Dubai (Arabic: دبي Dubayy) is a cosmopolitan metropolis and global city on the Arabian Peninsula. The city is one of the ten most popular tourist destinations in the world. The city is also considered one of the most modern and progressive cities in the Middle East – certainly in the Arab world – and is also sometimes nicknamed as "City of Gold" due to historically being a hub for gold trade as well as the rapid transformation from a desert into a luxurious city. Dubai is characterized by a vast landscape of desert which transforms into a fu…
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Dubai began as a small fishing village on the coast of the eastern Arabian Peninsula. At the beginning, the town made its income as a small pearl diving town. However, as expanding trade boomed across the gulf, it became a trading hub between Iran and India and gained a lot of notoriety for its imported goods from the East. In fact, the currency of Dubai used to be the Indian rupee historically. Dubai was also used as a smuggling town to smuggle gold from Africa and elsewhere and import it to India, this made Dubai a well-known point in the map for various traders.
Dubai's public transport system is one of the best in the Middle East, especially after the launch of the metro, but most visitors end up taking taxis quite often. Using the public transport is a viable option during the winter months, as long as you avoid the rush hour on the red metro line. In the summer, due to the intense heat, taking a taxi is more practical, even if it's just to get to the nearest metro station. The timetables of the public transport are integrated into Google Maps. In the app, the routes of the metro and tram can be displayed permanently as a map layer. There are different types of transportation cards.
Individual listings can be found in Dubai's district articles Dubai is a mixture of old and new, traditional and modern. From old traditional souks and historical buildings (now being preserved for cultural reasons or already part of the national heritage) to modern Dubai's overwhelming shopping malls, incredible artificial islands and giant modern skyscrapers that include the world's tallest building, Dubai is a world in itself and offers plenty of wonderful attractions. The city has numerous museums and historical buildings, but Dubai Museum is a must see for a first-time traveller to the Emirates. It provides a glimpse of the old life of Dubai, its people and their culture and heritage.
Individual listings can be found in Dubai's district articles Abra ride. A boat ride is best done at night in the cool weather and to enjoy the city lights. Abras can be hired for a private tour (for a price negotiable with the driver, but usually very cheap). This is quite a popular activity at sunset on a clear day, particularly if the driver is able to enliven the tour with stories about the structures on either side of the Creek. Just make sure that the purpose of one's abra hire is made clear at the outset, otherwise, you will be in for a very expensive cross-river trip or a crowded private tour. Beaches and sea.
Individual listings can be found in Dubai's district articles Shawarma is the most available food item on almost all streets (and cheap) in Dubai. It is the Arabic equivalent of the burger. It is meat that has been cooked on a skewer and then cut into thin strips and placed into a kuhbus (pita) bread with vegetables and dressing. There is the plain-jane variety and the more exotic Lebanese and Iranian varieties. The shawarma sold by Indian restaurants are arguably the cheapest. Another local snack is fala-fil (felafel, falafel), which is as cheap as shawarma. Traditional Emirati food normally involves rice and meat/chicken cooked with different spices.
Individual listings can be found in Dubai's district articles Dubai has supercharged the nightlife in the last decade and most international known brands have a sister location in town. Most 3-5 star hotels have bars and nightclubs for those interested in the nightlife. World-class DJs frequent Dubai's nightclubs, and many A-list musical celebrities are adding Dubai to their list of tour dates. There is nothing missing and during the high tides of the party time, the impression of being in Ibiza is not misleading. Most of the night life is geared at the beaches of Jumeirah or the Dubai Marina. Bur Dubai is more family-oriented (e.g.
Dubai is one of the safest cities in the world with regard to street crime. Call 999 if you need police attention. If you heard the sound of cannon fire, don't panic! It actually marks the time to break the fasting during Ramadan. This tradition started in Dubai since 1960. This is because most mosques in the UAE did not have loudspeakers several decades ago, so they used a cannon instead - which had a loud sound - to inform local residents that the fasting time was over. Driving and pedestrian safety has also been an issue given the different nationalities that share the road. Do not jaywalk or cross where there are no clear pedestrian markings.
Guide content from Wikivoyage contributors (CC BY-SA) — abridged; the full article has much more.
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