# DUBAI 2014 – Nightsky's trip to this ultramodren city



## Nightsky (Sep 16, 2002)

*Dubai is the largest city in the United Arab Emirates, and the capital of the emirate of Dubai but not the capital of UAE (it is Abu Dhabi). The city is less then 200 years old, and many parts of the city are less then 10 years old! Even if the city is considered extremely new and modern, there is also an old part, just south of to the Dubai Creek, called Bur Dubai, and the even older Shindagha district. To the North of Dubai Creek you can find the old financial center, Deira, and further to the North the large city of Sharjah. If you go to the south of old Dubai, on the cities main road -the busy Sheikh Zayed Road with 7 lanes in each direction, there is a very high contrast, since you very soon will enter the ultramodern New Dubai with its many supertall skyscrapers, (many in ultramodern, islamic and postmodern styles) that creates a very spectacular skyline (the most famous are Emirates Towers and Dubai Financial Center) and the New Downtown with Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest building! 

We stayed for one week totally in Dubai, and went for a short daytrip to Abu Dhabi, the capital of UAE. We stayed at Grandeur Hotel (3+) in Al Barsha, a new residential/hotel district in the south part of Dubai.*

Read the whole article about my experience of Dubai, with many interesting facts on the bottom of this page:

http://www.worldtravelimages.net/Dubai.html


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## Nightsky (Sep 16, 2002)

*DUBAI MARINA
Marina Beach, The Walk, Skyline


Dubai Marina is a brand new neighbourhood in the South part of Dubai, parallel to Sheikh Zayed Road. It was just a desert some years ago, but now there are 3 lakes, some of Dubai's tallest and most outstanding skyscrapers, old tour boats and modern private yachts, de luxe hotels, tall luxorious residences, fancy restaurants, beach promenades, shopping malls and a part of the southernmost part of Jumeirah Beach is parallel to Dubai Marina. *
_You can red more about it on the link below:_

http://www.worldtravelimages.net/Dubai_Marina.html





































_You can watch tons of pics from Dubai Marina on the link below:_

http://www.worldtravelimages.net/Dubai_Marina.html


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## Nightsky (Sep 16, 2002)

*NEW DOWNTOWN
Burj Khalifa, Dubai Lake, Dubai Fountain, Dubai Mall, Dubai Aquarium


New Downtown is one of the newest neighbourhoods of Dubai, situated about halfway between the old Downtown and Dubai Marina. Here you can find Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest building! The New Downtown is literally built around Burj Khalifa, a wide boulevard, Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Blvd, surrounds it in a half circular shape. The views from Burj Khalifa can be found on this page. Burj Khalifa stands atop the world's largest shopping mall, the exclusive Dubai Mall, with over 1000 stores, and its own aquarium, souk and hockey rink. Inside the "circle" you also find the artificial and newly built Dubai Lake, with the spectacular Dubai Fountain show with light and music in the middle, that was one of the absolute highlights during our visit! It is the world's highest fountain. There are many other skyscrapers in Downtown as well (the two Address hotels for example), even though they are dwarfed by Burj Khalifa. There are also new residential buildings in Middle Eastern style with fancy restaurants built right next to the lake, as well as a new souk (Arabian market) and a fashion street is under construction.
Some of the tallest skyscrapers along Sheikh Zayed Road can be found on both sides of Burj Khalifa. *

_You can red more about it on the link below:_

http://www.worldtravelimages.net/Dubai_Newdowntown.html









Burj Khalifa – the world's tallest building! 





























_You can watch tons of pics from the New Downtown area on the link below:_

http://www.worldtravelimages.net/Dubai_Newdowntown.html


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## Nightsky (Sep 16, 2002)

Please don't hesitate to ask questions about the photos!


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## Nightsky (Sep 16, 2002)

More Downtown:










Some night pics from Downtown with Burj Khalifa!


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## Pule (May 18, 2004)

nice thread


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## christos-greece (Feb 19, 2008)

Great, very nice photos from Dubai @Nightsky :cheers:


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## Nightsky (Sep 16, 2002)

Thanks!


