The diversity of Dubai. Part 2.

The culture in Dubai is very diverse.

You will find people from all over the world, especially today due to the economic expansion that needs more qualified expatriate white-collar employees

Before its recent 21st century economic expansion, Dubai culture was rather consistent throughout the Emirate.

There was not much immigrant population other than workers from nearby Middle Eastern and Asian nations like India and Pakistan.

Iranians were the first to migrate to Dubai  followed by Indians and Pakistanis .

Today however, the culture of Dubai has become much diverse.

Despite the multicultural society, everyone seems to coexist without much conflict. A big reason for the safety and peace in Dubai is fear of the local Government or "Sheikdom" as people like to call it. 

 In a single ruler nation, only the ruler has the final word. There are no ifs, ands and buts.

Local laws are very strict on crime committing individuals. The biggest threat the law poses to Dubai residents is the ability to deport them anytime with no questions asked.

People are living in Dubai for a reason, the biggest being jobs. If they are deported, they will loose their livelihood. 

In fact everyone says Dubai is a safe place, and I think so too. But crime is "omnipresent". It exists everywhere in the world. Is it  much less???

Last day in Dubai

Since the 1st of March I've visited 3 cities in UAE, a plenty of places of interest.
 Here is the list.
Cities: Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Al Ain.

Cities we’ve visited	Sights we’ve enjoyed	Shopping	Meals	Other impressions
Dubai	Global Village	Al Karama	Hummus	People
	Singing fountains	Mall of the Emirates	Tabuli	Car accidents
	Souk Al Bahar	Dragon Mart	fatush	Marrocco Bath
	Dubai Mall	Carrefurr	Camel milk	Massage
	Burj Khalifa	Boutique 1		Swimming pool
	JBR	Missoni
	Jumeirah Beach	Textile Souk
	Dubai Marina	Gold Souk
	Bur Dubai/	Spice Souk
	Deira	Old  Grand Souk
	Dubai Creek	Dubai Mall
	Camel Museum	Green Belt
	Sheikh Saeed Al-Maktoum House	River Island
	Diving village	Forever 21
	Heritage Village
	Palm Jumeirah
	Atlantis
	Dolphin Bay
	Helicopter Tour
	Jumeirah
	Zaabeel Sarai
	Murdiff City Center
	Desert Safari
	Dhow Cruise Dinner
	Textile Souk
	Gold Souk
	Spice Souk
	Old  Grand Souk
Abu Dhabi	Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque
	The Emirates Palace
Al Ain	Oasis
	Jebel Hafeet
	the border with Oman
	the Green Mubazarrah

The diversity of Dubai

The museums of Dubai

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Oases in Al Ain.

With considerable groundwater, the oases around Al Ain are worth watching. Al Ain Oasis is situated near the Al Ain Museum in the heart of the city. The date palm plantations are sectioned into a number of small farms with permanent access for pedestrians and farmer’s vehicles. There are two mosques as well within the plantation. Qatarrah Oasis is important because of a long history of human habitation around this belt. It is also a significant archaeological site. The falaj irrigation system is noteworthy, which is preserved in the working condition. The site of the Date palms, fruits and greenery are pleasing to the eyes in the desert. Hili Oasis is a date plantation near the Hili and Al Rumeilah Forts.

House of the Camels

 The House, known as "Beit Al-Rekkab" (House of the Camels), was built in the forties of the the twentieth Century in Al-Shindagha, next to the house of the late Sheikh Saeed Bin Maktoum Al-Maktoum. It belongs to the late Sheikh Rashed Bin Saeed Al-Maktoum and was constructed along several phases.

The house is a single storey building built on 664 sq. m. area, with a height of 4.75 m. A central spacious yard surrounded by rooms and large sitting rooms on all sides. The house can be accessed through to entrances on the western and eastern sides.

The building was refurbished and furnished to house the "Camel Museum" to explain the history of camels, there prestige to the Arabs, their names and camels in Arabic literature. The important elements and components of the building: Camel History, Camels and Arabs, The Race, Camel Anatomy, Camel Racing, Auditorium, Electronic Games and Administration.

Sheikh Saeed Al Maktoum House

Located in Al Shindagha Rd at Bur Dubai, it is one of the oldest houses in the city, and a fine example of local architecture. Constructed in 1896 from sandstone by Shaikh Saeed, the grandfather of the present ruler; the house has been restored and converted into a museum a century later. 

Al Maktoum House has a superb vision of the sea because it was built with the aim of being a commanding point to monitor shipping activity from its balconies. The museum boasts its beautiful wind-towers and layers of rooms constructed around a central courtyard; and contains an exhibition illuminating Dubai's progress from the last 50 years, including a great collection of photographs. 

First a national monument, now the Museum of Historical Photographs and Documents, this house is a marvellous work of architecture. Its first resident, Sheikh Saeed Al Maktoum, governed the city during the first half of the 20th century (his grandson rules today). Exhibits cover the sheikh's life and go on to explore stamps, coins and other local paraphernalia.

Heritage and Diving Village

Located next to Sheikh Saeed Al Maktoums’s House in Al Shindagha, the village features reconstructions of Dubai’s maritime past. Displays include a tented bedouin village with traditional weapons, chests and household utensils. Shops sell handicrafts and camel and donkey rides are sometimes available. Folk dance and music performances are staged from time to time.

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Dubai creek. Dhow cruise dinner.

