Destination - Dubai

by Siddharth Sule

Ever wondered if there could be a paradise on a desert? Well Dubai is just the place! It is a destination that has been tailor made for tourists and its residents. The land is full of innovations and new creations, and is one of the highlights of not just the Middle East but of the entire world.

A little bit of history

The very early history of the place is not so well known, but there have been archaeological findings of artefacts before 3 BC. There is also evidence of Dubai being the trade route between the Indus valley and Mesopotamia.

Dubai's original name was 'Dubayy', which was a town. Its lordship was under Abu Dhabi. Dubai was a small time fishing settlement until 1830. The town was taken over by the leader of the 'Bani Yas tribe' of the Liwa Oasis without much resistance from Abu Dhabi.

The leader was from the Maktoum family, and that family still rules Dubai. The Maktoum leader then signed peace treaties with the British, and became independent. But he was always at loggerheads with Abu Dhabi, and there were attempts by the pirates of 'Qawasim', but they were all foiled. Dubai then signed a truce agreement in 1835 with other states, keeping Britain as the arbitrator. Dubai later on signed more treaties for peace and also an exclusive agreement with Britain for its protection.

Dubai started in foreign trade and became a free market for pearl exports by 1930. Once the currency evaluation started to begin, Dubai also used Qatar's riyal. After the exploration of oil by the British in Dubai, the country started spreading its export base as an oil supplier of the world.

After the British left the Persian belt, Dubai joined the United Arab Emirates bandwagon. The discovery of oil was one of the important aspects for Dubai, as it later on became one of the foundation stones for modern Dubai.

Arriving at the desert

Dubai being accessible by all the three modes of transport makes it one of the desirable locations of the world. Since Dubai lies on the blue waters of the Gulf, you can enter Dubai by way of cruise ship.

I don't think that there is any country left in this world, which does not have international flights to Dubai. If you are a car junkie, and have an international driving license along with appropriate visa requirements, you can drive through the Middle East to Dubai.

Locomotives in the city

There are only 4 ways to travel in the city, either you can rent a car from an agency, or your hotel, and drive around the city, or you can travel by bus, or you can hire the brown coloured metered Mercedes taxis, or the normal taxis which are not metered. In any case there are plenty of these taxis.

The 4th and the worst case is walk, which I wouldn't suggest to anyone, as the heat will catch up with you.

Where to stay?

It's best to book a package deal before coming to Dubai. There are 3 star hotels to the very elegant and mammoth priced 7 star rated hotels, almost everywhere in Dubai.

There is a saying in Dubai, that this is a place according to your pockets. You will also find conventional budget hotels, and rental furnished flats according to your convenience and your duration of stay.

Let's explore the city!

Dubai always has been very close to my heart, it is a place where I spent most of my childhood. Over the years when I was growing up in Dubai, I realised, that the city was also growing up with me.

This is the place that has taught the world that it is not the quantity that matters, but it is the quality. Dubai and quality have always gone hand in hand. Once a barren desert land, where you could see Arabs ride on camels some 40 years back, you can now see the next generations move in Ferraris!!

Dubai earns a very minimum percentage through its oil, which is why it has always promoted the corporate world to come to the city. Dubai along with promoting business has also promoted tourism.

There are tons of activities that can be done and seen in the city. You can start off your trip by visiting the Dubai Museum. This museum is housed by the Al Fahidi fort. It was built in the year 1799 and it has served many purposes. It has been a palace, a barrack and even a prison.

The museum has artefacts that are more than 4000 years old. Also, it has life size pictures of that era, and displays of underwater pearls and their scales. To the east of the fort you will see traditional courtyard houses with a number of wind towers lined up with them.

These wind towers are from that era, when there was no electricity, and people had to rely on these towers. These towers were also lined in the Dubai creek. The creek is the only thing that divides Dubai into two.

You can travel though the creek by water taxis or 'Aabras', that take you from Deria to Bur Dubai. Near the creek is the 'Shindagha', which was the former house of the former Sheik. This is also the place from which Dubai grew. Today when you visit Dubai, you will see the many air conditioning facilities.

After having seen a bit of old heritage, you head for the Jumeirah Beach. This beach is one of the most romantic places of Dubai.

Here you can hold hands and walk through the white sand or you can take a surf board and can take a plunge into the waves. A part of the beach also houses hotels, where you can do a lot of things. In Jumeirah you will be able to see the Palm islands; these are the largest man made islands and are said to be visible from the moon.