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## Nightsky (Sep 16, 2002)

*THE VIEWS FROM BURJ KHALIFA

Burj Khalifa is the world's tallest building! It was completed in 2010 and is 829m to the top of the spire (739m to the roof) and has 163 floors! We visited the observaton deck, called At the top. The skyscraper was designed by Adrian Smith at the famous Chicago based architect firm Skidmore, Owings and Merrill. The elevators are the fastest in the world! It is a mixed use building, so it houses both offices, apartments and luxury hotels, like the 7-star Armani Hotel. Inititally it was called Burj Dubai, but the name was changed just bofore completion to honour Sheikh Khalifa of Abu Dhabi (the president of UAE), since he borrowed money to complete the project in 2009 when Dubai went bankrupt.
Even if it's called At the Top, the observation deck is not at the top, it is situated about halfway to the top to the world's tallest building, 424m in the sky, the 124th floor. There are 163 floors in the building totally, but also a lot of height with just the spire and mast. It is important to know that you have to book you tickets a few weeks before your visit at this site and they are pretty expensive (125 AED for an adult)! The observation deck, partly outside, features a 360 degree view of Dubai, so you can see most parts of Dubai on a clear day! Unfortunately the weather was not the best during our visit to the top (a bit grey and foggy) considering it was in Dubai but could be worse of couse, and since you have to book several weeks before in advance (or pay 400 AED!) you can't really plan the trip considering the weather. The skyscrapers along Sheikh Zayed Road can be found on both sides of Burj Khalifa. *

_You can read more about it on the link below:_

http://www.worldtravelimages.net/Dubai_skylines2.html






































_You can watch tons of pics of the views from Burj Khalifa on the link below:_

http://www.worldtravelimages.net/Dubai_skylines2.html


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## Nightsky (Sep 16, 2002)

Burj Khalifa and JW Marriott from Sheikh Zayed Rd









Burj Khalifa – the world's tallest building!




























Dubai Mall – the world's largest mall by area

Some more views from Burj Khalifa:









Deira and the city of Sharjah!





































http://www.worldtravelimages.net/Dubai_skylines2.html


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## Nightsky (Sep 16, 2002)

*BUR DUBAI (OLD TOWN) and AL BASTAKIYA:

Bur Dubai is the oldest part of Dubai, so if you haven't visit Bur Dubai, you haven't actually been in Dubai! It is the historic city center, located at the Dubai Creek. On the opposite side of the creek is Deira, the old financial center, but much more modern then Bur Dubai. Most of the parts of Dubai that are situated south of Bur Dubai, were built less then 20 years ago. In the mid 1990s Bur Dubai was Dubai, and the rest was desert. Bur Dubai literally means Mainland Dubai. Since 2008, construction has going on on the extension of Dubai Creek, turning Bur Dubai into an island.

Here you can find the Ruler's Court, The Juma Grand Mosque (tallest minaret in Dubai), Al Fahidi Fort that hosts the Dubai Museum (oldest remaining buildign in Dubai), the Iranin Mosque, the only Hindu temple in the country as well as shopping streets and a traditional textile souk. From the creek you can take an large wooden restaurant boat or a small abra (water taxi) to Deira on the other side. Al Bastakiya historic area is situated just to the East of Dubai Museum. The area has been famous for its old buildings with courtyards and wind towers. Click here to go directly to Bastakiya. Shindagha, just to the North of Bur Dubai next to Dubai Creek, is also a historic part of Dubai, here you can find the historic Heritage Village and the historic ruler's house. Click here to visit Al Shindagha.

Bur Dubai is mostly a residential area with not so many hotels, and it feels less touristy then the modern parts of Dubai. A large number of inhabitans are from Indian, and the atmosphere is much more gritty with the souks, old houses, small traditional shops called "trading companies" and old boats, so it feels more then India then the Dubai most westeners got the picture of, but the truth is that this is the real Dubai!

We visited Bur Dubai on a Friday. Friday and Thursday are the weekly holidays, like Sunday in the western hemisphere, so many stores were closed during day, but opened later in the evening, but the souk was open all the time. *

_You can red more about it on the link below:_

http://www.worldtravelimages.net/Dubai_Burdubai.html



























Al Bastakiya










_You can watch tons of pics from the bur Dubai area on the link below:_

http://www.worldtravelimages.net/Dubai_Burdubai.html


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## Nightsky (Sep 16, 2002)

More Bur Dubai:



























































































http://www.worldtravelimages.net/Dubai_Burdubai.html


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## Nightsky (Sep 16, 2002)

*AL SHINDAGHA AND HERITAGE VILLAGE:

Al Shindagha is the oldest part of Dubai (together with Al Bastakiya), established in the 1830s. This peninsual is situated on the Northwest shore of Dubai Creek, and borders Bur Dubai. This is where many South Asian workers live. This neighbourhood has more in common with Cairo or Tunis, or even India, then with the modern part of Dubai and western cities. Here you can find the Heritage Village, a historical area with refurbished old resiential houses in Middle Eastern style -built in sandstone and clay, and arrangements, museums and installations that show life before oil -including camels and bedouins, when Dubai was a fishing village. You can also find the historical areas Fishing Village and Diving Village here. Al Shindagha is also where you find the home of the older relatives of the Al Maktoum ruling family, like Sheikh Zayed. Here you also have a nice view of Deira, Bur Dubai and the new skyline in the far distance. The busy Shindagha tunnel connects the old part with Deira under the creek.*

_You can red more about it on the link below:_

http://www.worldtravelimages.net/Dubai_Burdubai.html










Heritage Village:


















Bur Dubai, part of Shindagha and Heritage Village with the new Downtown and Burj Khalifa in the background! 









