United Arab Emirates: Dubai
United Arab Emirates: Dubai
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Burj Al Arab Hotel |
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On this trip we visited Dubai in the United Arab Emirates (also the UAE or the Emirates). The UAE is a Middle Eastern country situated in the southeast of the Arabian Peninsula in Southwest Asia on the Persian Gulf, comprising seven emirates: Abu Dhabi, Ajmān, Dubai, Fujairah, Ras al-Khaimah, Sharjah, and Umm al-Quwain.
Dubai is a very nice city; it's very clean and safe. Due to all the oil money, there is constant building going on around the city. The world's tallest building will soon be completed in 2009 and is estimated to be close to 1/2 mile high. On this trip, we went night spear fishing for crabs, took a desert 4x4 safari, visited a camel farm, rode camels, watched belly dancing, tried shisha and henna, had a city tour and dinner cruise on Dubai Creek. |
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Burj Al Arab Hotel: Designed to
resemble a billowing sail, the hotel soars to a height of 321 meters,
dominating the Dubai coastline. At night, it offers an unforgettable
sight, surrounded by choreographed color sculptures of water and fire.
This all-suite hotel reflects the finest that the world has to
offer. The hotel was briefly marketed as "the world's first
seven-star hotel.
Entry to the hotel island is only allowed to guests and people with reservations in one of the many restaurants. Reservations can be placed on-line at http://www.burj-al-arab.com. |
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| Souk Madinat Jumeirah Hotel: This hotel is located next to the Burj Al Arab hotel. From here, we were able to take some photos of the Burj Al Arab. | |||
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| Jumeirah Mosque: The city has many fine mosques. A mosque is a Muslim temple or place of worship. The largest and one of the most beautiful is Jumeirah Mosque. The mosque is an example of modern Islamic architecture and is one of the most photographed sights of Dubai. | |||
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Burj Dubai: The Burj Dubai (In Arabic
translated to "Tower (of) Dubai") is a super tall skyscraper currently under construction in the "New Downtown" of Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
Its final height is officially being kept a secret due to competition; however, figures released by a contractor on the project have suggested a height of around 808 meters (2,651 feet). Based on this height, the total number of habitable floors is expected to be around 162. However, on the project's official website, an interior graphic of an elevator panel shows floor numbers up to 195. A more recent article by building subcontractor Persian Gulf Extrusions states a final height "over 940 meters", or at least 3,084 feet, but this has not yet been confirmed by Emaar. This new figure is 24 meters higher than the final height rumored on burjdubaiskyscraper.com. Another source, from dubaimegaprojects.com reported an estimated final height of 1,011 meters (3,317 ft.) and a floor count of 216 floors. If all goes according to plan, Burj Dubai will soon become the tallest building and the tallest freestanding structure in the world, beating current title holders CN Tower in Toronto (tallest freestanding structure) and Taipei 101 in Taipei (tallest building), as well as other proposed skyscrapers like the Freedom Tower at New York City's World Trade Center, the Shanghai World Financial Center, and Chicago's Spire. In addition, with a minimum height of 630 m (2,067 ft.), the Burj Dubai will assume the title of the world's tallest structure, surpassing the guyed KVLY-TV mast in North Dakota. It will be nearly twice the height of the iconic Empire State Building. Website: http://www.burjdubai.com |
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| City Views: Some of the buildings around Dubai as well as a garden area that is found throughout the city. | |||
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Emirates Towers
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| Dubai Municipality: The building showing UAE Vice President and Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. | |||
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| Camel Statues: Various camel statues around the ctiy. | |||
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| Dubai Creek: The creek running through the center of Dubai is not a river, but is an inlet for the sea. | |||
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| Dubai Creek Water Taxi: Water taxi's cross the creek and cost 1 Dirham (15 pents GB or 30 cents US) per person per crossing. Water Taxi's hold 20 people. If you want a private taxi, you simply pay 20 Dirham's and the boat is yours to cross the creek. Other boats will take tourists on various creek cruises for a higher price. | |||
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| Fish Market: This was very impressive. The market covers an area that must be at least half the size or more of a football field having every fish imaginable. | |||
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| Fruit and Vegetable Market | |||
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| Gold Souk: A Souk is a commercial quarter in an Arab city. The term is often used to designate the market in any Arabized city. | |||
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| Spice Souk | |||
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