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| About Dubai View local info for other Areas | ||||
| Dubai is the second largest Emirate in the United Arab Emirates and probably the most well known. Under the guidance of Shaikh Mohamed bin Rashid bin Maktoum, it has forged a reputation as one of the most important and vibrant cities in the Middle East. Cosmopolitan flavour The city has dozens of luxury hotels with signature restaurants serving cuisine from around the world. Internationally renowned celebrity chefs own restaurants in Dubai. Arabic food is widely available, but if you have a more Western palate then all of the international fast food chains and restaurants have outlets in Dubai. The city has plenty of places to relax, no matter what your inclination - be it bars, coffee houses and shisha bars. These range from Western style pubs, to trendy bars and to more traditional Iranian and Turkish shisha houses. Most bars and clubs are attatched to hotels and remain open until the early hours. And because the hotels are the hub of the social scene - visitors will find themselves mixing with Dubai residents wherever they are staying. Geography The creek is the lifeblood of this area, a tightly spaced, densely populated urban area which provides moist of the hustle and bustle in the city. Some of Dubai’s landmark buildings can be found in Deira, including the famous Bank of Dubai structure, and the Etisalat tower, which houses the United Arab Emirates’ telecommunications company. South of the creek is Bur Dubai. This is again a largely urban area - although as you head closer to the coast a more upmarket feel takes hold as the low rise apartment buildings give way to spacious villas The other major centre of Dubai is centred on the artery of the Shaikh Zayed Road, a six lane super-highway which cuts through the heart of the city’s financial district and stretches through to the neighbouring town of Jebel Ali. The area around the start of the Shaikh Zayed Road has been the subject of massive development over the past decade. The aim being to shift the focus of the city away from the now overcrowded urban areas of Deira and Bur Dubai. It is the heart of the new financial district with the Dubai International Financial Centre and the Emirates Towers (both now bona fide Dubai architectural landmarks) giving an aesthetically pleasing aspect to the busy hub. Once you get past the ‘trade centre’ district of the Shaikh Zayed Road, the highway stretches for 40km through the town of Jebel Ali and onto the emirate of Abu Dhabi. Development has sprung up around the major road, with residential developments, skyscrapers, shopping malls and industrial areas dotted along most of its length. The coastal areas of Jumeirah and Umm Sequim are fairly well developed now and are home to a plethora of luxury residences and hotel resorts, including the iconic Burj Al Arab and the Jumeirah Beach Hotel and the world famous palm Jumeirah development. More recently, a development known locally as 'New Dubai' has been springing up on the other side of the city. It features luxury developments like Dubai Marina and the sprawling Emirates Hills residential development, as well as trading zones such as Internet City and Media city. These areas house the regional headquarters of some of the world’s most famous companies. Microsoft, Cisco Systems, CNN, BBC World and Mastercard to name but a few. |
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