Home Monday 1st Feb: Reflections on Dubai

We expected Dubai to be a modern, skyscraper city with a huge range of manmade entertainments. It was all of that, with skydiving, helicopter rides, desert safaris, artificial snow ski slope and so on, including some things we’d never seen before like this steerable water-jet platform. The man (or victim) is poised on the top like a stilt walker.

These activities are expensive, and your bank balance could plummet as fast as a skydiver, but it doesn’t have to cost a fortune. Obviously we were lucky in seeing sights with Rob that maybe not many tourists would have, but they didn’t break the bank either. Other days we sat on the beach and swam in the sea. It was warm, and clear as you can see.

The hotel provided sun loungers on the beach so we were able to lie in comfort and watch the world- and the camels- go by.

The sun was hot even at this time of the year, but comfortably so, around 25 degrees; even so, a few hours of direct sun was enough and some afternoons we sat in the shady hotel garden. Again, they provided comfy loungers. You’ll spot Jane, one of the loungers on the loungers.

The hotel itself was in a pedestrianised resort setting, kept scrupulously clean, with the emphasis on family activities. There were street entertainers every night and fireworks at the weekend, with a huge variety of restaurants and cafes. Alcohol is very expensive, so no riotous behaviour was observed; in fact, we felt completely safe in all the places we visited.

This is the hotel and immediate surroundings.

So Dubai had all the glitz we anticipated, but more besides: some interesting, non-commercialised trips, and beach relaxation in pleasant surroundings. In other words, we had an enjoyable time!

The Grand Mosque, Abu Dhabi

Completed in 2007, the Grand Mosque has 82 domes and a capacity of 41,000 people. It’s a fantasy shape on the skyline, as we circled in Rob’s car trying to find the entrance to the car park.

Most mosques don’t allow non-Muslims to enter, but this one does, as long as you observe the dress and behaviour protocols. Females' heads and shoulders need to be covered, and this is Jane’s make-shift hijab fashioned by the entrance staff from her cardigan. Rob’s clearly jealous.

The entrance is through the arched portal along an inlaid marble floor. Its design is Moroccan based, which is why it looks familiar. 

Passing through the entrance, the inner courtyard is flanked by columns through which we must walk to get into the mosque itself.

Look to the right from the column walkway and you see the courtyard: the largest marble mosaic area anywhere.

We now enter the mosque; the decoration is exquisite. Look at the colours in the chandelier, which is about two metres across. The floral design on the wall behind is inlaid marble. The largest chandelier is 10 metres across but not so pleasingly designed as this one.

The main area can accommodate 41,000 people and is covered by the biggest hand-knotted carpet in the world (it’s beginning to sound the Guinness Book of Records). Bet the lads from Carpet Rite got a sweat on fitting this one.

And, finally, having exited, the old folks are taking a rest. Jane’s hijab has stood up very well. The mosque was overwhelming in its scale and magnificence.

We leave the mosque, but we’re not finished yet. We are returning to Dubai via the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix circuit. This is it, although it needs F1 cars and spectators to make capture the atmosphere.

Right in the centre of the racing circuit is the Yas Island Viceroy hotel, the building below wearing a hair-net, which is used by the majority of F1 teams. It’s also convenient for quick refreshment stops for drivers on the way round; it’s well known you can’t race your best without consuming a pie and a pint.

Rob says the 60 miles between Abu Dhabi and Dubai is prone to sandstorms. It is indeed all sand desert, but we make it ok this time without needing to call out the Camel Corps to guide us in.  

Old Dubai

The original Dubai grew up around Dubai Creek, a saltwater inlet about 8 miles long. We travelled there on the ultramodern metro for which Rob had got us some swipe tickets.

First stop, the Dubai museum. Here were details of excavations showing traces of habitation in the area going back thousands of years. Then, from the 7^th century, travellers’ accounts mention a thriving fishing and pearling industry. Proper recorded history didn’t begin until the late 1700’s when the oldest building was started, that’s the Al Fahidi Fort, now the museum. 

The museum gave a good presentation of the settlement’s history, particularly of the hazardous pearl collecting that employed large numbers up to the late 1920’s. After that time it fizzled out due to Japanese development of cultivated pearls.

The divers packed onto small boats like the one below and went as deep as 40 metres with just a peg on their nose. They wore full garments to protect against jelly fish stings, and could hold their breath for 4 to 5 minutes.

Here’s the fruit of their labours: pearls.

Proceeding along the Creek’s shoreline promenade, we came to the Heritage Village. This housed trinket shops and recreated traditional dwellings. However, there was no description of who occupied the dwellings or when, so it didn’t add a lot to our understanding of Dubai’s development.  The gaps in the wall’s stonework in this house look uncomfortably draughty, but were perhaps welcome in the heat. The plastic bin possibly dates it to the 1970’s, but there’s no telly, so who knows?

Moving a few doors down to the Sheik’s house, we entered a pleasant courtyard with rooms leading off containing texts from the Koran, with English translation. You’d need to have a good understanding of Islam to appreciate these, so it didn’t add much to our knowledge of the area either. In that respect, the Sheik’s house was no great shakes. However, notice the rectangular tower at the back. These towers were used to catch any breeze and funnel it into the rooms below to provide relief from the heat.

From 1892 Dubai became a British protectorate, and shortly after a tax-free port. This greatly expanded trade and Dubai thrived until the world recession of the late 20’s and 30’s. The Creek is still bustling with boats today, but mainly small ferry boats. 

Markets too flourished, in gold, spice and cloth. These are there today, so here we are, walking through the cloth market that supplies locals and tourists alike. I asked the same question in Morocco- why can’t the stallholders let you browse without hassling? You might just spot something you like and want to buy. Instead, you scurry past, head down, to avoid the hard sell on random items shoved under your nose. There again… perhaps we would have sold more shoes if…

Old Dubai is still a vibrant multi-national trading entity, reflecting the high immigrant population that the whole of Dubai needs to function. 85% is Asian, mainly from India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and the Philippines.

The area was interesting, particularly the Dubai Museum, but we could have learned much more from other historic sites with the use of descriptions and information plaques.