Sights in Dubai
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Burj Khalifa
Call it impressive or preposterous, there’s no denying that Burj Khalifa is a ground-breaking feat of architecture and engineering. The world’s tallest building pierces the sky at 828m (seven times the height of Big Ben) and opened on 4 January 2010, only six years after excavations began. Up to 13,000 workers toiled day and night, at times putting up a new floor in as little as three days. Inside Dubai’s own ‘Tower of Babel’ is a mix of offices and apartments; at the time of writing, the sleek Armani Hotel was scheduled to open late in 2010. For visitors, the main attraction is the Observation Deck ‘At the Top’ on the 124th floor. From such lofty heights…
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XVA Gallery
One of Dubai’s best-loved and most reputable galleries, XVA occupies a warren of rooms in a beautifully restored Bastakia courtyard residence. Curators showcase contemporary paintings, sculptures and art installations from regional and international artists. They also organise the annual Bastakiya Art Fair and art-house movie screenings (November to April). The complex also houses the delightful XVA cafe and boutique hotel.
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Burj al-Arab
We’re suckers for trivia, so let’s kick off by telling you that the lobby of the Burj al-Arab is so high, the Statue of Liberty would fit quite nicely into it. Or that the sail-shaped building tops out at 321m, just a few metres shorter than the Eiffel Tower. And here’s one more: 1600 sq metres in the hotel are sheathed in gold leaf. OK, that’s enough. In its first decade since opening, the Burj al-Arab has been more than just the iconic symbol of a booming city in the sand; it has challenged preconceived ideas of what an Arab country in the Middle East can achieve. It’s built on an artificial island 280m offshore from the Jumeirah Beach Hotel, to which it is linked by a…
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Madinat Jumeirah
A city within a city, the Madinat Jumeirah is a Dubai must-see. There’s plenty to do at this fanciful hotel, shopping and entertainment complex with the Burj al-Arab in the background. Explore the Arabian-style architecture, snoop around the splendid Al-Qsar and Mina A’ Salam hotels, or get lost in the labyrinth of the souvenir-saturated souq. There are some exquisite details throughout, so if you see some stairs, take them – they might lead you to a secreted terrace with a mesmerising vista of the sprawling complex. If you’re a hotel guest, or have a restaurant reservation, you can catch the silent abras cruising along the 4km-long network of Venetian-style…
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Nad al-Sheba Club
A passionate love of Arabian thoroughbreds courses through the blood of Emiratis, and the Dubai-based Godolphin stables are well known to horse-racing enthusiasts worldwide. Though racing season officially starts in November, the Dubai International Racing Carnival (late January through March) is when things really heat up. But it’s not the white-linen set that packs these weekly races. It’s the not-so-civilised drunk expats in shorts and T-shirts – at least in the public areas. For access to the stands, you must wear a ‘lounge suit’, basically a jacket and trousers. The season culminates in the Dubai World Cup, the world’s richest horse race, with prize money…
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Dubai Museum
Unless some mad scientist invents a magic time-travel machine, this nifty museum is your ticket to exploring Dubai’s history, culture and traditions in an hour or so. Exhibits are housed in the 1799 Al-Fahidi Fort, considered the oldest building in Dubai and once the seat of government and residence of Dubai’s rulers.
This low-key museum tells the Dubai story with minimal fuss and plenty of charm. Start with a quick spin around the courtyard with its old-time fishing boats and traditional dwellings, including a barasti house with wind tower. Pop behind the heavy carved wooden doors to check out modest displays of instruments and handcrafted weapons before heading down…
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Dubai Aquarium & Underwater Zoo
Dubai Mall’s most mesmerising sight is this gargantuan aquarium where 33,000 submarine beasties flit and dart amid artificial coral and behind the ‘world’s largest acrylic viewing panel’, as recorded in the Guinness Book of Records. Sharks and rays are top attractions, but other crowd-pleasers include a Sumo-sized giant grouper and massive schools of pelagic fish. You can view quite a lot for free from the outside or pay for access to the walk-through tunnel. A highlight here is a darkened cave where you can go nose-to-nose with dozens of toothy sharks. If that’s not close enough, don a wetsuit and join a dive instructor on a shark dive (Dh625 if PADI-certified,…
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Dhow Wharfage
Dhows are long, flat, wooden vessels used in the Indian Ocean and Arabian Sea, and they’ve docked at the Creek since the 1830s when the Maktoums established a free-trade port, luring merchants away from Persia. Today’s dhows trade with Iran, Iraq, Pakistan, Oman, India, Yemen, Somalia and Sudan, and you’ll see them precariously loaded with everything from air-conditioners to chewing gum to car tyres, almost all of it re-exported after arriving by air or container ship from countries like China, South Korea and Singapore. Try to chat to the sailors if you can – if you find one who speaks English, you may learn that it takes a day to get to Iran by sea and seven days to…
