British Empire.
This phrase was often used to describe the British Empire at the peak of its power as the largest empire in history. Covering 13.01 million square miles of land, almost one-fourth of the world, the empire encompassed about 458 million people in 1938 through overseas colonies, dominions, protectorates, trading posts and mandates.
Old creek in Dubai, 1950.
Perlers rowing into Dubai old creek, 1950.
In the early 1900s, worldwide interest in the Middle East started to focus on oil. British officials saw this as a threat to the holding of their Middle East colonies. To prevent the interest in independence that oil wealth would bring, Britain obtained pledges from several colonies to not explore for, or export oil, without permission from the British government. The pledges did not work however. Oil was discovered and did create great wealth for the area. This ultimately led to the ousting of the British occupation and the eventual development of the United Arab Emirates.
British-Arabian land rover desert patrol, 1960.
With this newfound oil wealth, the rulers of the UAE saw opportunity for their people. They built schools, roads, and hospitals that quickly changed the region into a developing country. This evolution also brought about a desire for independence from Britain. After a decade of political maneuverings and military battles, Britain pulled out of the area completely in 1968.
Jumeirah Beach Road and a barrel of Caltex oil on same road, 1975.
Dubai.
As of 2012, Dubai was the 22nd most expensive city in the world and the most expensive city in the Middle East. In 2014, Dubai’s hotel rooms were rated as the second most expensive in the world, after Geneva.
Dubai as it looks today. Click on pic to size up.
During my/our travel, dozens of times, between Europe and Australia we had fantastic stopovers in Dubai, first with Qantas, later with Emirates, to me one of the best airlines in the world. The following article should give you a glimpse of our stays during the years.
Dubai Beach Road in the 1990’s.
The desert playground of Dubai is a bit of an enigma. It’s part of the Muslim world, yet has a nightlife that rivals Sin City. It’s dripping with money, yet is built by impoverished slave labor. Middle East and western values collide in this eclectic city of extremes. Many foreigners who visit are impressed by its modern beauty and enchanted by its vestiges of old world charm.
Dubai Beach Road 25 years on ! What an evolution !
Others are are offended by its culture of excess and overwhelmed by its striking contrasts. Dubai is certainly not for everyone, but for adventurous travelers who thrill at stepping out of their comfort zone, it presents a luxurious cosmopolitan hub like no other. If you want to experience the impact between rich and poor and between different cultures and religions, Dubai (or the whole UAE) is a MUST SEE destination.
Multi-national, multi-cultural, multi-religious & more.
Some Mind Blowing Facts About Dubai.
It’s Not All About Oil.
You may be surprised to learn that oil industry comprises only 6% of Dubai’s economy. Tourism and real estate are the real money drivers here.
The tourist dollar is driving the Emirates today.
They Don’t Call It The “City of Gold” For Nothing.
In 2013, almost 40% of the world’s physical gold traded in Dubai, almost $75 billion worth weighing 2,250 tonnes. The city has over 800 jewelry retailers, the dazzling Gold Souk being a major center for this.
Gold Souk in Dubai, tonnes and tonnes of gold in every shop.
The seven-star luxury Burj Al Arab hotel has 1,790 square meters of 24-carat gold leaf covering in its interior. The Raffles Dubai spa offers gold-leaf facial treatments. You can even buy gold bars from vending machines in Dubai. What’s next, streets paved with gold? Not quite, but a $7.5 million solid gold Lamborghini Aventado was showcased at the Dubai Auto Show a few years back.
Gold vending machine in Abu Dhabi (pic wikimedia) and a solid gold Lamborghini.
Tennis Or Golf Extreme.
You’ve probably heard about the indoor ski hill and snow park in the Mall of the Emirates, but did you know the world’s highest tennis court is located in Dubai? The circular roof of the over-luxurious Burj Al Arab hotel, usually used as a helipad, has also been used as a crazy sky-high tennis court. In fact, Andre Agassi and Roger Federer once played an edgy match on its vertigo-inducing surface. Glad neither of them went for that long shot.
Tennis on the 200 meter high helipad. Or a wedding ceremony or a golf bunker shot made by Rory McIlroy. Dubai extreme !
Camel Races Have Robot Jockeys.
