Dubai Tourist Attractions

Before we take a look at some of the touristSheikh Saeed Al-Maktoum's House - Sheikh Saeed
attractions in Dubai, here are some facts andAl-Maktoum's House, near Al-Shindagha Tunnel,
information about this Middle Eastern city.Al-Shindagha Road is one of the oldest homes in the
Dubai is one of the seven emirates that made up thecity, as well as one of the best examples of traditional
oil rich United Arab Emirates commonly referred to asArabic architecture. The house was built exclusivly with
UAE. This city sits snug in the eastern Arabiansandstone in 1896 and offers panoramic views of the
Peninsula and is also UAE's main city.sea. Sadly though, the fantastic view is now slightly
The emirate of Dubai was created with the formationobscured by the more modern developments.
of the UAE in1971 although there are some documentsThe Sheikh who was a former ruler of Dubai used the
to suggest that the city was already in existence ahouse to monitor trading in and out of the country. This
century or two before the formation of UAE. Dubaitourist attraction was reopened as a museum in 1986
has a population of about 1.5 million people at the timecontains an exhibition showcasing the development of
of writing. It has the largest population in comparison toDubai from 1940s to1960s.
the other emirates and is the second largest emirateChildren's City - Tourists with children will be delighted
by land area, after Abu Dhabi.to take the kids the Children's City, located at
However, according to the census done by theCreekside Park. The Children's City was opened in
Statistics Center of Dubai, only about 17 percent its2002 and is a smashing hit with children and their
population is made up of UAE nationals and the restdelighted parents.
are made up of expatriates, foreign workers andThis 7,700 sq-m (83,000 sq ft) wonderland takes
tourists.young minds on a journey through the human body,
Arabic is the official language of Dubai, but Persian,science and space, with the help of different 'zones'.
Malayalam, Urdu, Bengali, Tamil, English, Hindi, andThere are also plenty of hands-on activities to keep
Tagalog are widely spoken because of the manyeven the most playful children occupied. All exhibits in
foreigners living in Dubai.this city are in English and Arabic.
Dubai City is not a tour destination that it is easilyJumeirah Mosque - The Jumeirah Mosque on
explored on foot because many of its touristAl-Jumeirah Road is perhaps the most photographed
attractions such as Deira and Jumeirah Beach arebuilding by tourists in Dubai because of its impressive
located far apart from each other. Here are someexample of modern Islamic architecture. Built along
tourist attractions you must visit if you are heading tomedieval Fatimid lines and entirely of stone, the
Dubai for your vacation.Jumeirah Mosque with its two minarets is particularly
Bastakiya - Bastakiya district is located at East ofbeautiful in the night when subtle lighting increases the
Dubai Souk on Al-Fahidi Street.mosque's dramatic effect.
Way back in the days before there was electricity forGrand Mosque - The Grand Mosque in Ali ibin Ali Talib
fans and air-conditioning, Dubai Creek used to haveStreet was only rebuilt in 1998 with the city's tallest
numerous wind towers that kept the homes cool fromminaret standing at an impressive 70m (231ft) tall.The
the blistering dessert heat. Touring the BastakiyaGrand Mosque is made up of nine large domes and
district is like taking a step back in time travel because45 smaller ones. This mosque can accommodate up
of the many traditional courtyard houses still have theto 1,200 worshippers.
wind towers.Souks - The souks, or traditional markets, are one of
The Bastakiya district is now undergoing massiveDubai's most popular tourist attractions. The souks are
reconstruction for its transformation into a "touristlocated on both sides of the creek, with the most
village".impressive ones on the Deira side.
Palm Islands - The famous Palm Islands (so calledThe highlight of this tourist attraction is the colorful and
because of its palm like shape), is actually a groupingbustling Spice Market where tourist can find local
of three islands and is said to be visible from the moon.delights like exotic perfumes and watch noisy locals
The Palm Island is an incredible largest manmade islandbargaining with vendors.
in the world. A large part of Palm Islands is stillDubai Museum - Not to be missed is the Dubai
undergoing tremendous construction at the time ofMuseum in Al-Fahidi Fort. The museum itself is actually
writing this article.a historic fort, dating back to 1799. It was only
There are about 7,000 apartments and 1,800 villas andconverted into a museum in 1970. The exhibits in the
townhouses on The Palm, Jumeirah. Jumeirah will alsomuseum ranges from ancient weapons, pearl-diving
offer an outstanding array of retail and lifestyle optionsoutfits to an impressive range of military artifacts.
for residents and tourists when construction is fullySome of the most intriguing exhibits are those
completed.discovered from the 3000 to 4000-year-old graves at
The Golden Mile when completed will offer the world'sAl-Ghusais.
most exclusive brands with an international array ofHeritage Village - The Heritage Village is located at
boutiques, shops, restaurants and cafes.Shindagha Tunnel, Al-Shindagha Road and as the
As an exclusive tie up between The Trumpname suggests, it is an attempt to weave in some
Organization and Nakheel Group, The Palm Jumeirahlocal traditional heritage in contrast to Dubai's rapidly
will feature a number of Trump properties, includingdeveloping modern skyline.
The Palm Trump International Hotel and Tower.The objective of the project is to recreate the Bedouin
The Crescent Island will feature luxurious internationalway of life, with locals dressed up in traditional Arabic
hotels in Dubai and situated near The Crescent are agarbs, exhibit traditional handicrafts, music and dance.
number of fascinating dive sites to thrill scuba divers.