Abu DhabiA predominantly modern city, Abu Dhabi nevertheless retains some of its ancient past. The Diwan Amiri (White Fort) was built in 1793 and still survives. There are many mosques, from the massive blue mosque on the corner of the Corniche to the tiny one in the center of Khalifa Street Roundabout, surrounded by trees. There is also a museum. The oldest part of the town is the Batin area, served daily by the fishing
dhows bringing their catch of Gulf prawns and other fish to the small harbors. The old building yards demonstrate craftspeople’s skills that have remained
unchanged for centuries. The city has ancient burial mounds at Um al Nar.
ExcursionsAl Ain, 100km (60 miles) from Abu Dhabi, is an oasis and former caravan stop, built on a huge fertile plain. There is spectacular scenery along the journey from Abu Dhabi. The resort includes a camel market, zoo and museum containing old and new artifacts and Mesopotamian pottery. There is also a water spring at Ain Faidha, 14km (9 miles) from Al Ain. There are important archaeological digs at Hili, 10km (6 miles) from Al Ain. The stone tombs, including the famous Great Sepulchre, date back 5000 years. South of Al Ain is the Hafit Mountain, containing ancient tombs, pottery and swords. There are more ancient sites worth visiting at Um Al Nar and Badi’i Bent Saud. A fun park is situated at Al-Hir and majestic sand seas are to be seen at Liwa. Other areas of great scenic beauty include Qarn Island, Belghilam Island (famous for its gazelle breeding), near to Sadiyat Island, and Abul-Abyadh Island.
DubaiThe ‘Pearl of the Arabian Gulf’ grew up as a seafaring settlement along either side of the Creek, a natural harbor for
dhow traders, pearl divers and fishermen. Deira on the northern bank and Bur Dubai to the south are connected by a tunnel and two bridges and can also be reached by
abra (water taxi). Bur Dubai has substantial areas of old buildings, atmospheric alleyways and souks (markets), including the world-famous Gold Souk and colorful Spice Souk. Fascinating glimpses of the past can be gained from Al Fahidi Fort, the Dubai Museum (which houses, among other things, artifacts recovered from the ancient graves at Al-Ghusais), the traditional windtower houses of the nearby Bastakiya district and, at the mouth of the Creek, the magnificently restored Sheikh Saeed’s Palace, as well as the diving and heritage villages. The Deira side of the creek is cosmopolitan and lively, with many attractive gardens and first-class shopping facilities, ranging from Western-style shops to the ancient souks where spices, perfume, clothing, antiques, handicrafts and jewels are available. Dubai’s thriving tourist industry is based on guaranteed sunshine, a clean and safe environment, bargain shopping and superb sporting facilities, especially for golf and watersports. A long ribbon of development alongside the Gulf, extending south and west of Dubai city to Jebel Ali, offers an impressive range of coastal hotels and resorts. The recreation and sporting complex en route to Jebel Ali includes a golf course and an all-grass cricket pitch. Freshwater lakes can also be seen here, full of Japanese carp. The emirate has many well-qualified tour companies offering such activities as desert safaris by 4-wheel drive, sand-skiing, moonlit bedouin barbeques, camel riding and dhow cruises. The
Dubai World Cup (the world’s richest horse race), the
PGA Desert Classic Golf Tournament,
Dubai Shopping Festival and more than 80 major trade exhibitions are among the high-profile events attracting business and leisure visitors to the city each year.
The Palm Islands: these three islands, said to be visible from the moon, form the largest manmade islands in the world. The
Palm Jumeirah will feature a number of hotels as well as private residences when it opens in 2006. The
Palm Jebel Ali is slated to have more leisure facilities, including an aquatic theme park, when it opens in 2008. The third of the islands,
Palm Deira, will be more geared towards residential use with over 7,000 villas, and will be the largest of the trio when it opens in 2009. New bridges will connect the islands to the mainland in one of the largest construction projects ever undertaken by man. The three islands are going to be accompanied by ‘The World’, all very Dubai, an ambitious attempt to recreate the shape of the world on 300 offshore islands, slated to open in 2008. Watching these outlandish projects take shape has become one of Dubai’s main attractions, with the view perhaps best from the Burj al Arab hotel.
Opened in 2002, at Dubai Creekside Park, Children’s City is proving a big hit with both local and international youngsters. The 7,700 sq-m (82,882 sq-ft) development takes young minds on a journey through the human body, science and space, with the help of different ‘zones’. With plenty of hands-on action to keep even the most demanding children occupied, this is no dull old museum. All exhibits are in English as well as Arabic.
Much of the long expanse of Jumeirah Beach is dominated by luxury hotels and their facilities. However, there is a stretch of public beach available, with clean white sand, crystal clear seawater and bath-temperature surf. Some of the hotels allow non-guests to use their pools and stretches of beach if they buy lunch or pay a nominal fee.
ExcursionsThe ancient fortressed village of Hatta and Wadi Hatta is a lush and attractive valley in the foothills of the Hajar Mountains with superb desert scenery, on the journey from Dubai.
The rest of the EmiratesThe DesertA spectacular and varied wilderness of magnificent red dunes and stark mountains with pockets of green oases. It is possible to meet the nomadic
Bedu folk, whose hospitality is famous, and to watch camel races at dawn.
ExcursionsIncludes visits to Bedu villages and to the stunning white sand dunes at Awir, where there is a national park. There is a selection of ‘safari’ holidays available.
The East CoastThis impressive stretch of lush coastline makes a dramatic change after the desert, with steep mountains, unspoilt sandy bays and beaches, ancient fortresses and date palm groves sloping down to the edge of the Indian Ocean with its host of marine life. Scuba diving and snorkeling are very popular here and many forms of watersports are available at the hotels.
ExcursionsIncludes visits to the resorts of Dibba and Fujairah, where there is a museum, a Necropolis, an old fort and, nearby, many small mountain villages.
The Northern EmiratesThis region has undergone a dramatic transformation since the discovery of natural gas in 1980 and there has been a considerable amount of expansion in the commercial sector. Sharjah is an excellent shopping center, with its new souk containing hundreds of shops. There is also an ancient fort and heritage museum.
ExcursionsInclude visits to Ras al-Khaimah, where there is an old seaport with spectacular views over the coast and the Hajar Mountains; and also visits to the Dhaid and Khatt oases, the latter with mineral springs. There are also trips available to the natural harbor at Dibba and the beautiful Khor Kalba, one of the most famous shell beaches in the world. The archaeological site at Mileiha (in Sharjah itself) dates back to the 4th century BC; 80-million-year-old fossils are to be seen here. Other archaeological sites include Dur at Umm al-Qaiwain where Hellenic ruins can be seen (210-100 BC), the Drabhaniya ruins in Ras al-Khaimah and the Zaura ruins in Ajman. Important resort areas are Khor Fakkan, which has excellent beaches and watersports facilities and Khalid Lagoon (an aquatic park with several islands and a miniature theme park).
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