A more appropriate desert sport is camel racing. Traditionally, the animals were ridden by small children, as camel backs can only support so much weight. However, human rights activists rightly kicked up a fuss about the dangers of camel racing for exploited youngsters. So, Dubai’s ingenious solution was to develop kid-sized robots to ride in their multi-million dollar camel racing tournaments.
Each robot can cost from US$3000 to $10,000.
Exotic Pets Are A Status Symbol.
It’s not unheard of to see a cheetah in the front seat of a passing car in Dubai. The UAE is cracking down on this due to pressure from animal rights activists, but owning creatures like white lions, white tigers, black jaguars and cheetahs is a sure indicator of extreme wealth, bravery and bragging rights, so it’s an ongoing issue.
No further comment needed, right ?
The Crime Rate Is Nearly Zero.
Well, some petty and white collar crimes do happen, but because of the strict penalties of Muslim law, people watch their step here. Violent crime is extremely rare, and the zero-tolerance policy on drugs keeps that element (mostly) out the equation. Foreign residents and tourists know they’ll be deported or imprisoned for committing any crime in Dubai.
Millions of dollars for fast police cars in Dubai, in-front Dubai police headquarters. Click on pics to size up.
For that reason, it’s considered one of the safest cities in the world, a fact they like to promote. True to their over-the-top style, Dubai police cars include Ferraris, Lamborghinis, Aston Martins and Bentleys in their fleet. Don’t even think about speeding here, as you can’t outrun these super-cars.
What a show, some cars of the police fleet, a Ferrari and a Bugatti (over 3 million Us$ just for the Bugatti) in front, a Bentley and a Lamborghini in second row. Don’t try to mess with them, they can drive like hell.
City Of Superlatives.
Dubai spares no extravagance or expense to achieve its superlative status. It boasts the world’s tallest man made structure, the Burj Khalifa. At a height of 2,717 feet, this skyscraper also lays claim to the world’s highest restaurant, highest outdoor observation deck, highest nightclub and highest mosque.
Burj Khalifa, 828 meters, worlds highest building.
Dubai’s Terminal 3 is the largest airport terminal anywhere. China is picking up (in 2019) with their new terminal in Beijing. The Dubai Mall is the biggest mall in the world, and inside is the largest aquarium ever.
Dubai airport in the 1970’s (left). Now is one terminal, the new terminal 3 of Dubai’s airport (right) bigger then the whole airport 40 years ago.
The Dubai Mall is over 3 km (THREE KILOMETERS) long, the biggest in the world. The aquarium goes over several story’s and one can go right through it. Amazing MUST SEE superlatives on our planet.
Dubai’s artificial islands, the Palm Islands, the World Islands and more. All man made and many more are planned. The red dot shows the location of the „Burj Al Arab“ and the „Jumeirah Beach Hotel“. MUST SEE ??
The Tallest Hotel In the World.
It is the J.W. Marriott Marquis Dubai. One gets the feeling that if any other country tries to outdo Dubai, they will find a way to make something bigger, better and more bad-ass just to top them. And that goes on and on, the superlatives in Dubai or the UAE will never end.
The 2 towers of Marriott’s Marquis Dubai Hotel.
Marriott Marquis, which is 355 meters tall. Around 25% of the 1608 rooms will be suites while both the towers will have a combined car parking facility for over 1.000 vehicles. The US$490 million JW Marriott Marquis Dubai, owned by Emirates Airlines, will have nine restaurants, five lounges and additional entertainment venues.
One of the lounges, Vault Lounge on 72 floor.
The „Green“ Superlative.
One will be surprised how green this city is, right in the middle of a hot desert. For many years Dubai collects and cleans all „grey water“ and uses it to sprinkle parks, road medians, house gardens and much more.
Can you believe that the left picture is made in a living area of a hot desert city ?? And how do they handle the immense need of power and the costly cooling systems ? The answer is solar. The UAE is much much more advanced as the bureaucratic slow country’s in Europe or the Americas. Examples are seen if you look up Green City or Sustainable City .
Burj Al Arab.
Construction of the Island began in 1994 and involved up to 2.000 construction workers during peak construction. It was built to resemble the billowing spinnaker sail of a J-class yacht. Two „wings“ spread in a V to form a vast „mast“, while the space between them is enclosed in a massive atrium.
The „Sail“, only 7 star hotel on the planet.
