Dubai City Travel Guide

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Dubai City

Culture of Dubai

Rooted and devoted to the Islamic culture, Dubai practices all the Arabic traditions in the everyday life. For an emirate that has 85% population of expats from all parts of the world, the government is lenient in allowing practicing their own cultures but expects them to respect the traditions and regulations of the country’s religion. A perfect vacation spot for family, couples, honeymooners and friends; Dubai is renowned all over the world for its exceptional hospitality and warmth. Fondly referred to as a melting pot of various culture and religions, Dubai due to its vast expansion has welcomed various expats over the years for employment purposes. With a majority of people from Asia, Dubai also has expats from US, UK and various other parts of the world. This cosmopolitan culture of the emirate has also brought it at par with the various global cities of the world.

Islam, however, is the official religion of Dubai and the city strictly follows it. Except Judaism, followers of other religions are tolerated in the city provided they do not disrespect to the Islamic religion. Although the local Emiratis are limited to just 15% of the total population of the city, the everyday culture of Dubai has a huge reflection of the Arabian philosophy. You can easily spot traditionally dressed gulf Arabs chattering in Arabian language and smoking Shisha which comes quite as a cultural shock to the foreigners and intrigues them. For a wanderer who is interested in knowing more about the city, observing the culture is a great way to peep into the history of Dubai. Hospitality too, is deep rooted in the city’s culture. People understand that a major part of their livelihood comes from the tourists and therefore, they are extremely gracious while maintaining their limits. If you understand the boundaries of the Islamic culture and adhere to them, you’re surely going to make lots of new friends in the city and get to know a lot more about it.

Currency and Economy in Dubai

Dubai uses the Emirati currency called Dirhams (Dhs). The country’s economic focus has shifted from oil export to tourism in the last 10 years and rightly so, the emirate earns its 80%GDP from tourism and less than 20% from natural gas and petroleum. A city that emerged as a business center in Middle East post the oil boom, Dubai transformed itself into a tourist hub with conscious efforts. The aim was to create larger than life and unimaginable attractions that will make the city unique and irresistible for the travelers all across the world. The introduction of the Dubai Shopping Festival further added to the city’s vision and since its inception in the 1990s, the festival has been a huge success. Attracting millions of tourists from all over the world, Dubai has positioned itself as a family destination and lived up to it. For a city that lives on tourism, no wonder, its hospitality is unmatched and the visitors are treated with royalty.

The introduction of the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) in 2004 has allowed the city to develop itself as a finance and IT hub along with promoting various other service industries. The 2nd wealthiest emirate of UAE after Abu Dhabi, Dubai has long back moved its dependency from the oil export to the tourism. Today only a small amount of oil income makes a part of the city’s GDP as against the 90% in the 1990s. tourism has given overall boost to the services sector as well. With millions of tourists visiting the city every year, there are now plethora of hotels, restaurants and various other business establishments that has tremendously helped in making Dubai’s economy a thriving one.

History of Dubai

Dubai came into existence when around 800 men and women from the Bani Yas tribe led by the leaders of Maktoum’s family settled near the creek that proved to be a natural harbor for trade and business for them. By the start of the 20th century Dubai became a successful trading port. In 1966, the discovery of oil changed the fate of Dubai and resulted in enormous revenues. Further, the vision of the government of Dubai intelligently channelized those revenues and built the basic necessities like hospitals, schools and roads along with contemporary communications network. The government did not stop at this. There was a continuous exploration of ways to make this revenue generation of Dubai permanent as they knew that the oil boom won’t last forever.

The year of 1971 too was one of the landmark years for the UAE. The rulers of Abu Dhabi Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan and Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum of Dubai realized their dream of creating a federation of the emirates in the region with Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Ajman, Umm Al Quwain, Fujairah and Ras Al Khaimah came together to form UAE. But the government knew that oil won’t give them forever stability, and it was in the year 1980s that the emirate decided to invest their resources in making Dubai a world class tourist destination. What started as a dedicated effort to make Dubai visible on the map of Dubai turned the fate of the country with magnanimous attractions inviting millions of visitors from all over the world came into existence. But amidst developing the city in to a tourism hub, Dubai also preserved its rich history and the rare artifacts of not only the era before the oil boom but also the period when Dubai was nothing but a small Bedouin fishing village.

