R
Middle East




DUBAI:

Embracing Its Future, Preserving Its Past

With astonishing energy and commitment, Dubai has leapt into the 21st century, embracing Western ways without turning its back on its own proud culture. The late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan added this caveat "A country that knows not its past has neither present nor future."

by Habeeb Salloum



Dubai, at the heart of the United Arab Emirates, a loose federation of seven emirates located on the Persian Gulf, is loosely comparable to a member state of a commonwealth. More than any of its sister emirates, Dubai has leaped into the 21st century and embraced Western ways with startling energy in its amazing architecture, the business services it provides and the comforts and attractions it offers tourism. In the streets of Dubai thousands of Europeans and North American business people and expatriates, along with more than five million tourists, go about their daily tasks in one of the most tolerant cities in world.




Admirably, in their headlong rush into the future, the Emirates have not forgotten their proud heritage. "A country that knows not its past has neither present nor future." These words by the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, and late president of the United Arab Emirates, are a caution that the United Emirates of today have taken very much to heart. Past trditions and monuments are being revitalized and preserved, especially in Dubai. Using these vestiges from the past as basis, a new and proud nation is being created without the rejection of the past. Dubai, the most evolved of the seven Emirates that make up the UAR is working to keep the aura of ancient Arabia alive in the midst of the modern fantasy world it is creating.



For years, Dubai's Creek, a meandering 14 km (8.7 mi) waterway, which divides the city into Bur Dubai, the old section, and Deira, the so-called new district, was the city's most famous landmark. Lately, the lure of the Creek has been greatly enhanced by the renovated "Heritage District", located in the Shindagha area of Bur Dubai at the mouth of the Creek. Much of Dubai's history is preserved in its collection of forts, mosques, palaces and other historic monuments, and many of these are on the itineraries of organized city tours.


Diving and Heritage Village:

The Diving and Heritage Villages are the heart of this re-born district. Much has been done to restore the area to its former glory, but work is ongoing. Thirty-two traditional homes are being rebuilt and plans are well underway, along the creek side, to complete a number of promenades, punctuated with traditional cafes.



The Diving and Heritage Villages feature potters and weavers practising traditional crafts, as well as exhibits and demonstrations of pearl diving. Visitors travel back in time to experience a taste of the city's past, its culture and legacy. The heritage district, along with the Creek, have become one of Dubai's most important tourist attractions.




The Creek, responsible for the city's origin and for centuries its life-blood, is a world of the old dominated by the new. Along its shores a great many abras (water taxis) and dhows (Arab sailing ships) are anchored or sailing the smooth waters. On the Bur Dubai side the skyline is spiked by minarets and wind-towers - an ancient method of natural air conditioning; while on the Deira shore, the towering modern 20th century edifices look down on the busy waters.

For visitors standing on the edge of the Creek on the Deira side, these ancient renovated structures of the mysterious Orient across the water area promise a taste of life in yesterday's Arabia. Visitors may cross the Creek on a ten-minute ride costing a few cents on a traditional abra water taxi or chose a conventional four-wheeled taxi to speed over the Garhoud and Al Maktoum bridges and through the Shindagha Tunnel. The best spot for taxis to drop off its passengers is the Bastakiya district of old Dubai, containing a large concentration of traditional courtyard houses with wind towers.

Here visitors can wander through the narrow alleyways examining the handsome old homes with their beautifully carved doors and unique wind-towers. It is like a walk back into time to the era before oil wealth transformed Dubai into one of the most eye-popping modern cities in the world.

In this area, the few remaining, mostly renovated, wind-towers give Bur Dubai its uniqueness. They are a symbol of an age when men with very limited resources tried to tame their harsh environment. Called badgeer or alfajes, they were introduced to Dubai in the 19th century by Persian merchants who settled in the Bastakiya and the nearby Shindagha districts of the city.

Every face of these square, breeze-catching structures is hollowed into a v-shaped concave with arches, pillars and intricate plasterwork. In appearance, they are like medieval louvers and were designed to trap the wind from any direction then funnel it through a hollow shaft to the rooms below. The air, as it passed down, increased in velocity, terminating just a short distance above the floor. In the hot summer months, cushions were placed beneath the shaft on which the family and guests relaxed, dined or slept. During the winter months, to keep out the cool air, the vents were blocked with wooden plugs. Before modern fans and air conditioning, the wind-towers were a very effective method of keeping homes cool.




From the reincarnated wind-towers, travelers can stroll to the Shindagha district with its Diving and Heritage Villages. Spread over an area of 4,186 square yards, the Heritage Village offers visitors an overall glimpse of life in the Emirate of Dubai and acquaints them with the traditional arts, crafts and architecture of the UAE. Traditional handicrafts can be bought at the numerous shops that make up the souk (market) inside the Heritage Village.

