DESTINATION DUBAI

Writers cannot resist pinning labels on Dubai.  To one, it is The Hong Kong of the Middle East because of its role as an entreport, to another the Venice of the Middle East because it is a city built on water. 

But Dubai defies convenient titles.  There is no country and not city quite like it.

Visitors who arrive in Dubai expecting a hot, dusty, barren town surrounded by hostile desert find instead a clean, dynamic, in some parts lush green city, straddling a natural harbour flanked by sparkling Gulf waters and attractive sandy beaches.  The hinterland is largely desert and arid mountains but it is tamed just enough by the tour guides to enable urban adventures to roam its dunes and wadis for a glimpse of the last frontier.

This oasis of peace and prosperity is the second largest emirate in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) with a population of just over half a million people.  It is estimated that three out of four are expatriates from India, Pakistan and other Middle Eastern and Western Countries. 

As many as 30 different nationalities co-exist amicably in this tolerant, cosmopolitan society which manages, at the same time, to maintain Islamic values and culture.

Dubai is a very pleasant city, not only to visit, but also to live in.  It has all the mod cons of an affluent western metropolis – adequate water, reliable electricity, state-of-the-art communications, well-stocked supermarkets and modern hospitals – and more, like cheap petrol, superb sporting facilities and clubs, and a diverse cultural life.  Dubai’s credits rise event further because of the features of modern city life, which are missing – no air pollution, no traffic jams, no poverty and very little crime.

The airport prepares the visitor for one aspect of the country.  It epitomizes the modern, commercial hustling bustling Dubai, which attracts foreign trade and industry like bees to a honeypot.

The Creek reveals a different aspect of Dubai.  The antique shapes of the wooden dhows lining the creek side quays are vivid reminders of the long sea-going tradition of this ancient Arabian port.

Until recently visitors came to Dubai because it is the most important business centre of the Gulf.  Now more and more come to Dubai as tourist and vacationers, discovering a holiday destinations which is rich in exotic sight and experiences yet offers the comfort and services that the modern travellers expects.  Another Dubai has emerged, welcoming its guests with warm Arab hospitality, providing shopping, entertainment, dining and disco dancing, day-trips and desert safaris and a wealth of distinctly Arab sights and sensations designed to make a Dubai holiday unforgettable.

The UAE lies between 22°50' and 26° north latitude and between 51° and 56°25' east longitude. It shares a nineteen-kilometre border with Qatar on the northwest, a 530-kilometer border with Saudi Arabia on the west, south, and southeast, and a 450-kilometer border with Oman on the southeast and northeast. The largest emirate, Abu Dhabi, accounts for 87 percent of the UAE's total area (67,340 square kilometres). The smallest emirate, Ajman, encompasses only 259 square kilometres.

 
The UAE stretches for more than 650 kilometres along the southern shore of the
Persian Gulf. Most of the coast consists of saltpans that extend far inland. The largest natural harbour is at Dubai, although other ports have been dredged at Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, and elsewhere. Numerous islands are found in the gulf. The smaller islands, as well as many coral reefs and shifting sandbars, are a menace to navigation. Strong tides and occasional windstorms further complicate ship movements near the shore.

The UAE also extends for about ninety kilometres along the Gulf of Oman, an area known as the Al Batinah coast. The Al Hajar al Gharbi (Western Al Hajar) Mountains, rising in places to 2,500 meters, separate the Al Batinah coast from the rest of the UAE. Beginning at the UAE-Oman border on the Persian Gulf coast of the Musandam Peninsula (Ras Musandam), the Al Hajar al Gharbi Mountains extend southeastward for about 150 kilometres to the southernmost UAE-Oman frontier on the Gulf of Oman.
The range continues as the Al Hajar ash Sharqi (Eastern Al Hajar) Mountains for more than 500 kilometres into Oman. The mountain slopes tend to run right to the shore.

Nevertheless, there are small harbours at Diba al Hisn, Kalba, and Khor Fakkan on the Gulf of Oman. In the vicinity of Fujeirah, where the mountains do not approach the coast, there are sandy beaches.

Cities with Skyscrapers…a sophisticated network of highways criss-crossing the country cars zooming about…tree- lined boulevards…magnificent shopping malls…fun parks…a communication network that can be the envy of any country….all lie side by side with the silent desert, wind towers and camels…much has changed within so short a time…if ever there was an ode to progress, the United Arab Emirates would be it.

Grand Tour of Arabia
Egypt, Dubai & Jordan a la Indiana Jones

12 days in Egypt , Dubai and Jordan, Including Petra