Bedouin houses, Desert Zone




































Deira, Bastakiya and Bur Dubai seen from Al Shindagha, popular for relaxing. The dominating towers in the picture are Bastakiya Mosque, National Bank of Dubai and Juma Grand Mosque.

_You can watch tons of pics from the Shindagha area on the link below:_

http://www.worldtravelimages.net/Dubai_Shindagha.html


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## Nightsky (Sep 16, 2002)

^^Regarding the photos above, btw. This is only one of many photos of the sheikhs of Dubai and Abu Dhabi that could be seen on restaurants, stores, along the highway, on top of skyscrapers and even on cars. So you could easily get the eerie feeling of being watched by the rulers :lol


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## Nightsky (Sep 16, 2002)

*IBN BATTUTA MALL, JEBEL ALI:

Ibn Battuta Mall is a large mall situated in the southern suburb of Jebel Ali. The mall, opened in 2005, is pretty special since it is themed around the Morroccan Berber explorer Ibn Battuta and the six countries he visited: Persia, Andalusia, Egypt, Tunisia, China and India. There are sculptures and worlds that tell stories about the places.

It has 270 stores, 50 restaurant, a 21-screen cinema and 4 500 parking spaces covering 521 000 square meters. There are plans to add 150 additonal stores to it! 

We visited the mall in the late Friday evening, a long metro ride after the visit to Bur Dubai. Since Friday is holiday, and it was the Dubai Shopping Festival at the moment, it was open to 1 PM in the night! *








































































China Court, Ibn Battuta Mall









The skyline of Dubai Lake and Jumeirah Lakes Towers, seen from Ibn Battuta

_You can watch tons of pics from the bur Dubai area on the link below:_

http://www.worldtravelimages.net/Dubai_Ibnbattuta.html


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## Nightsky (Sep 16, 2002)

*AL BARSHA:

Al Barsha is a district in Southwest Dubai, between Downtown and Dubai Marina, mostly known for the Mall of the Emirates, a fancy mall with many stores and a famous indoor ski slope! The area is mostly filled with midrise residential apartments, restaurants and a lot of hotels - everthing very new since the area was constructed just a few years ago. Some blocks are empty blocks filled with desert sands, in the middle of luxury hotels. It consists of six sub-communities and is bounded by Sheikh Zayed Road and Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Road.

Al Barsha is the area where we stayed, at the Grandeur Hotel. *

MALL OF THE EMIRATES:




































Ski Dubai



























Kempinski Hotel


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## Nightsky (Sep 16, 2002)

AL BARSHA, OTHERS:



























This is what most metro stations of Dubai's red line look like: a futuristic golden curved building. The elevated metro track goes right throught the stations. The trains are computer driven and driverless, just like in Copenhagen! This is the Mall of the Emirates metro station.



























The streets where flooded due to heavy rainfall the day before the evening we arrived. It usually rain only 2 times a years, during our stay it rained 3 times during one week! Climate changes!

_You can watch tons of pics from the Al Barsha area, and read about our hotel, on the link below:_

http://www.worldtravelimages.net/Dubai_Albarsha.html


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## Ona vila a ja Baraba (Feb 24, 2014)

:cheers:


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## BlurredLines (Aug 1, 2013)

Amazing Pictures. Especially the old part of dubai. Regarding the last picture I'm surprised it rained enough in dubai to flood the streets. How many parks/green areas are there in dubai?


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## Nightsky (Sep 16, 2002)

BlurredLines said:


> Amazing Pictures. Especially the old part of dubai. Regarding the last picture I'm surprised it rained enough in dubai to flood the streets. How many parks/green areas are there in dubai?


Thanks! Greenery and trees can't grow naturally because it's located in the desert. Abu Dhabi is a much greener city, but there are quite a few parks, especially along Jumeirah Road and Dubai Creek.


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## Nightsky (Sep 16, 2002)

An amazing taxi ride along the skyscrapers of Sheikh Zayed Road, Downtown Dubai to Old Town:


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## Nightsky (Sep 16, 2002)




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