Dubai is one of the seven emirates and the most populous city of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Dubai has the largest population and is the second largest emirate by area, after Abu Dhabi. The discovery of oil led to a massive influx of foreign workers, mainly Indians and Pakistanis. As a result, the population of the city from 1968 to 1975 grew by over 300%. Today Dubai has attracted attention through its real estate projects and sports events. Large increases in oil prices after the Persian Gulf War encouraged Dubai to continue to focus on free trade and tourism. The success of the Jebel Ali free zone allowed the city to replicate its model to develop clusters of new free zones, including Dubai Internet City, Dubai Media City and Dubai Maritime City. The construction of Burj Al Arab, the world's tallest freestanding hotel, as well as the creation of new residential developments, were used to market Dubai for purposes of tourism. Since 2002, the city has seen an increase in private real estate investment in recreating Dubai's skyline with such projects as The Palm Islands. This increased attention, coinciding with its emergence as a world business hub, has highlighted labor and human rights issues concerning its largely foreign workforce. Only 17% are Emirati, 9% Arabic, 64% Pakistan, India, Bangladesh and 10% Western. Dubai has approximately 250,000 laborers, mostly South Asian, working for US$ 10 a day on real estate.
Our airplane arrived at 05:00 in the morning. At 06:00 we were already at the Dubai Creek. A boatman starts his morning slowly watching the Creek. People are going to work by abras, boat transfer, crossing the Creek to the old centre of Dubai. In de back the supertall skyscraper of 160 floors and 818m high. Next to Creek people having their early morning session of yoga. The temperature in morning is still bearable but in the afternoon the temperature will rise above 40 degrees celcius.
Very little is known about pre-Islamic culture in the south-east Arabian peninsula, except that many ancient towns in the area were trading centers between the Eastern and Western worlds. The remnants of an ancient mangrove swamp, dated at 7,000 years, were discovered during the construction of sewer lines near Dubai Internet City. Nowadays Dubai lies directly within the Arabian Desert. Dubai has a hot and, at times, humid climate (drier during extreme heat) with many months recording temperatures of over 40 °C (104 °F).
Tags: دبيّ Dubai United Arab Emirates UAE Emirate Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Dubai Creek Dubai Maritime City The Palm Islands Dubai's skyline 17% Emirati 64% South Asian pre-Islamic culture trading centers between the Eastern and Western worlds Arabian Desert world business hub Dubai port area early morning yoga sessions control your mind and body Early morning Yoga at Dubai Creek Free Yoga from 5.15 to 6.30am Dubai in the eraly morning Dubai Marina Abras transport between Deira and Bur Dubai Abras - boat transfer Burj Dubai a supertall skyscraper Dubai Tower Topped out at 818 m - Jan 2009 ready by September 2009 Building with most floors: 160 Extreme heat 50+Faves top-f50
© All Rights Reserved
Dubai is inhabited by almost three times as many men as women! DUBAI – In the Arabic gulf state of Dubai, the abundance of men continues to increase. The newspaper Gulf News reported that according to statistics from June 2006, the emirate has almost three times as many men as women. Between the skyscrapers and the carefully watered lawns lives a population of 1.24 million people, composed of 73% men and just 27% women. This imbalance is due to the many foreign workers in the country - mainly men who leave their families back home. A large number of them are from South-East Asia and live for years in special workers camps. Roughly 80% of the inhabitants of Dubai are actually foreigners. One of the more negative consequences is a rise in prostitution, something that the excess of men further encourages, but in this Muslim nation the subject is taboo.
Photo taken on an Abra - Dubai water taxi. Many men go to work using the Abra to cross the Dubai Creek to avoid traffic jam at the tunnel and bridges.
Van de 1,24 miljoen inwoners die in Dubai tussen de wolkenkrabbers en de kunstmatig beregende gazons wonen, is om precies te zijn 73 procent man en 27 procent vrouw. Die onbalans is ontstaan, doordat er veel buitenlandse werknemers wonen. Dat zijn meestal mannen uit Zuidoost-Azië die zonder gezin komen. Zij wonen soms jarenlang in barakken en sturen zo veel mogelijk geld naar hun familie. Van de inwoners van Dubai komt 80 procent uit het buitenland. Een van de negatieve effecten van de bijzondere bevolkingsopbouw is dat er veel vraag is naar diensten van sekswerkers, hoewel prostitutie in het islamitische land een taboe is.