Good place to visit when in Dubai.It´s more typical then the other luxurious places as Jumerah, Downtown Dubai, Marina Dubai, The Palm Jumerah. The Creek is what Dubai was all about from its foundation until the 1990s. You can still see the traditional dhows (and a working dhow ship yard) that were the basis of its mercantile prosperity before the tourism and real estate booms. We took a Dhow Cruise

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Dubai helicopter tour

The Dubai Helicopter tour provides various spectacular views of the various major sightseeing destinations in Dubai from the sky as you fly in a helicopter. From the sky, we saw the Burj Khalifa, hotel Atlantis, the World Islands, Dubai Creek and the Burj Arab. Looking at Burj Khalifa, the tallest building on the face of the earth was mind blowing. The Palm Beach’s view from the top was absolutely beautiful. We were allowed to take some mind blowing snaps of these places from the sky. Although expensive, it is something worth the money. It is a great way to explore Dubai’s tourist highlights. 

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Dolphin Bay. Atlantis. Palm.

Dolphin Bay. Atlantis.

The dolphin centre here is very well maintained with a good balance of education and entertainment. The group leader and trainer were very good.  I am not a confident swimmer so chose the Dolphin Adventure package. Once in a wetsuit, we were shown into a room and shown a presentation giving information about dolphins and what to expect.

Once in the water, there was the opportunity to 'hold' a dolphin, to kiss the dolphin and to dance with the dolphin. There was a professional photographer and photos were available to purchase afterwards. 

In order to spectate, there was an additional cost to gain access to the beach where you were able to take your own photos.

I loved it and thought it was a fabulous experience.The adventure with dolphins was amazing. It was a bit expansive but for once a life time, it was worth it.

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Слайд - шоу. Часть 2.

Slideshow 2

Dubai Marina, Atlantis at night

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Desert. My birthday.

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Jebel Hafeet

  Jebel Hafeet is a mountain primarily in the United Arab Emirates on the outskirts of Al Ain in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. The mountain actually straddles part of the border with Oman. The mountain rises 1249 meters and offers an impressive view over the city. Jebel Hafeet was a well-known landmark throughout the area's history and is a contemporary tourist attraction. An extensive natural cave system winds through Jebel Hafeet. At the foothills of Jabal Hafeet lies the Green Mubazarrah, a well-developed tourist attraction. At the Green Mubazarrah, hot-water springs gush forth in little streams and form a lake. Swimming pools and jacuzzis are scattered all over the Green Mubazarrah. Jebel Hafeet is also home to a wide range of animals including bats, foxes, snakes, etc.


The Jebel Hafeet Mountain Road extends for 7.3 mi (11.7 km) up the mountain, rising 4,000 ft (1,219 m). With 21 corners and three lanes (two climbing and one descending), the immaculate road was called the greatest driving road in the world. The road scales the mountain and ends at a parking lot with only a hotel and a palace belonging to the country's rulers. 

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  Jebel Hafeet 

The Emirates Palace

The Emirates Palace

The building was designed by renowned architect, John Elliott RIBA, who was Senior Vice President at Wimberly, Allison, Tong and Goo, an international firm specialising in Luxury Hotels. It opened in November 2005 but certain restaurants and spas did not open until 2006. The hotel was built by and is owned by the Abu Dhabi government, and is currently managed by the Kempinski Group.

The costs to build the hotel were 1.9 billion GBP or 11.02 billion AED. The Emirates Palace occupies 850,000m² of floor space. Underground parking allows housing for 2,500 vehicles. There are two swimming pools and spas. The hotel has its own marina and helipad. The Emirates Palace is the second most expensive hotel ever built, only surpassed by Marina Bay Sands in Singapore.

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Facts and Figures

• It approximately costed 3 billion USD to build the property in 3 years with 20,000 workers, designed by Wimberley Allison Tong & Goo of the United Kingdom

• 1 km from wing to wing, 100 hectares total area.

• 1.3 km private beach.

• 394 rooms and suites, ranging from 55 sqm to 680 sqm.

• 40 meeting and conference rooms.

• Ballroom with a guest capacity of 2400 theatre style.

• Auditorium with seated guest capacity of 1100.

• 619 plasma and LCD screens in guest rooms and meeting rooms.

• 5 kg of pure edible gold is used per year for decoration mainly on deserts.

• 128 kitchens and pantries.

• 200 tonnes of oranges squeezed for fresh juice every year.

• 6.4 km jogging trail.

• 114 domes, with the Central Dome at a height of 72.6 metres above ground.

• 8 escalators and 102 elevators, with a maximum capacity up to 55 persons per elevator.

• Marble imported from 13 countries across the world.

• 12 external fountains and 8 indoor water features.

• 1002 chandeliers, the largest weighing 2.5 tonnes.

• 8000 trees set in landscaped gardens.

• 2 wall display carpets, handmade in Thailand, weighing 1 tonne each.

• 818 parking spaces.

• Daily laundry capacity of 6 tonnes.

• 1200 employees from 58 different countries.

• Emirates Palace offers the world’s most expensive one million dollar tailor made suite holiday.

Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque

Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque

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Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque Projections

Jumeirah

The most unpopular and humiliating holiday, International Women's Day, this year is  a success. We met morning at an altitude of 500 meters  at the Burj Khalifa, and after dinner drove to Jumeirah, warmed our feet in the snow-white sand beach and swam in the blue clean water of Persian Gulf. To say that everything is very nice - to say nothing. Awesome!

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Burj Khalifa

My dream has come true! By purchasing a ticket in advance, at 8:30 am March 8, we were moved to the control and high-speed elevator lifted us up on the 124th  floor of Burj Khalifa. 

Вид на башню Халифа с Шейх Зейд роуд. ПОДЪЕЗЖАЕМ!

Здесь собираются туристы. В ожидании начала, можно познакомиться с экспозицией.

Продвигаясь к скоростному лифту на движущейся ленте, можно просмотреть видеоролик об истории Дубая на дисплее на правой стене.

  Смотреть ролик.

In addition some interesting video on the theme: