The port municipality of Dubai is one of the seven emirates that make up the United Arab Emirates, and it is located on the south coast of the Persian Gulf on the Arabian Peninsula. Dubai occupies an area of 497.1 square miles and boarders with the emirate of Abu Dhabi in the south, the Sharjah Emirate in the northeast, and the Sultanate of Oman in the southeast. The landscape around the city consists of fine, white sand which is formed from crushed shells and corals.
East of the city the sand grows into large red dunes colour with of oxide iron and to the west lies the range of the Hajar Mountains where one finds numerous gorges. Aside the natural sea inlet of the Dubai creek, Dubai has no oases or rivers and Dubai’s water comes mainly from desalination plants. Dubai has a hot, arid climate and in the summers the temperature reaches an average high of 40 °C. The winters are warm and short and the temperature reaches an average high of 23 °C. Dubai has a population of 1,422,000 which is compose by 17% UAE nationals, and by 83% Asians of Indian (51%), Pakistani (15%), Bangladeshi (10%) and other (10%) origins. The official language of Dubai is Arabic; English is widely spoken by most Dubai residents. The official religion is Islam, but there are also communities of Christian, Hindu, Sikh and Buddhist. Dubai was established by the Al Abu Falasa clan (House of Al-Falasi) of the Bani Yas tribe, and it has been ruled since 1833, by the dynasty of Al Maktoum.
It is the second largest emirate by area and the most populous and is one of the two emirates (the other being Abu Dabi) of the Union that has veto powers over issues of national importance. Due to the oral tradition of the region for passing down culture and events of past times, very few pre-Islamic written records exist about the history of the emirate which was once controlled by the Empire of the Sassanians who were driven out by Umayyad Caliph. Dubai was mentioned by Andalusian-Arab geographer Abu Abdullah al-Bakri in his 1095 ‘Book of Geography’, as well as by the Venetian pearl merchant Gaspero Balbi who visited the area in 1580. Under the ‘Exclusive Agreement’ of 1892, Dubai came under the protection of the British who agreed to protect Dubai from the Ottoman attacks. Dubai’s geographical position makes it an important trade center, and it was known until 1930 for its pearl industry and trade.
The discovery of oil in 1966, led to a massive arrival of foreign workers (mainly Indians and Pakistanis and later Lebanese nationals) and by 1975 this influx had swelled the city’s population by over 300%. During the Gulf War Dubai’s banks suffered from massive withdrawals of funds, but at the same time business from Kuwait and Bahrain started to move in Dubai where numerous free zones were established including the Jebel Ali port - it is the largest man-made harbour in the world and the 8th port globally for the volume of container traffic, Dubai Internet City, Dubai Media City and Dubai Maritime City zones which include members of IT firms such as EMC Corporation, Oracle Corporation, Microsoft, and IBM, and media organisations such as MBC, CNN, BBC, Reuters, Sky News and AP.
The construction of Burj Al Arab hotel, the world's tallest freestanding hotel, and projects such as The Palm Islands, The World Islands, Burj Dubai and The Dynamic Tower contributed to the development of a tourism industry which is today one of the main revenue contributors. Also, Dubai has developed strong real estate and construction industries which contribute 22.6% to the $ 37(US) billion economy of the country, a trade industry (contributing 16%) and a financial service sector which contribute 11% to the city’s economy. These developments, however, also contributed to high levels of inflation (11.2% during 2007) and raised a number of labour and human rights issues concerning Dubai’s 25,000 South Asian workforce; many foreign workers make for less than $ 10,00 a day.
Dubai has a cosmopolitan cuisine with blends of international, Asian and Arabic dishes. However, many dishes are recent additions (including rice and pasta) to the traditional food of Dubai (and the UAE in general) which was based on meat, fish, cereals and dairy products and used little vegetables as they were difficult to grow.
The most common meat that is traditionally used in Dubai’s cuisine is chicken and goat and in some very special occasions camel meat which has been eaten in most arid areas of the region for centuries. | eat >>
Pottery, weapons and coinage artefacts that have been discovered in the area indicate that Dubai was settled since 4,000 B.C., and it is believed that it once served as a port on the trade route between Mesopotamia and the Indus Valley. Dubai’s history and culture, however, is rooted in Islam and it is preserved in the many forts, mosques, palaces and other historic monuments of Dubai. In addition to these monuments which record the pre-Islamic history of Dubai, one finds many astonishing modern landmarks which are worth seeing and photographing.
Although there is no dress code, remember to dress appropriately when going outside: confine your swimwear to the beach and hotel pools and ensure that your shoulders and knees are covered when in public, especially in souks, shops and villages. | see >>
Dubai has the largest and most shopping malls in the region, so it is not an exaggeration to say that there are people who visit Dubai exclusively to shop. To exemplify the importance of shopping many hotels provide transportation to the city’s malls. Normal shopping hours are from 9:00 to 13:00 and then from 16:00 to 21:00. Shopping malls are open from 10:00 to 22:00. On Fridays shops are closed for prayers between 11:00 and 13:30.
Some Traditional gifts you can look for are: Arabic coffee pots, antique silver jewellery, brass items, coasters, jewellery boxes and chests sets decorated with lapis lazuli, turquoise, malachite and other semi-precious stones, as well as silver and wooden miniature dhows. Remember to bargain, it is a common practice. Because Dubai is an open port with low importing taxes, the prices are very reasonable. | shop >>