Tags: Dubai United Arab Emirates UAE Emirate Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Dubai Creek Dubai Maritime City The Palm Islands Dubai's skyline 17% Emirati 64% South Asian pre-Islamic culture trading centers between the Eastern and Western worlds Arabian Desert world business hub Dubai port area early morning yoga sessions Dubai Marina Abras transport between Deira and Bur Dubai Abras - boat transfer Extreme heat Dubai water taxi Daily life thoughts Absentmindedness Three times as many men in Dubai 73% men 27% women Going to work on abra absorbed in thoughts absorbed in his thoughts absorbed in his thought 50+faves top-f50
© All Rights Reserved
The Bastakia Quarter was built in the late 19th Century as the home of wealthy Persian merchants. The merchants dealt mainly in pearls and textiles, and were lured to Dubai because of the tax-free trading and access to Dubai Creek. Bastakia occupies the eastern portion of Bur Dubai along the Creek. Most of the sophisticated houses date back to the early 1900s and were built with coral and limestone. The buildings in Bastakia have weathered well because they are more durable and more valuable than the huts built with palm fronds. Walls topped with wind towers shielded many homes of the wealthy families. The wind was trapped in the tower and funneled down in to the house as an early form of air conditioning. Wind towers were common. It was an architectural feature of buildings in southern Iran.
From the airport by taxi at 06:00 to Dubai's Creek. We crossed the Creek by Abra - water taxi to the Bastakia Quarter, the old centre of Dubai. A big change in culture coming from Thailand and Laos. But Samantha, Kanitha and BieJee are enjoying themselves in Dubai although is getting warmer and warmer the more the sun rises.
Dubai is in de afgelopen jaren getransformeerd van armetierig woestijnstaatje tot metropool en toeristentrekpleister in aanbouw. Hoewel Dubai steeds meer aan het 'ver-westeren' is, zijn er nog genoeg plekken waar je de authentieke cultuur van de stad kan opsnuiven. Het Bastakia gebied in Dubai dateert nog uit begin 1900 en strekt uit over de oostkant van het oude gedeelte van de Creek. Dit deel van Dubai is van grote waarde voor de geschiedenis van de hedendaagse architectuur in Dubai en de groei van die stad. Het gebied trekt, door haar schoonheid ontzettend veel toeristen maar ook kunstenaars aan. De gebouwen van de rijke handelaren in Bastakia hebben de tijd goed doorstaan omdat zij duurzamer en waardevoller zijn dan de hutten die met palmvarenbladen elders. Naast de beschermende muren van vele huizen van de rijke families stonden destijds windtorens. De wind werd gevangen in de toren en werd geconcentreerd naar binnen gesluisd door het huis als vroege vorm van airconditioning. Deze windtorens waren gemeenschappelijk en zijn inmiddels vervangen door de hedendaagse airco installaties.
Tags: Dubai Bastakia Bastakiya Family snaphot Bastakia Quarter The old Dubai The old centre of Dubai Bur Dubai Dubai Creek Wind towers Sheikh Mohammed Centre UAE The masjid mosque spiritual adventure Al Fahidi Fort Dubai museum oldest tower was built around 1787 Old City wall of Dubai Open Doors. Open Minds
© All Rights Reserved
The Bastakia Quarter was built in the late 19th Century as the home of wealthy Persian merchants. The merchants dealt mainly in pearls and textiles, and were lured to Dubai because of the tax-free trading and access to Dubai Creek. Bastakia occupies the eastern portion of Bur Dubai along the Creek. Most of the sophisticated houses were built with coral and limestone. The Bastakia Quarter in Bur Dubai is one of the city’s most picturesque heritage sites. It was built in the late 19th century by Persian merchants attracted to the city by its relaxed trade tariffs and takes it name from the town of Bastak in southern Iran. The area has been declared a conservation area and its narrow alleys pedestrianised. Many of the restored buildings here feature wind towers, an early but effective form of air-conditioning. Some are private homes, but many are open to the public Even after all these years, I love walking through the narrow passages, sampling with my nose & eyes, vibrant colours, hectic merchants, running delivery men... yes, this truly is one of the few places where time seems to have stood still.
From the airport by taxi at 06:00 to Dubai's Creek. We crossed the Creek by Abra - water taxi to the Bastakia Quarter, the old centre of Dubai. A big change in culture coming from Thailand and Laos. But Samantha, Kanitha and BieJee are enjoying themselves at the bazaar of Dubai although is getting warmer and warmer the more the sun rises. But Kanitha wants to buy shoes. Why women always have to buy shoes?