The Jumeirah Mosque is one of the most important mosques of Dubai, and it is also renowned for its architecture and its beauty, and it becomes one of the highlights of Dubai after sundown, as it is beautifully illuminated.

The Grand Mosque of Dubai is also another important mosque of the city. It was reconstructed in the year 1998, and now it has the tallest mosque tower of Dubai and has about 45 domes. It was very lavishly constructed. One of the markets that had caught up with my imagination was the? Gold Souk?.

This is the place where I always presumed that Ladies go mad. It is one of the biggest gold markets of the world, selling jewellery designed by the top designers to the bland ingots.

When you walk through that lane, you need to wear sunglasses, not because of the sun but because the amount of gold put on display windows on either side of the lane for uncountable gold shops. There is also a spice souk in Dubai, which takes you back to the Arabian nights.

This spice market is constructed in very narrow lanes, and it is a free market for spices, cardamom and dried fruits. Near the creek is the 'Bait Al Wakeel'. It was supposedly the first official building of Dubai built in 1934 but now it houses a museum about the maritime traditions and fishing days of Dubai. Dubai has eloped into a mega entertainment zone.

All the major activities and carnivals of the world prefer Dubai to be their host city. In Dubai you can watch Formula 1 racers from all over the world battling at world class racing grounds. Or if you got the money (appx $150,000) and the machine, you can take part in one of the world's most prestigious desert rallies that is held in Dubai.

Just in case you do not have that much dough to shed for the event, you can try your hand by renting an SUV and testing it on the Desert for dune amateur dune racing or you can pay a measly amount and go out for a desert safari with a guide. This place also has a lot to offer for the water sports lovers, where tourists ride the amphibians, water ski the cool water, snorkel and do a whole lot of other activities.

There are lots of fun centres offering something for everyone. There are the countless arcades for kids, along with amusement parks that will keep the smile on your kid for days. There are the Q-Zar wars, i.e. there are two teams, each of them with light energy laser guns, and their energiser centres along with their headquarters.

It's more of a live simulation of war games. There are also world class bowling centres, where you can do tons of strikes. The ice skating ground is Al Nasr and is truly of Olympic nature, and tourists can spend countless time on the ice for a very small price.

The golf courses in Dubai are absolute stunners, and the golf courses have received compliments form the golfing legends of the world. Dubai's economic growth can be noticed by looking at its own Trade Centre. Tourists are allowed to go the terrace of the centre, as from that place you can see almost all of Dubai, and moreover the edifice is also seen from Sharjah.

Places around Dubai

Dubai is more like a key to the Middle East. Firstly, you can travel to the other states of the United Arab Emirates. If you feel like seeing other Arab countries, you have good access from Dubai, as it is the home of the Emirates airlines. About 80 minutes drive from Dubai is the 'Hatta Mountains.

It is a very majestic picnic spot, with a towering 30 metres dinosaur statute on the foothills. Inside the dinosaur you can see the replicas of the pre-historic times. Another spot is Bedouin Village where the racer X category of people love to go. Here you will find people who are basically proud of their SUVs and love to race in the sand dunes. Here you can also take camel rides and see camels racing.

Shopholics paradise!!

This is one place where I genuinely feel sorry for the husbands, when their wives go on shopping sprees. Dubai has a collection of fantastic malls, and has recently opened the world's largest mall. This is the only place in the world which promotes a shopping festival, and tourists from all over the world come to take part in the shopping frenzy.

People love to shop here because of the tax-free merchandising. The malls definitely are top of the world, and it becomes a moral compulsion for every tourist in Dubai to shop until he has used every bit of his credit cards!!

International Food

Since the major residents of Dubai are expatriates, coming from all over the world, you are bound to have cuisines that are globally well recognized.

All the international fast food franchises have already made Dubai their home, so you will get your KFC chicken wings and McDonald's burger. Dubai has got it all, from small time restaurants to the revolving types in the hotels. However my personal favourites were the Arabic shormas that you get on the street, as it is delicious, healthy and very economical.

Fizzling beers

There is a common misconception that Dubai does not allow alcohol. In fact, most of the restaurants in hotels serve drinks. There are also lounge bars, pubs and discos that will sizzle with Arabic dancers and will definitely make your beers fizzle.

Let's Go

Dubai is a place of the future, and I believe that it should definitely be on your next vacation list. Dubai is the place where more than 300 man made islands are set up as the 'world map' and there it is planned to build the tallest and most expensive building of the world (estimated more than $ 1 billion).

This just makes you feel, that this is the only country in the world that is trying really hard just to put a smile on the tourist's face.