Dubai Travel Guide
Official Name: Dubai, part of the United Arab Emirates
Capital: Dubai City
Language: Arabic, English, German, Hindi/Urdu, Malayalam, Tamil, Persian, and Tagalog also spoken.
Religion: mainly muslims, the vast majority of the locals are Sunnis, there is a significant Shiite minority. Hindus (with a Hindu Temple), Sikhs, and Christians are also present.
Currency: Dirham (AED
Dubai Sights and Museums
What to see:
- Bur Dubai is a historic district, and a popular place for tourists. The buildings here provide the main flavor of the old city.
- Heritage Village of Hatta, situated 115 kilometers southeast of Dubai City in the heart of the rocky Hatta Mountains. The history of the village can be traced back 2000 - 3000 years. It consists of 30 buildings, each differing in size, interior layout and building materials used. Great care was taken to use the same materials as those used when originally built during the renovation such as mud, hay, sandalwood and palm fronds.
- Hotel Burj al-Arab: At 321 m (1053 feet), it is the tallest building used exclusively as a hotel. It stands on an artificial island 280 m (919 feet) out from Jumeirah beach, and is connected to the mainland by a private curving bridge.
- The Palm islands in Dubai are the three largest artificial islands in the world. Each settlement will be in the shape of a palm tree, topped with a crescent, and will have a large number of residential, leisure and entertainment centers.
- Souk Districts: Souk is the Arabic word for market or place where any kind of goods are brought or exchanged. Traditionally, dhows from the Far East, China, Sri Lanka, and India would discharge their cargos and the goods would be bargained over in the souks adjacent to the docks.
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Dubai Entertainment
Events:
- Dubai Shopping Festival: The Dubai Shopping festival is a month-long festival held during month of January each year, During the festival the entire emirate becomes one massive shopping mall. Additionally, the festival brings together music shows, art exhibitions, and folk dances.
- Dubai International Arabian Horse Championship: The Dubai International Arabian Horse Championship is a competition for Purebred Arabian horses, showcasing their beauty, agility & heritage. It is one of the most prestigious competitions of its kind in the world and marvellous attraction for horse owners from countries far and wide.
- DUBAI INTERNATIONAL JAZZ FESTIVAL: Dubai International Jazz Festival, winner of the “Best Festival” award at the 5th WHAT’S ON AWARDS, is the most exclusive and entertaining festival in the region.
Dubai Transports
Roads
Dubai has a very large bus system run by the Dubai Municipality. The bus system has 193 routes on weekdays and transports over 30 million people each week. Although the Public Transport bus system is large it is too large to accommodate the volume of people who use it. Cameras, are installed in every bus, scanning systems and metal detectors are used before entering the bus. The Roads have seperate bus ways, to allow busses to reach on time to their destination. It is considered to be the best in the world.
Dubai also has an extensive taxi system, by far the most frequently used means of public transport within the emirate. There are both government-operated and private cab companies. The Dubai Transport Corporation operates cream-coloured taxis. Some of the private cab companies are Cars Taxi, National Taxi, Cititaxi and Metro Taxi. Prices are reasonable (the meter begins as Dhs. 3, which is approximately 50 pence, or 1 USD), and are charged by distance, although if the cab stops for more than 1 minute, 12 dirhams will be added to the meter. There are 7500 taxis located in the city.
Trains
There is currently a $3.89 billion Dubai Metro project under construction for the emirate. The Metro system is expected to be partially operational by 2009 and fully operational by 2012. The Dubai Metro (Green and Blue Lines) will have 70 kilometres of track and 43 stations, 33 above ground and ten underground. Trains are expected to run every 90 seconds when the project is completed. Recently, the Blue Line connecting Dubai International Airport to the new Jebel Ali Port and Dubai World Central International Airport was announced. The route will run 47 km through Dubailand, but the exact number of stations is unknown. Dubai is building this train system to ease congestion on its road network and to meet the transportation demands of its growing population.
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