Some Known Fact about Dubai

Boasting of the tallest, largest, and various superlatives of magnificent; Dubai attractions should not be missed. The city is constantly working towards creating more innovative attractions that surpasses the imagination. The most recent additions in the list of best things to see in Dubai are Dubai Parks and resorts and the Dubai Opera house that is garnering all the world attention. From Burj Khalifa- the tallest manmade structure in the world to the Dubai Miracle Garden, the serenity of Dubai creek to the adventure of the Desert Safari, no matter what you choose, rest assured of a super fun getaway at the crowned jewel of the Middle East.

Few of the numerous incredible facts about Dubai, good enough to persuade you for your next trip is as follows:

Dubai boasts of the world’s tallest manmade freestanding structure in the world- The Burj Khalifa.
It has the world’s largest suspended acrylic aquarium in the world.
It has three of the world’s biggest shopping malls.
Dubai has made the world’s biggest manmade islands that has extended its coastline by over 500kms.
Dubai Miracle garden is the world’s biggest natural flower garden with over 45million flowers arranged in various themes.
The Dubai fountain is the world’s largest themed fountain that jets water up to a height of over 500ft.
Dubai boasts of a golf course that requires 4,000,000 gallons of water on a daily basis.
The metro rail of Dubai is a driverless above ground metro train system with 42 stations, built in a record span of just 18 months.
Dubai is set to open the Dubailand on grounds of the Disneyland which is expected to be the world’s largest tourist destination by its tentative opening year of 2020.
The latest attractions making their way up in the list of becoming the tourist favorites are Dubai Parks and Zoo along with the celebrated Dubai Opera House.

Things to See in Dubai

Dubai Miracle Garden- the world’s largest natural flower garden with 45 million flowers adorned in beautiful shapes and designs.

Burj Khalifa- the tallest manmade structures in the world bosting of 164 stories and has various offices, hotels and residential flats too.

Bastakiya Quarter- Dubai’s oldest neighborhood that gives you best peep into the life of the Bedouin people before the oil boon. It has the wind towers that aptly performed the work of air conditioners during that era.

Desert Safari- they say no trip to Dubai is complete without experiencing the calming Dubai desert and enjoying the amazing adventure of Desert safari.

Global Village- touted as the world’s biggest leisure and entertainment project, Global Village is your chance to see worlds inside a world.

Dubai Fountain- the world’s largest themed fountain that shoots water up to a height of approximately a 50 storey building.

Mall of Emirates- one of the biggest malls in the world, Mall of Emirates house the Ski Dubai (Middle East’s first indoor ski rink with world’s first ever black run) and the best of world brands.

Dubai Mall- one of the best known and the largest mall in the world, it has more footfalls in a year than the total number of tourist footfalls in the entire New York city.

Dubai Aquarium and Underwater zoo- Dubai aquarium is the world’s largest suspended acrylic aquarium of the world with over 33000 marine species inside it including sharks and rays,

Sheikh Zayed Mosque- one of the best known mosques of the city, it is a beautiful sight to visit and to get insightful information about the Islamic religion.

Jumeirah beach- the best free beach of the city with a breathtaking backdrop of the Burj Al Arab, the Jumeirah beach is a must visit for absolute relaxation.

Dubai City Travel Guide

Culture of Dubai

Currency and Economy in Dubai

History of Dubai

Some Known Fact about Dubai

Weather of Dubai

How to Apply Dubai Visa

Things to do Around Dubai

Eating and Drinking in Dubai

Events in Dubai

Nightlife of Dubai

Shopping in Dubai

Things to See in Dubai