The
United Arab Emirates is a constitutional federation of seven emirates;
Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman, Umm al-Qaiwain, Ras al-Khaimah and
Fujairah. The federation was formally established on 2 December
1971. Although Dubai covers an area of almost 4,000 square
kilometers, the population (approximately 1.2 million - 80% of whom are
foreign) is almost
exclusively concentrated in Dubai town (the emirate's only substantial
town). Until twenty years ago, Dubai was a small trading
port. Over the last two decades, however, intensive development
has made Dubai one of the fastest growing regions in the world, a fact
made clear by a drive through the city's bustling urban area.
This rapid development is largely accredited to the late ruler, Sheikh
Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum who used Dubai's oil revenues to modernize
the emirate. His son, the current ruler Sheikh Maktoum bin Rashid
Al Maktoum continues to develop the region according to his father's
vision today. We spent four hours driving through Dubai on a
guided tour - here are the highlights: |
This is the road leading up to the
palace of Dubai's ruler, Sheikh Maktoum bin Rashid Al Maktoum (Sheikh
Maktoum the son of Rashid Al Maktoum). The sides are lined with
peacocks who have learned to stay off of the road. It is
forbidden to take pictures of the palace itself, so this is as close as
I was able to get. |
| These are
the Emirates towers. They were built in 2000 to celebrate the new
millennium and are each over 1,000 ft tall. The shorter of the
two
towers (tower two) is a five star hotel with a famous restaurant named
Vu from which you can dine with a view of ocean out one side of the
restaurant and desert out the other. |
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For the life of me, I can't
remember the name of this building, but it is located along the main
strip of Dubai (Sheikh Zayed Road) and the interesting thing about it
is that it is shaped like two hands in prayer. Dubai is home to
some of the most interesting architecture in the world. |
| This is a
daytime view of Barj Al Arab and the water surrounding it. Look
how blue the water is! Barj Al Arab is built on an artificial
island and is home to the world's only seven star hotel. |
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Dave exiting
the water after his charge to the ocean :-) |
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A view of Barj Al Arab from Souk
Jumeirah (the Jumeirah market). Souk Jumeirah is a vast indoor
market containing a variety of stores, both modern and traditional
crafts stores. It is built in a Venetian theme and in located
among two five star hotels and a set of villas for sale.
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One of the
traditional crafts made in Dubai is sand art. Sand is poured into
a small glass bottle and manipulated to make scenes of desert
life. Here, a craftsman is making a camel's legs using a
pipette. Their level of skill is astonishing. |
| When Dubai's rapid growth began, this stretch of road was occupied by fishermen and pearl-divers and their modest homes. Their homes were razed to make room for commercial development and they were forced to leave. Years later, Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum razed the commercial properties, built these homes out of his own pocket and donated them to the families of the displaced. |  |
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This is the Jumeirah mosque, the
flagship mosque of Dubai and the most photographed building in the
emirate. It was built in the medieval tradition known as
'Fatimid.' There are organized tours of the entrance and
surrounding structure, but for a non-Muslim to enter the main chamber
of the mosque requires permission from a Sheikh. |
| Dubai is known for two very
important commodities - spices and gold! The gold and spice
market in the city is one of the most popular tourist
destinations. Stephanie's father sent her with money and
instructions to buy a golden necklace. I went along as the
translator - good thing, the gent who helped us didn't speak a word of
english! I successfully completed the transaction and more
importantly, avoided any international incidents. |
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Finally,
this picture was taken just for my friend Sarah. Just in case you
wanted to know how to spell 'Ikea' in Arabic ;-) |