The
emirate of Dubai embraces a wide variety of scenery in
a very small area. In a single day, the tourist can experience
everything from rugged mountains and awe-inspiring sand
dunes to sandy beaches and lush green parks, from dusty
villages to luxurious residential districts and from ancient
houses with wind towers to ultramodern shopping malls.
The emirate is both a dynamic international business centre
and a laid-back tourist escape; a city where the sophistication
of the 21st century walks hand in hand with the simplicity
of a bygone era. But these contrasts give Dubai its unique
flavour and personality; a cosmopolitan society with an
international lifestyle, yet with a culture deeply rooted
in the Islamic traditions of Arabia. Since the earliest
times, Dubai has been a meeting place, bringing together
the Bedouin of the desert interior with the pearl-diver,
the merchant of the city with the sea-going fisherman.
The
city having expanded along both banks of the Creek, Dubai’s
central business district is divided into two parts (
Deira on the northern side and Bur Dubai to the south
) connected by a tunnel and two bridges. Each has its
share of fine mosques and busy souks, of public buildings,
shopping malls, hotels, office towers, banks, hospitals,
schools, apartments and villas. Outside this core, the
city extends to the neighboring emirates of Sharjah to
the north, while extending south and west in a long ribbon
of development alongside the Gulf, through the districts
of Satwa, Jumeirah and Umm Suqeim.
At
first glance, the city presents a predominantly modern
face, an ever-changing skyline of new development, from
striking glass and concrete towers to gracious modern
buildings incorporating traditional Arabian architectural
motifs and features.
