S\u00e3o Paulo \u2013 The United Arab Emirates has gained fame in recent years for the superlatives of Dubai, one of seven emirates that comprise the country, which has won acclaim for its luxury hotels, futuristic buildings and myriad shopping centres. But there is more to see. Check out a few tips:<\/p>\n
Bastakia <\/b> <\/p>\n
Ancient Iranian neighbourhood in Dubai. It has been restored and now boasts artists’ ateliers, art galleries, handicraft shops and lodges. It is located in Bur Dubai, one of the emirate’s original settlements, by the Creek, a stretch of sea that splits the city’s downtown area in two. Walking the narrow streets to look at the traditional architecture alone is worth the trip.<\/p>\n
Dubai Museum <\/b><\/p>\n
Set in an ancient fort, also in Bur Dubai, the museum tells the story of the emirate through videos, photographs, artefacts and life-sized reproductions of everyday scenes in the city before the oil was found. The premises also house a collection of archaeological discoveries made in the region.<\/p>\n
Ancient buildings <\/b> <\/p>\n
The Creek’s two margins, Bur Dubai and Deira, where the city originated, are filled with ancient buildings, many of them restored, which convey a good sample of the Gulf’s traditional architecture.<\/p>\n
One cannot help but notice the "wind towers." Built on the rooms of houses, these are structures open on all four sides to let the wind in and keep the insides fresh. A sort of old-fashioned air conditioning system.<\/p>\n
The house of sheikh Saeed, the former emir of Dubai and grandfather to the emirate’s current ruler, is a good example of such buildings. It is located in Sindhaga, where the Creek takes a turn, on the same side of the Bur Dubai, and is open to the public.<\/p>\n
Souks <\/b> <\/p>\n
The souks, or markets, are always a must in the Arab cities. Dubai’s most traditional ones are located in Bur Dubai and Deira. There are souks for textiles, spices, gold and fish. Even if you do not wish to buy anything, it is worth taking a walk to see the people and the shop windows filled with products.<\/p>\n
Apart from the more tourist-oriented souks, the two neighbourhoods account for a large share of the emirate’s popular trade. Bur Dubai, for instance, is home to countless electronic equipment and computer stores. On the other bank of the Creek, in Deira, perfume stores and wholesalers of various products abound.<\/p>\n
Abra ride <\/b> <\/p>\n
To cross from one side of the Creek to the other take an \u201cAbra,\u201d a wooden motor boat that carries people from bank to bank. It is a good way to appreciate the landscape of the downtown area, which combines ancient houses and ultramodern buildings. It always gives good pictures.<\/p>\n
Dow Wharfage <\/b><\/p>\n
On the Deira side, apart from checking out the stores, it is worth it to stop by the Dow Wharfage, a port for the \u201cdows,\u201d wooden cargo boats used in trade between the Gulf countries. There, products of all types, including used cars, wait on the sidewalk for their turn to be shipped.<\/p>\n
The Boardwalk <\/b> <\/p>\n
A good way to wrap up your tour of the Creek is to have dinner at the Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club. Apart from its Arab cuisine and international dishes, seafront restaurant The Boardwalk is great to relax having a drink and smoking a shisha (hookah).<\/p>\n
Replicas <\/b><\/p>\n
Other places in Dubai attempt to replicate this mix of modernity and tradition that characterizes the Creek area. One such place is Souk Madinat Jumeirah, a complex of stores and restaurants whose decoration is reminiscent of a traditional market. Through artificial canals and bridges, it links three luxury hotels of the Jumeirah chain.<\/p>\n
The Old Town Island has the same concept, but is located in the same area as two landmarks of futuristic Dubai: the huge Dubai Mall and Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building. The three attractions are bathed by an artificial lake that features fountains and light shows in the evening. <\/p>\n
Up high <\/b> <\/p>\n
The Burj Khalifa itself must be visited during the day. The highlight of the tour is the observation deck on the 124th floor. Seen from so far up, Dubai even looks like a scale model.<\/p>\n
Mosque<\/b><\/p>\n
To take a break from Dubai, how about a trip to Abu Dhabi? The capital of the country impresses visitors with its tree-lined streets. The plants grow thanks to irrigation systems spread throughout the city, because the weather is too dry.<\/p>\n
Aside from the green, another landmark of the emirate is the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque. Construction work was kicked off by the former president of the Emirates and former emir of Abu Dhabi, Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan, deceased in 2004. Inaugurated in 2007, the mosque is an impressive set of columns, minarets and white domes reminiscent of the Taj Mahal, in India.<\/p>\n
Additional information <\/b> <\/p>\n
Dubai
www.dubaitourism.ae<\/p>\n
Abu Dhabi
www.visitabudhabi.ae<\/p>\n
The Boardwalk
www.dubaigolf.com\/dubai-creek-golf-yacht-club\/indulge\/the-boardwalk.aspx<\/p>\n
Souk Madinat Jumeirah
www.jumeirah.com\/hotels-and-resorts\/destinations\/dubai\/madinat-jumeirah\/Madinat-Souk<\/p>\n
Old Town Island
www.soukalbahar.ae<\/p>\n
Dubai Mall
www.thedubaimall.com<\/p>\n
Burj Khalifa
www.burjkhalifa.ae<\/p>\n
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum<\/b><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
When in Dubai, do go to the top of the world’s tallest building, but also visit the artists in Bastakia, the ancient buildings in Bur Dubai and Deira, have dinner by the Creek and go to Abu Dhabi.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1454,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[101],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-37924","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-tourism"},"wps_subtitle":"When in Dubai, do go to the top of the world's tallest building, but also visit the artists in Bastakia, the ancient buildings in Bur Dubai and Deira, have dinner by the Creek and go to Abu Dhabi.","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/anba.com.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37924","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/anba.com.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/anba.com.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/anba.com.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1454"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/anba.com.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=37924"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/anba.com.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37924\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/anba.com.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=37924"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/anba.com.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=37924"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/anba.com.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=37924"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}