Although the Middle East is considered the cradle of human civilization, Dubai doesn't offer much of the old. In the old Al Fahidi fortress and the former house of Sheikh Saed al Maktoum, photographs, maps and the past are exhibited, when the few inhabitants were engaged in building boats and searching for pearls.
In the courtyard of the fortress there is a traditional dwelling made of sticks and palm leaves, in which the inhabitants live Dubai lived no more than seventy years ago. In the eastern part of the city, in the area named Bastaki, which was settled by Persian traders in the 19th century, you can also admire traditional houses with "wind towers", the forerunners of today's air conditioners. Dubai Creek, a winding, fourteen kilometer long bay, divides the city into two parts, Bur Dubai (old part) and Deiro, where some of the old souks (markets or bazaars) are located. Dhow is a typical traditional wooden boat that is still built today, just like in the past, without sketches drawn on paper and without modern tools. In the evening, dozens of dhows glide along the surface of Dubai Creek, offering a very special view of Dubai's sights. Muslims in Dubai have greatly "softened" the laws of their religion, as alcohol is served in most hotels, alongside Arab women with their hair and even faces covered, there are girls in mini skirts, and on the beaches in bikini swimsuits that cover very little. Due to the interest of visitors, the mosque was also opened to non-Muslims Jumeriah, of course only as part of organized tours around the mosque. With the name Dubai, we name not only the city, but also its desert surroundings. Winter is the perfect time to get to know the desert, mountains and underwater world that surround this oasis of prestige. It is probably not entirely clear to divers - well, what are the islands doing in the middle of the ecosystem of the Persian Gulf, which from the air look like huge palm trees or a world map, but about half an hour's drive from Dubai, on the coral reef around Snoopy Island, they can't either - experienced divers admire the colorful underwater world. Another reason to visit Dubai in winter is the many animal reserves and protected areas where you can observe more than three hundred species of migratory birds. Rapid development is threatening the existence of wetlands, so see them while they are still a bird sanctuary. Khor al-Beidah is a shallow lagoon in the emirate of Umn al-Quwain, about an hour's drive from Dubai. Under the palm trees on the beaches, it's hard to believe that Dubai is located next to the second largest desert in the world. Although most of the inhabitants moved to the cities after the discovery of oil, the locals did not forget their Bedouin past. Adventures on the sand dunes, skiing on the sand or a night in a tent in the company of Bedouins and belly dancers, smoking water pipes and camels will revive memories of the stories of the Thousand and One Nights. One of the most extravagant ways to have fun in the city is definitely the ski area in The Mall of Emirates, where despite the heat outside, you can prove that Slovenians are still a skiing nation. Adrenaline junkies should also not miss the Wild Wadi water park with a water slide, where speeds rise to eighty kilometers per hour, and the largest pool with artificial waves in the Middle East, where cannons spew seven tons of water per second, creating ideal conditions for surfing. Children will be most impressed by the Children's City, a three-story building where they can learn about science, nature, space and the human body in an interactive way.
FOR UNDER THE TEETH
With more than seventy-eight percent of Dubai's population being foreigners, the city has become a mecca for culinary masters who open their own restaurants in hotels and compete for the attention of hungry residents and visitors with international specialties. Mezzanine is the new hit, as the menu was created by Gary Robinson, former personal chef to Prince Charles. Another extremely famous British chef, Gordon Ramsay, left his signature at the Verre restaurant. In the Bastakia area, visit the Bastakiah nights restaurant, which mainly offers Lebanese dishes. One of the most unusual restaurants is Al Mahara in the Burj Al Arab Hotel. It is more famous than for its seafood because it takes you to an elevator that imitates a submarine cable, and the restaurant is underwater, so you will feel like a fish in an aquarium. Lovers of Indian cuisine will head to Indega, run by Vineet Bhatia, the only Indian chef to be awarded a Michelin star, while Middle Eastern cuisine is on display at Al'Maz Restaurant in the Mall of the Emirates. Since the owners of the restaurant adhere to Islamic laws, they will not offer you alcohol, but you can enjoy a long conversation while drinking water.
