Once in this ultra-modern city, it's hard to believe that in former times there was a coastal village in its place, where Bedouin merchants lived. Today, this metropolis is not only the capital of the United Arab Emirates, but also a magnificent oasis in the desert.
It can be said that Dubai is one big attraction that combines old times with modernity, traditional features with innovative discoveries, pathos and modesty. Everything is here. And it's all so great that the city is often compared to heaven on earth.
Of course, initially many travelers go to Dubai only for a beach holiday. However, after they get to this cosmopolitan city, it becomes clear that a pleasant bonus to the rest will be getting a huge amount of interesting sensations. After all, here you can visit the famous camel races, and see the highest skyscrapers in the world, and see the whole mountains of gold that are laid out on the shelves of the markets, and visit the palm islands, and visit very seductive and luxuriousduty-free shopping, and enjoy the enchanting aromas of Arabic cuisine.
House of Sheikh Saeed Al Maktoum
What should be visited from the sights of Dubai for those who are interested in the historical heritage of the UAE? There are not too many museums in the city, but fans of such excursions will still find something to see in the cosmopolitan.
What to visit in Dubai from this destination? A very interesting place for tourists is the house of Sheikh Saeed al-Maktoum. Once it served as a residence for the family ruling the country. Today, the house has been turned into a museum, which is an example of Arab culture of the 19th century. This building is even listed as a National Cultural Monument in the UAE.
In this museum, travelers can get acquainted with the exposition, which includes the rarest photographs, pictographs, old stamps, paintings and coins telling about the history of the Emirate. Here you can also look at wax figures dressed in national costumes. If you go up to the balcony of the top floor of the house, then you will see a view of the harbor. It is interesting that on the facade of the building there are wind towers that have survived to this day. In the old days, they cooled the air in the rooms of this house. Based on their purpose, such towers can be considered as the first air conditioners on the planet.
Those tourists who do not yet know what to visit in Dubai are advised not to ignore the House of Said. This is a great place to get acquainted with the history of the country.
Heritage House
What to visit in Dubaithose tourists who are determined to see the historical sights of the UAE? A very interesting place for such travelers will be the Heritage House. This museum is a dwelling that was typical of the UAE at the end of the 19th century. A local caretaker helps tourists familiarize themselves with the expositions.
The building was built in 1890. Previously, it belonged to Ahmed bin Dalmuk, a we althy merchant and one of the pioneers of the pearl trade.
Those who have not yet decided what to visit in Dubai on their own should come to Al Ahmadiya St. The Heritage House will significantly enrich the knowledge of travelers about the ethnography of the country and diversify their vacation in Dubai. Attractive is the fact that the entrance to this museum is completely free.
Unique villages
What else can you visit in Dubai? What excursions will leave an unforgettable impression about this country? In the western part of the capital of the UAE, which is called Bur Dubai, in a bay located near the Shindaga Peninsula, there are two villages. One of them is a settlement for pearl divers, and the second is a historical and ethnographic museum. Both of these villages are among the main attractions of the country.
Not far from the entrance to the bay is a historical and ethnographic settlement. His buildings of 1997 are located on an area of slightly less than a hectare. There are many places of interest for tourists here. This is, for example, a Bedouin house, the building material for which was the branches and trunks of a date palm.
Here, in the village market, travelerscan buy for themselves interesting products made by local potters and blacksmiths, weavers and other artisans. Right before the eyes of vacationers in the village, delicious cakes are baked, which you can try, as they say, piping hot.
The local museum located here acquaints its visitors with archaeological finds. All of them were discovered during excavations on the outskirts of Dubai. Among these exhibits are household items, bronze weapons and jewelry.
Not far from this historical and ethnographic village is a settlement of divers. All its inhabitants earn a living by mining pearls. The diving village is also a kind of open-air museum. Its exhibits are boats: transport, fishing and those that get to the places of pearl mining.
These attractions are also a great guide for those who are wondering what to visit in Dubai on their own. There is no entry fee for the villages.
Al Fahidi Fort
Those who are going to come to the UAE and do not yet know what places to visit in Dubai should familiarize themselves with the fortress, which today is a national museum.
Al Fahidi Fort is one of the oldest buildings in Dubai. Its construction began at the end of the 18th century. on the coast of the Persian Gulf. Arab architects managed to build a fortification from clay blocks and corals, which they fastened together with lime.
In the old days, the fort protected the city from raids from the sea. Later itconverted into a weapons store and a state prison. After the liberation of Dubai from English colonial dependence, Sheikh Rishid Ibn Said al-Maktoum decided to restore the old fortress and open a historical museum in it. It took almost thirty years. Building material was imported by restorers from Iran, India and Africa. The exhibits of the museum were also hardly preserved due to the unstable political situation in the country, characterized by constant uprisings and strikes.
Today, the museum contains household items of pearl divers, merchants and Bedouins who have inhabited these lands for more than one millennium.
In the courtyard of the fort, "tsou" - traditional Arab ships, as well as shasha boats made from palm leaves are exhibited. In the open air, in this museum, you can see the barasti reed huts, which have a unique ventilation system used by the local population as the first air conditioners.
There is a separate exposition in the museum, which is dedicated to the musical art of the Arab people. Among its exhibits are drums and flutes, guitars and bagpipes. For those who are interested in history, it will be interesting to see the collection of archeological finds. These objects have an age sometimes exceeding 4 thousand years.
