Rough Guides - The Rough Guide to Dubai (Travel Guide eBook)

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Contents

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Introduction to

Dubai

Dubai is like nowhere else on the planet. Often claimed to be the worlds fastest-growing city, over the past four decades it has metamorphosed from a small Gulf trading centre to become one of the worlds most glamorous, spectacular and futuristic urban destinations, fuelled by a heady cocktail of petrodollars, visionary commercial acumen and naked ambition. Dubais ability to dream (and then achieve) the impossible has ripped up expectations and rewritten the record books, as evidenced by stunning developments such as the soaring Burj Khalifa, the beautiful Burj al Arab and the vast Palm Jumeirah island testament to the ruling sheikhs determination to make the city one of the worlds essential destinations for the twenty-first century.

Modern Dubai is frequently seen as a panegyric to consumerist luxury: a self-indulgent haven of magical hotels, superlative restaurants and extravagantly themed shopping malls. Perhaps not surprisingly the city is often stereotyped as a vacuous consumerist fleshpot, appealing only to those with more cash than culture, although this one-eyed clich does absolutely no justice to Dubais beguiling contrasts and rich cultural make-up. The citys headline-grabbing mega-projects have also deflected attention from Dubais role in providing the Islamic world with a model of political stability and religious tolerance, showing what can be achieved by a peaceful and progressive regime in one of the planets most troubled regions.

For the visitor, theres far more to Dubai than designer boutiques and five-star hotels although of course if all youre looking for is a luxurious dose of sun, sand and shopping, the city takes some beating. If you want to step beyond the tourist clichs, however, youll find that Dubai has much more to offer than you might think, ranging from the fascinating old city centre, with its higgledy-piggledy labyrinth of bustling souks interspersed with fine old traditional Arabian houses, to the memorably quirky postmodern architectural skylines of the southern parts of the city. Dubais human geography is no less memorable, featuring a cosmopolitan assortment of Emiratis, Arabs, Iranians, Indians, Filipinos and Europeans a fascinating patchwork of peoples and languages that gives the city its uniquely varied cultural appeal. The credit crunch may have pushed Dubai to the verge of bankruptcy but pronouncements of its imminent demise proved wildly premature, and the city remains one of the twenty-first centurys most fascinating and vibrant urban experiments in progress. Visit now to see history, literally, in the making.

What to see

At the heart of the metropolis on the south side of the breezy Creek, Bur Dubai is the oldest part of the city and offers a fascinating insight into Dubais traditional roots. This is where youll find many of the citys most interesting Arabian heritage houses, clustered in the beautiful old Iranian quarter of Al Fahidi Historical Neighbourhood and the waterfront Shindagha district, as well as the excellent Dubai Museum and the atmospheric Textile Souk. On the opposite side of the Creek, the bustling district of Deira is the centre of Dubais traditional commercial activity, much of it still conducted in the areas vibrant array of old-fashioned souks, including the famous Gold and Spice souks. Fringing Deira and Bur Dubai lie Dubais inner suburbs , with a varied array of attractions ranging from the absorbingly workaday suburbs of Karama and Satwa home to dozens of no-frills Indian curry houses, low-rent souks and some of the citys most entertaining street life through to impressive modern developments like the kitsch Wafi complex and adjacent Khan Murjan Souk, both exercises in faux-Arabian nostalgia.

Tim Draper/Rough Guides

LOST CHAMBERS AQUARIUM, ATLANTIS HOTEL

A few kilometres southwest of the old city centre, modern Dubai begins in spectacular style with Sheikh Zayed Road , home to a neck-cricking array of skyscrapers including the glittering Emirates Towers. Even these, however, are outshone by the massive Downtown Dubai development at the southern end of the strip, centred on the stupendous Burj Khalifa, the worlds tallest building, flanked by further record-breaking attractions including the gargantuan Dubai Mall and spectacular Dubai Fountain. West of the Sheikh Zayed Road, the sprawling beachside suburb of Jumeirah is the traditional address-of-choice for Dubais European expats, its endless swathes of walled villas dotted with half a dozen shopping malls and a smattering of low-key sights.

At the southern end of Jumeirah, there are more iconic sights in the sleepy suburb of Umm Suqeim, including the wave-shaped Jumeirah Beach Hotel , the extraordinary mock-Arabian Madinat Jumeirah complex and the unforgettable Burj al Arab hotel. South of the Burj stretches the spectacular Dubai Marina development, with its densely packed forest of glassy skyscrapers, while offshore lies the Palm Jumeirah , the worlds largest man-made island, which ends in a flourish at the gigantic Atlantis resort.

A little over an hours drive down the coast, the UAEs capital, Abu Dhabi , offers an intriguing contrast to its freewheeling neighbour slightly smaller, and considerably more sedate, although here too a string of huge developments is increasingly transforming the city landscape. Leading attractions include the extravagant Emirates Palace hotel and the even more spectacular Sheikh Zayed Mosque not to mention the spectacular Louvre Abu Dhabi.

Elsewhere, there are a number of rewarding day-trips from Dubai, all offering an interesting alternative take on life in the twenty-first-century Gulf. Just 10km up the coast, the more conservative city of Sharjah hosts a rewarding selection of museums devoted to cultural and religious matters, including the excellent Museum of Islamic Civilization. Further afield, somnolent Al Ain , the UAEs only major inland city, offers a complete change of pace from life on the coast, with traditional mud-brick forts, old-fashioned souks and the countrys finest oasis. Across country, its only a two-hour drive from Dubai to the UAEs even more laidback east coast , with a string of beautiful and still largely deserted beaches to crash out on, backdropped by the dramatically craggy Hajar mountains.

Dubai: second among equals

Given the citys soaring international profile, many people unfamiliar with the region think that Dubai is a country which it isnt. Dubai is actually just one of the seven statelets which collectively form the United Arab Emirates, or UAE , a loose confederation founded in 1971 following the departure of the British from the Gulf. Technically the seven emirates are considered equal, and preserve a considerable measure of legislative autonomy, rather like the various states of the USA which explains, for instance, why local laws in Dubai are so different from those in neighbouring Sharjah. In practice, however, a clear pecking order applies. Abu Dhabi , easily the largest and wealthiest of the emirates, serves as the capital (even if Abu Dhabi city is significantly smaller than Dubai) and wields the greatest influence over national policy, as well as providing the UAE with its president. Dubai ranks second, followed by Sharjah and then the other emirates of Umm al Quwain , Ras al Khaimah , Ajman and Fujairah , which remain relatively undeveloped and even surprisingly impoverished in places.