Donald Trump had massive lawsuits to fight with the Emirates, because he copied the „Sail-Spinnaker-Yacht“ idea in „V-form“ for his „Trump Tower Hotel“ in Panama City, Panama. But as a copy it has not this synonymous mind as the original.
Typical Trump, moneymaking with „Stolen Ideas“.
The architect Tom Wright said „The client wanted a building that would become an iconic or symbolic statement for Dubai; this is very similar to Sydney with its Opera House, London with Big Ben, or Paris with the Eiffel Tower. It needed to be a building that would become synonymous with the name of the country.“
A symbol of the modern Dubai, Burj Al Arab.
The building opened in December 1999 and if one is interested to know more and see how it was build and what kind of philosophy is behind, watch the „Burj Al Arab documentary“, a very interesting 50minutes movie on YouTube.
We watched the „rainbow color show“ several times. All night long they change the colors every few minutes. Lush nights with a glass of cool Chardonnay, sitting on the balcony of Jumeirah Beach Hotel and watching the Burg Al Arab light shows.
Burj Al Arab holds only 28 double-story floors which accommodate 202 bedroom suites. The smallest suite occupies an area of 169 m2 (1,820 sq ft), the largest covers 780 m2 (8,400 sq ft). I have been 3 nights in this hotel and I can tell you, it is a big difference between a 5 star (or what they name it) and this 7 star (only in the world) hotel. I will have a separate post about the hotels, we stayed in Dubai, and their amenities in a few weeks.
Outside the Burj, on ground level, a nice restaurant to watch the sunrise over the ocean during early breakfast or watching the night sky line of Dubai.
Al Muntaha – Al Mahara.
Al Muntaha („The Ultimate“), is located on 27th floor above the Persian Gulf, offering a view of Dubai. The Sky View Bar (200m above) is supported by a full cantilever that extends 27 m (89 ft) from either side of the mast, and is accessed by a panoramic elevator.
Sky View restaurant and helipad, 200m above ground.
Al Mahara („The Oyster“), which is accessed via a simulated submarine voyage, features a large seawater aquarium, holding roughly 990.000 L (260,000 US gal) of water. The wall of the tank, made of acrylic glass in order to withstand the water pressure, is about 18 cm (7.1 inch) thick.
Sitting under water level and dining around this massive aquarium. may be enjoying some kind of a fish dish !?
Sitting at the top of the Symbol of Dubai, having great afternoon tea with an open view of the World Island and Palm Jumeirah with authentic Arabic Hospitality. What could be better?
Enjoy a selection of coffee/tea either sandwiches or cake with pastries served with a choice of homemade jams, plus the mouth-watering clotted cream at the Sky View Bar. A fine glass of champagne will round up this indulgence.
Jumeirah Beach Hotel.
The hotel, which opened in 1997, is operated by the Dubai-based hotelier Jumeirah. The hotel contains 598 rooms and suites, 19 beachfront villas, and 20 restaurants and bars. This wave-shaped hotel complements the sail-shaped Burj Al Arab, which is adjacent to the Jumeirah Beach Hotel.
The „Wave“, 5 star resort along Jumeirah Beach.
The beachfront area where the Burj Al Arab and Jumeirah Beach Hotel are located was previously called Chicago Beach. The hotel is located on an island of reclaimed land offshore of the beach of the former Chicago Beach Hotel. The locale’s name had its origins in the Chicago Bridge & Iron Company which at sometime long back was a welded giant floating oil storage tankers on the site.
Sky lounge on top of the hotel. Fantastic views along the Arabian Gulf beaches. Happy hour up here is a MUST SEE. Just click on pictures to watch a full view.
The old name persisted after the old hotel was demolished in 1997 since „Dubai Chicago Beach Hotel“ was the Public Project Name for the construction phase of the Burj Al Arab Hotel until Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum announced the new name.
View from 200m high Sky restaurant in Burj Al Arab.
When completed in 1997, the Jumeirah Beach Hotel was 93 meters high making it the 9th tallest building in Dubai. Today, it is ranked lower than the 100th tallest building. Despite its lower rankings, the hotel remains a landmark in Dubai. We stayed almost a week in this fantastic 5 star hotel and I can tell you, it was worth every penny.
Stay tuned to an article about those outstanding hotels in the hub Dubai !