Dancing fountains
Tourists interested in Dubai sightseeing, what should be the first place to visit? There are dancing fountains in the capital of the United Arab Emirates, which, not without reason, are considered the mainattraction of the emirate. They are located in the lake near the Burj Khalifa, between the skyscraper of the same name, the market and the Dubai Mall shopping center. Absolutely free of charge, tourists can look at these largest artificial streams of water in the world, beating up. The jets of fountains rise so high that they allow you to admire yourself from all around.
Attraction - the lake at the Burj Khalifa - this is exactly what is worth visiting in Dubai. Indeed, to watch the show with fountains, tourists do not need to go anywhere. And besides, the main local tourist routes lie in the shopping center and skyscraper located near them. If you visit the UAE and do not see these largest dancing and singing fountains in the world, then later it will become very disappointing. After all, jets of water soaring up are a kind of symbol of the country's prosperity. And even initially, these fountains were conceived as the best on the planet.
What is the show with 83 tons of water? This is a unique spectacle consisting of 3 hours of special dances. The main role in them is assigned to water, which, in time with the music, rises to the height of a 50-story building in the form of various intricate figures (flowers, spirals and other forms). How can you pass by and not see such a miracle of the UAE?
Burj Khalifa
What can tourists visit in Dubai? One of the most famous landmarks of the UAE among Russians is the tallest tower in the world, the Burj Khalifa. Its height is 830 meters.
The skyscraper has some interestingengineering features. One of them is special mirror panels that cover the outer walls of the building. Such a solution helps to prevent overheating of the premises of the building in the hottest months of summer.
Another feature of the tower is its power supply from its own generators, which are powered by wind. In addition, the Burj Khalifa building has special automatic systems that can wash the windows of the building.
The design of the tallest tower in the world required a huge number of technical innovations. Without them, she would not have been able to simply stand. For example, the section of the Burj Khalifa looks like an "x" shape, which makes the structure as stable as possible.
The tower has many terraces with beautiful gardens. On the two-story elevator located in the building, tourists can climb to the 124th floor, where the observation deck is located. From here (from a height of 452 meters) it is wonderful to admire the wonderful views of Dubai.
The Burj Khalifa is a partially residential building. It has 900 apartments and nine hotels. There are several pools here, as well as a restaurant and a nightclub, which are considered the highest in the world. There is a mosque on the 158th floor.
Most of the building is given over to offices. However, today almost all of them are empty due to exorbitant rental prices.
Palm Islands
What do tourists need to visit in Dubai? For those who wish to be a happy witness to the realizationgrandiose in its significance and scale of the project of the twenty-first century, it is necessary to visit the palm islands. This man-made archipelago is also called the eighth wonder of the world.
The artificial structure consists of three islands that look like palm trees. Among them are Palm Jumeirah, Palm Jebel Ali, and Palm Deira. These islands, or more specifically the peninsulas (because of their connection to the coastline), have the shape of the date palm, which is highly revered in Islam. The crown of each of these islands is a crescent moon, which seems to be spreading over the top. It was conceived as a breakwater and at the same time to perpetuate Muslim symbols. The islands are surrounded by unique barrier reefs. So, Palm Jebel Ali is protected by quotes from the poems of Mohammed bin Rashid, the ruler of Dubai. By the way, on his initiative, this grandiose building was carried out. Protective reefs made of sand and rocks.
The Palm Islands in Dubai are the territory where local millionaires live. Communication between the islands and the mainland is carried out using a monorail. In addition, an airship constantly runs here.
It is said to be "the eighth wonder of the world", just like the Great Wall of China, it is visible even from space. Palm Islands today are considered a symbol not only of Dubai, but of all the United Arab Emirates.
The largest mall
What to visit in Dubai? There is hardly a traveler who, having arrived in the capital of the UAE, will not stay inthe world's largest shopping and entertainment center "Dubai Mall". Indeed, this complex has an impressive scale. Its area is 1.2 million square meters. But you can do more than just shopping here. Those who have not yet decided what to visit in Dubai with children should definitely come to this mall. After all, there is an indoor oceanarium striking in its scale. More than 33,000 different marine life swim in its waters, including tiger sharks and rays. Above this giant aquarium is a water zoo. This is a place where you can see a large number of fish and other deep-sea inhabitants. Visitors are given the opportunity to see penguins, snakes and reptiles. The Dubai Aquarium holds the Guinness World Record for the largest indoor structure of its kind in the world.
Waterpark
What to visit in Dubai with children? The real attraction of the city is the water park. This is the most famous such complex in the Emirates, which is called "Wild Wadi". Tourists, entering its territory, seem to fall into an oriental fairy tale. And if it weren’t for the skyscrapers towering nearby, it would create the complete impression of being on a pirate island, where the exotic Wadi river flows. On it, visitors travel between rocks and oases.
Each of the attractions of the water park is made in a specific theme related to the adventures of the navigator Sinbad. Travelers enter the world of waves, the height of which sometimes reaches 2.5 m,tropical showers, surfing, downhill skiing (up to 80 km per hour) and waterfalls. All this can be found on 23 attractions of the water park.
Emirates Mall
This shopping complex should definitely be on the list of those places that a traveler has chosen for himself, trying to find the answer to the question of what to visit in Dubai. After the Emirates Mall lost its title of leader, losing first place to Dubai Mall, the management tried to introduce something special into the work of the Center. And he did it great. To date, "Emirates Mall" is well known to tourists due to its ski resort. It especially attracts those who are tired of the hot sun and want to cool off at least a little. The mall invites such tourists to visit the snow-covered descent, which is 400 m long. Of course, many other joys await visitors to the Emirates Mall. In addition to shopping, these are restaurants and cinemas, attractions and theatre.
