Dominic MacDonell
Dubai
Top 10 Dubai Landmarks
Burj Al Arab
Everyone dreams of staying at the Burj Al-Arab, the most extravagant hotel in the world. However, world’s first seven star hotel developed by Jumeirah Hotels & Resorts chooses its customers and not vice versa. Burj Al Arab’s billowing sail enjoys being a focus of public attention with its glittery gold interiors, ultra-spacious suites and the heightened level of luxury offered.
Palm Islands
When innovation meets hard work, the resuls are astound-ing as seen at the Palm Islands in Dubai, an ambitious pro-ject visualized by Nakheel Properties, these man-made is-lands were constructed to accommodate the ever-growing tourist influx in Dubai. Shaped to resemble a palm tree, the Palm Trilogy defines everyday luxury living.
The World Islands
Envisioned by Nakheel Properties, the ones behind the Palm Trilogy, the World Islands share the same idea of cre-ating man made islands for luxury residential purposes. When photographed from above the islands resemble the world and each island is the country within it. The develop-ment will give rise to hotel properties and residential build-ings, an opportunity enough to further Dubai’s tourism.
Ski Dubai
The words winter and desert are diametrically opposite yet Dubai manages it by constructing a Ski resort inside the Mall of Emirates, the largest mall in the world. Featuring 22,500-square metres of ski area covered in snow all year round, the indoor ski resort features various ski jump slopes and play areas to entertain children and adults alike.
Burj Khalifa
When it comes to Dubai constructions, the sky is the limit in the literal sense of the word. Presently, Burj Khalifa tops the list for the tallest skyscraper in the world at a height of 2,717 ft. Part of the new development called Downtown Dubai, the tower is the address to the most elite hotels, shopping cen-tres, residences and offices in the world.
Dubai Internet City
State-of-the-art facilities and Dubai go together as Dubai Internet City proves its effectiveness as the most strategic and cost effective platform for ICT companies aiming to cap-ture global markets. In fact, DIC is one of the few desig-nated areas to offer 100 percent tax exemption business ownership.
Deira Clocktower
A major landmark in Dubai, Deira Clocktower has been a si-lent witness to the city’s changing faces when it was built in 1963 to mark the country’s first oil exports. Also referred to as Dubai Clocktower, it stands at the gateway of Maktoum Bridge, one of the significant constructions in Dubai Creek linking Bur Dubai and Deira.
Dubai Marina
Located in what is known as “new Dubai”, Dubai Marina is a man-made canal city built to encourage luxurious lifestyles through exclusive waterfront constructions along the Per-sian Gulf shoreline. These include swanky hotels, aristo-cratic residential palaces and extravagant shopping and en-tertainment centres.
Sheikh Zayed Road
No description of Dubai would be complete without the men-tion of Sheikh Zayed Road. A section of the longest highway in UAE stretching from Abu Dhabi to Ras Al Khaimah, the E 11 is known as the Sheikh Zayed Road in Dubai. Named af-ter Sheikh Maktoum bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the then Ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Zayed Road is home to many properties and skyscrapers including Burj Khalifa, Emirates Towers and other elite hotels.
Al Bastakiya
Today Dubai is all about modern, hi-rise constructions, but a part of it remains umbilically connected to the narrow lanes
The emirate of Dubai is synonymous with humongous as it continues to build the first, largest and the biggest construc-tions in the world. Dubai’s dynamics are always transient and ever-changing with its constant urge to construct some-thing better and bigger than the previous. If there was a Palm Island, Nakheel thought of the World Island. Burj Al Arab seemed too timid when Burj Khalifa cropped up, dis-tancing itself to being a loner in the crowd. Dubai constantly dwells in a suppressive competition with itself trying to mag-netize tourists to a dreamy world of attractions and unheard of luxuries. The emirate’s scoring points lie in its entrepre-neurial abilities to create the inconceivable found in its tour-ist attractions, landmarks, shopping centres, nightlife and hotels. Although it strictly safeguards its traditional practices, it allows space for other religions to breathe, a rare quality amongst the conservative Arab world. Thankfully, it has been successful in shielding itself from extremism, much-needed for it to survive.
A newbie tourist to Dubai can get confused as it offers an exciting abundance of attractions, activities, shopping and nightlife. Here’s a top list of things to do when holidaying in Dubai.
About
Dubai is located on the Persian Gulf, in the northeast of the United Arab Emirates. Dubai is the second largest emirate with an urban area of 3885 sq km and the city is roughly 35 sq km. However it will expand to twice that size with the ad-dition of the man-made islands; the Waterfront, the three Palms, the World, the Universe, Dubailand, as well as the construction in the desert.
One of the most fascinating geographical aspects of Dubai, is its Creek, which divides the city into two regions. Dubai Creek is made up of a natural 9.5 mile inlet in the Persian Gulf, around which the city’s trade developed. North of the Creek is called Deira, and Bur Dubai refers to the south where it joins the tourist and residential developments of Jumeirah along the coast.
Dubai also has the highest population, sharing its borders with Abu Dhabi in the south, Sharjah in the northeast and the Sultanate of Oman in the southeast.
Due to the city’s unique geographical location it enjoys a strategic position which allows it to connect to all local Gulf