Ontspannen sfeer en informeel. Lekker struinen door de straatjes en bazaars van Bastakiya. Hier zijn traditionele huizen met binnenplaats herbouwd rondom een aantal straatjes die de sfeer van het oude Dubai moeten oproepen. Fijne ontspannen sfeer en één van de weinige plekken in Dubai waar je je in een Arabisch land waant. Hier zijn traditionele huizen met binnenplaats herbouwd rondom een aantal straatjes die de sfeer van het oude Dubai moeten oproepen. Op de kade kun je een watertaxi Abra nemen naar het aan de overkant gelegen stadsdeel Deira. Hier bevinden zich de oude specerijen en goud Souks. Dubai staat bekend om de goudhandel en -winkels en de goud souk is begrip. Afdingen mag. Omdat er in Dubai geen belasting wordt geheven zijn de producten net allemaal iets goedkoper dan bij ons. Afdingen is iets wat in Dubai heel normaal is, zeker op de markten. Kanitha heeft weer een paar mooie schoenen gevonden. Waarom moeten vrouwen altijd schoenen kopen?
Tags: Dubai Bazaar Bastakia Bastakia Quarter Bur Dubai Old Dubai Persian merchants open-air fairs spices food carpets shoes hookahs gold Souks Middle-Eastern bazar hectic merchants flower stalls narrow alleys vibrant colours Time stood still United Arab Emirates UAE Indian Temple Pashmina Shawls Postcards from Dubai Anischtkaarten van Dubai Afdingen Bargain Tax-free
© All Rights Reserved
Dubai, one of the seven United Arab Emirates, was a 6,000-person fishing village on the Persian Gulf half a century ago. Since 1966, when oil was discovered here in the Arabian desert, the population of Dubai has grown to 1.3 million. Approximately one fifth of the world’s cranes work 24 hours a day to expand this Middle East hub that supported 6.1 million hotel guests in 2005, and man-made offshore islands as big as the island of Manhattan are under construction to host more. The UAE is a young nation, federated in 1971, and a wealthy one. Many Emirates, who comprise 20 percent of the population, don’t have to work because they receive oil profits. In Dubai they drive luxury cars, live in huge houses, and shop couture. Condé Nast Traveler's 2003 readers' poll voted Dubai the world's safest city, and according to residents we talked to, there is virtually no crime.
After the hectic of the Souks at Bastakia Quarter in the old Dubai we wanted to have some lunch at the beach of Dubai. During summer months, the weather is uncomfortably hot and humid. So we took the taxi to public beach Jumeirah. A half hour drive passing Dubai Business center. Photo taken from the taxi. Just showing you the new Dubai.
Na alle commotie in de souk willen we even bijkomen en wat uitgebreider lunchen op het strand. Mooie gelegenheid om van het oude naar het nieuwe Dubai te gaan. De taxirit er naar toe duurt, afhankelijk van het verkeer, ongeveer een half uur en kost circa €10. Aan de metrolijn wordt nog gebouwd. Een prachtige plek aan het strand is restaurant Eauzone in het One and Only Royal Mirage hotel aan de voet van het palmeiland Jumeirah. Hier kun je een heerlijke lunch krijgen op het strand met uitzicht over het palmeiland en de Dubai Marina. Het restaurant is onderdeel van een immens hotelresort opgetrokken in Arabische stijl. Een Ceasar Salad of een lunchmaaltijd met noodles, groente en kip kost circa €12. Valt mee dus voor zo’n luxe resort. Na de lunch kun je blijven hangen op het strand of aan een van de zwembaden. Na vijf uur opent de Rooftop Bar waar je het hangend in oosterse kussens donker kan zien worden. Als je wilt relaxen bij het water kun je in de meeste hotels bij het zwembad gaan liggen. De grote hotel resorts aan het strand hebben allemaal hun eigen strand dat vaak ook voor gasten toegankelijk is als je maar consumeert. Openbare stranden zijn er in de wijken Jumeirah en Umm Suqeim.
Tags: Dubai United Arab Emirates New Dubai Persian Gulf Arabian desert 1/5 of world's crane work Middle East hub UAE Safest city Dubai Business centre taxi ride to the beach Young nation 7 lanes Construction in Dubai Dubai tower World largest building 818m Palm Islands uncomfortably hot and humid Summertime Above 40 degrees celcius real estate Entering new era of Dubai Gulf Skyline of Dubai Noon 50+Faves top-f50
© All Rights Reserved