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Camel Market
It’s dusty, noisy, pungent and chaotic, but never mind: Al-Ain’s famous camel market is a wonderful immersion in ancient Arabic culture that’s so hard to find in the UAE today. All sorts of camels are holed up in pens, from babies that might grow up to be racers to studs kept for breeding. The intense haggling is fun to watch, but you’ll also quickly realise that you’re as much an attraction to the traders as they are to you (especially if you’re a woman!). Some may try to make you pay for a tour but you’re free to walk around on your own. If you take photos of the animals or their owners (always ask first, of course) it’s nice to give a small tip. Note that the…
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Deira Spice Souq
Just follow your nose to the best buys at this atmospheric souq. The guttural singsong of Arabic bounces around the lanes of this small covered market as stallholders work hard on you to unload aromatic frankincense, dried lemons, chillies or exotic herbs and spices. This ain’t no Istanbul-like bazaar but it’s still worth a half-hour of your time to take in the wonderfully restored wind towers and the pungent aromas from the jute sacks. Since this is a working souq, not a tourist attraction, the tiny shops also sell groceries, plastics and other household goods to locals and sailors from the dhows. Good buys include incense burners, saffron, rose water, henna kits and…
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Sheikh Saeed Al-Maktoum House
The grand courtyard house of Sheikh Saeed, the grandfather of current Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammed, is the crown jewel of the restored Shindagha Heritage Area. Built in 1896, under Sheikh Maktoum bin Hasher al-Maktoum, the house was home to the ruling family until Sheikh Saeed’s death in 1958. Aside from being an architectural marvel, the building now doubles as a museum of pre-oil times, with a neat collection of photographs of Dubai taken in the 1940s and ’50s on the Creek, in the souqs and at traditional celebrations. Other rooms feature coins, stamps and documents dating back as far as 1791, as well as an interesting display on pearl diving.
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Majlis Ghorfat Um-al-Sheef
It is unusual to find a traditional building still standing so far from the Creek, but this one has been well restored and is worth a quick stop. The two-storey structure was built in 1955 as a summer residence of the late Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed al-Maktoum. Made of gypsum and coral rock with a palm frond roof and a wind tower, it provided a cool retreat from the heat. The palm tree garden features a traditional falaj irrigation system. The actual majlis (meeting room) upstairs is decorated with cushions, rugs, a coffee pot, pottery and food platters, and is pretty close to the way it would have looked in Sheikh Rashid’s day.
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Lost Chambers
This fantastical labyrinth of underwater halls, passageways and fish tanks recreates the legend of the lost city of Atlantis. Some 65,000 exotic marine creatures inhabit 20 aquariums, where rays flutter and jelly fish dance, moray eels lurk, and pretty but poisonous lion fish float. The centrepiece is the 11 million-litre Ambassador Lagoon. For 18 months its ‘star attraction’ was Sammy, an endangered whale shark captured off the coast of Dubai in 2008. Bowing to international pressure from animal rights activists, the magnificent creature was finally released back into the open sea in March 2009.
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Dhow-Building Yard
The gorgeous, traditional old dhows you see on Dubai Creek are still built by hand in the traditional style on the Creek waterfront, in Jaddaf, about 1km south of Al-Garhoud Bridge. Here, craftsmen use basic tools (a hammer, saw, chisel, drill and plane) to curve and fit sturdy teak planks, one on top of the other, before fitting the frame on the inside of the boat. Be impressed: this is in contrast to Western boat-building techniques where the frame is generally built first, and the planks fitted to it. These days, of course, the blokes pop an engine on the back before sliding it into the Creek.
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Ras al-Khor Wildlife Sanctuary
Right in the heart of the city, Ras al-Khor Wildlife Sanctuary is an amazing nature preserve. Pretty pink flamingos steal the show in winter, but in fact avid birdwatchers can spot more than 250 species in this pastiche of salt flats, intertidal mudflats, mangroves and lagoons. At the mouth of Dubai Creek, the sanctuary is also an important stopover on the East African–West Asian Flyway. There are three hides (platforms) with fantastically sharp binoculars for close-ups of the birds without disturbing them. The flamingo roost is off the junction of Al-Wasl and Oud Metha Rds.
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Al-Ahmadiya School
Dubai’s first school was founded by the pearl merchant Sheikh Ahmed bin Dalmouk and welcomed its first students, all boys, in 1912. You can see the original classroom where they squeezed behind wooden desks to learn the Holy Quran, grammar, Arabic calligraphy, mathematics, literature and astronomy. Otherwise, exhibits are pretty basic but the building itself is not: note the exquisite detail, especially the intricate carving within the courtyard arches and the decorative gypsum panels outside the entrance. It remained in use as a school until the student body outgrew the premises in 1963.