Folklore Shopping Festival:



The optimum time to visit the Heritage Village is during the annual Dubai Shopping Festival held from mid January to mid February when a dozen Arab countries present their authentic Bedouin folklore. The ethics of the Arabs such as chivalry, generosity, hospitality, kindness and pride, as they were practiced in the past, are celebrated in dance, poetry and song. It is a taste of old Arabia extended to visitors from all over the world.



The colorful weddings with their henna ceremonies are enhanced by the ayyalah al ardha, an age-old male sword dance, bolstered by the women singing and dancing. Drums and other percussion instruments provide the rhythmic beat for the ayyalah while women performers called na'ashet cheer them on.

And this is not all. Women preparing the traditional bread, pastries and other food go about their work in front of visitors from many lands. All through the Village during the Festival, the aroma of freshly baked bread intermixed with that of freshly roasted coffee, the swish of Arab national dress, the clinking of the bangles, the sparkle of traditional jewellery, the smell of henna, the chatter of people buying traditional medicine, the twinkle of kohled eyes, enshrouded with the sound of laughter, traditional craftsmen at work weaving carpets and baskets, all evoke pleasant memories from an Arab culture thousand of years old.


Sheikh Saeed Al Maktoum House:



Walking on a tiled pedestrian promenade one comes to the focal point of the Heritage District - the totally renovated Sheikh Saeed Al Maktoum House - once the ruler's residence and centre of administration. Built from coral covered with lime and plaster, it features carved teakwood doors and windows, ventilating screens with floral and geometric designs and lattice screens. Located next to the Heritage Village, it showcases the history and development of the Emirate of Dubai, dating back to 1896. A symbol of the finest of traditional Arab architecture, it opened its doors as a museum in 1996.
Standing on one of its balconies, visitors can survey an appealing panorama. Spread below there is a huge open space paved with colored tiles of elaborate design. Beyond, along both banks of the Creek the ancient blends well with the ultra modern. Abras and dhows vie for attention with stunning newly built sky-reaching structures. It is a kaleidoscope of contrasts of postcard beauty, a modern fantasy world with the aura of ancient Arabia. This charming scene and the lure of the Heritage District have had a great hand in making Dubai an international business and tourism centre which draws annually more than five million visitors.


A Final Thought:

Listening to daily reports about Islamic fundamentalism, terrorism and war-torn Iraq, many North Americans and Europeans are driven to judge all of the Middle East by the worst news coming from the cultures of that region. For the historian, it comes as no surprise that Islam is made up of many diverse civilizations and cultures with many contrasting views of the world and their places in it. No part of Arabia has made its choice to co-exist with Western ways as dramatically as Dubai has while still honoring and preserving its own roots and culture


IF YOU GO: Facts About Dubai:

1) Dubai has good connections with the rest of the world. Some 106 airlines operate from the city to almost 160 destinations worldwide. The airport has been expanded and has become one of the world's inter-continental transit centres, processing some 22 million passengers. By 2010 visitors are expected to reach 60 million.

2) Most western European, American and Canadian citizens can enter the UAE without a prior visitor's visa, they can obtain their visas at the entry points.

3) Autos rent at a reasonable price. A small auto, fully insured, costs about $30. per day - less if you bargain. Roads are excellent, but beware of huge traffic jams and two legged tigers driving autos.

4) The U.S. dollar is equal to 3.67 UAE dirhams. The rate has remained the same for over two decades. Exchange cash or traveller cheques at the money exchangers - they do not take commission.

5) Major international hotel chains are well represented in Dubai. However, there are other very reasonably priced and excellent abodes to be found throughout the city.

6) One can find a meal for as low as $4., but the average cost of dining in good restaurants and hotels runs from $20. to $50. For luxury dining try the Al-Boom Tourist Village with its series of restaurants - some located on dhows. It specializes in Gulf dishes and all types of seafood.

7) The best time to travel to Dubai is from mid January to mid February during the month-long "Shopping Festival" with its street parties as well as its shopping sales and bargains, held in a carnival atmosphere.

8) Dubai is a shoppers' dream world - its more than 30 huge modern malls offer the products of literally all the nations on the globe.


For Further Information, Contact:

Government of Dubai Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing,
Tel: (971 4) 223 00 00; Fax: (971 4) 223 00 22; E-Mail: info@dubaitourism.co.ae
Website: http://dubaitourism.co.ae

Photo Credits:
Government of Dubai Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing, Habeeb Salloum


© 2005 ROMAR TRAVEL GUIDES