FOR SPENDERS
The biggest stars of Dubai are the names of fashion designers and prestigious car or technology brands. To make your company forever, you don't need the wallet of Arab sheiks, because from Wednesday January to Wednesday February - January, Dubai has a shopping festival, when the prices of some products drop by up to seventy-five percent. A city with more than thirty huge shopping malls just beckons to splurge. The Mall of Emirates is the largest shopping center in the world, with more than four hundred and fifty stores. Addicts of famous brands will experience their five minutes (or five days) in the center of BurJuman or in the con - chicken Wafi City. The Souk Madinat Jumeriah market imitates traditional Arab markets, the only difference is that it is located in a modern hotel complex and you can only buy the most luxurious international products there. If you want to shop surrounded by real exoticism, head to the souks, markets on both sides of Dubai Creek. Two of the most interesting spice and gold souks are located in the Deira quarter. The gold souk on Sikkat al-Khali Street is particularly attractive, with shop windows full of 18-, 21- and 22-karat gold sold by weight. Although it's a bit more difficult to carry these fish home barefoot, a walk through the fish market is worth a visit, and your nose will be more grateful at the spice market on Al-Sabkha Road. Dubai is also a place where you can buy beautiful carpets, jezvas, swords, daggers and silver Bedouin jewelery from Iranian, Afghani or Pakistani merchants, but remember that haggling is part of Arab culture. Less exotic is shopping at Dubai airport in the 24-hour duty-free shops where you can buy candy or the latest Ferrari.
WHAT'S HAPPENING
In the Heritage Village, many Arab countries present their Bedouin folklore during the shopping festival, which runs from Wednesdays in January to Wednesdays in February. Between 30 November and 2 December, all fans of men's sports will be pleased as The Dubai Exiles Rugby Club will host sixteen of the best rugby teams in the world for the tournament. December is also the month when the Dubai International Film Festival takes place. In February, guru Deepak Chopra and hypnotist Paul McKenna will transform the Jumeriah Convention Center into an oasis of relaxation and meditation for three days at an international conference dedicated to well-being and inner growth. At the end of February, the best players in the world will compete at the ATP tennis tournament, as the prize fund is quite large (a million dollars). The competition with the richest prizes is the Dubai World Cup, an equestrian race with an incredible prize fund of six million dollars, of which the winner gets 3.6 million "greens". If you're in Dubai in March, check out the intense competition.
NIGHT LIFE
Every bar, every club, every big event takes place in the hotel. So don't expect bars under palm trees and night life on the streets, because the people of Dubai, despite their liberal views and tolerance, are still a traditional society. Party day is Thursday, although nightlife is not limited to the weekend like in most European cities. Souk Madinat, with forty-five bars and restaurants, is the place to wander from pub to pub. The Lodge club with its huge terrace is a "law" especially on Thursdays. Zinc at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, Oxygen O2 at Al Bustan Rotana and Trilogy at Souk Madinat Jumeirah, a nightclub on three floors that accommodates a thousand party-goers, are just three addresses where you can enjoy colorful cocktails and listen to languages with impunity all over the world. The Parisian Buddha bar opened its restaurant and club in Dubai and quickly became one of the most popular meeting places. In addition to drinks, you can also enjoy a beautiful view of the city at the Rooftop Club. Minimalism reigns in the trendy restaurant and nightclub Sho Cho, which especially attracts the famous and the beautiful, but without long queues to enter.
LIVING
The city, whose biggest attraction is the hotel, has developed a special way of hospitality and service, which dictates the further development of hotel industry in the world. Despite almost four hundred hotels, the wish of every visitor is to spend at least one night in the only hotel in the world with seven stars, the tallest hotel building in the world, a hotel that has no rooms, but only suites, in short, the Burj Al Arab hotel of excess. Madinat Jumeirah is one of the largest and most beautiful resorts in Dubai. It belongs to the same hotel chain as the more famous Burj Al Arab, but it is built in typical Arab architecture. Apart from these two hotels, guests can also stay in smaller luxury villas with artificial canals winding between them. But if you like Dubai so much that you want to settle in the city, you can buy an apartment or a villa on a palm tree. Not on a tree, of course, but on the largest and most demanding construction project in history, an artificial island that will increase the coastline of Dubai by one hundred and sixty-six percent, and on which approximately five thousand inhabitants will make their home. The first palm tree has already been sold out (the Beckham family is also among the proud new owners). But if you don't manage to buy your piece of palm tree, you can buy, for example, the whole of France just for yourself, because nearby they are building an archipelago that will have the image of a world. The price? Ah, because it's not all about money...
HOW TO GET THERE
Dubai has excellent air connections with the world. More than one hundred airlines fly to almost one hundred and sixty cities around the world. It is easiest and cheapest to fly from Slovenia via Istanbul (Turkish Airlines), Prague (Czech Airlines) or Vienna (Emirates). With Austrian Airlines you can fly to Dubai every day from Vienna.