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Heritage & Diving Villages
On the Shindagha waterfront, the Heritage and Diving Villages are outdoor museums intended to acquaint tourists with the region’s traditional arts, customs and architecture. This is where you can nibble on piping-hot dosas (paper-thin lentil-flour pancakes) made by burka-clad women, pose with a falconer, hop on a camel or browse around touristy souqs. Alas, the villages are usually pretty quiet year-round, except during Eid celebrations and the Dubai Shopping Festival, when unusual traditional activities such as rifle-throwing competitions bring in the curious.
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Jumeirah Mosque
If you want to learn about Islamic religion and culture, beat a fast track to this splendid, intricately detailed mosque (stunningly lit at night). It’s the only one in Dubai that’s open to non-Muslims, but only during guided tours operated by the Sheikh Mohammed Centre for Cultural Understanding, which wrap up with a Q&A session. There’s no need to pre-book; just register at the mosque before the tour. Show up dressed modestly (no shorts, back and arms should be covered and women need to wear a headscarf) and remove your shoes before entering. Cameras are allowed.
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Grand Mosque
More than 50 small and large domes lorded over by Dubai’s tallest minaret (70m high, if you must know) give this huge mosque its distinctive silhouette. It’s much younger than it looks, dating back only to 1998, but is in fact a replica of the original one from 1900. As well as being the centre of Dubai’s religious and cultural life, the original Grand Mosque was also home to the town’s kuttab school, where children learned to recite the Quran from memory. Like all Dubai mosques except Jumeirah Mosque, it’s off limits to non-Muslims.
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Al-Mamzar Park
This lush landscaped park is one of Dubai’s hidden gems. It stretches across a couple of very pleasant kilometres on a small headland at the mouth of Khor al-Mamzar. Situated on an attractive inlet, just across from Sharjah, there are lovely white sandy beaches, a swimming pool, barbecues, and kiosks. For kids there are also plenty of open spaces and play areas and a wooden castle. Lifeguards are on duty between 8am and 6pm on at least one of the small beaches. Friday is busy, but during the week you can have the place to yourself.
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Souq al-Arsa
Back in the 19th century, Sharjah’s ‘who’s who’ lived just inland from the Corniche, between Burj Ave and Al-Maraija Rd, today’s so-called Heritage Area. Many of the beautiful residences have been authentically restored using traditional materials such as sea rock, coral and gypsum. Just take an aimless wander through this labyrinthine quarter to come upon the atmospheric Souq al-Arsa, the oldest souq in the UAE. The traditional coffeehouse inside is a great stop for a reviving mint tea and plate of dates.
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Jumeirah Archaeological Site
This is one of the most significant archaeological sites in the UAE, but there’s so little left to see that it’s really only of interest to folks with more than a passing interest in the remote past. With origins in the 6th century AD, the settlement was once a caravan stop on a route linking Iraq and Oman and is interesting in that it spans the pre-Islamic and Islamic eras. Pottery, tools, coins and other items unearthed here are displayed at Dubai Museum and the Heritage Village.
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Badiyah Mosque
Badiyah (also spelt Bidyah and Bidiya) is known mainly for its mosque. Thought to be the oldest in the UAE (possibly dating back to the early 15th century), it’s a small and simple structure, adorned with four pointed domes and resting on an internal pillar. A sign says that non-Muslims are not allowed to enter, but the resident imam will not take offence if you do catch a peek as long as you are modestly dressed, take off your shoes and cover your head (women only).
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Za’abeel Park
This 51-hectare park has gorgeous lakes, ponds, a jogging track, a skateboard park, a BMX track and retail and food facilities – not to mention fabulous views of the Sheikh Zayed Rd skyline. The latest attraction to open here is Stargate, a space-themed amusement park aimed at kids aged four to 14. It consists of five domed buildings (named Earth, Moon, Saturn, Mars and Ufo) where they can race go-karts, ride a roller coaster, take a spin on a small ice rink or watch 3D movies.
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Courtyard
This cultural complex wraps around the eponymous courtyard flanked by an eccentric hodgepodge of buildings that makes it look like a miniature movie studio backlot: here an Arab fort, there a Moorish facade or an Egyptian tomb. It’s the brainchild of Iranian expat artist Dariush Zandi, who also runs the bi-level gallery Total Arts at The Courtyard, specialising in Middle Eastern art. Other spaces are occupied by a cafe, artist studios and various creative businesses.
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