Deserts constitute around 80% of the UAE’s land area. Deserts consist of sand dunes, mountains, rocks, and sand flats or salt flats. One of the UAE’s most notable sand dunes is the 300 metres high Tal Moreeb in Liwa. The desert is a harsh environment for people, animals and plants because of the extreme heat, and little food and water. Despite the harsh environment, Emirati ancestors, called the Bedouin, were able to survive, making them among the most resilient people on earth. They moved from place to place across North Africa to the Middle East in search of grazing areas. The deserts get less than 25 cm of rain in a year, this us not enough to support vegetation. Yet some species of plants, animals and other organisms have evolved to survive the harsh conditions, scarce water and arid landscapes.
Adventure in UAE’s Desert Landscapes
Contrary to the belief that desert is deserted, there is an unbelievably diverse ecosystem consisting of plants, animals and other organisms that have evolved to survive the harsh conditions, scarce water and arid landscapes. Desert plants and animals have evolved to minimize water loss, and are very effective at absorbing, storing and managing the little water they do get, enabling them to survive long periods of drought. For example, the Ghaf tree has roots up to 30 metres long to access water deep underground.
Ghaf tree
The late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the founding father of the United Arab Emirates, once said “I do love the desert. Whenever I feel a little tired, I go there to restore my strength,”
Adventure seekers will enjoy the 4WD trips across the desert dunes to camel trekking, sandboarding, and dune buggy trips. Popular desert day trips from Dubai or Abu Dhabi usually include dinner at a desert camp and offer time at camp for other activities such as sandboarding or short camel rides.
Other tours include wildlife spotting and specialized desert operations and also offer overnight camping amid the dunes.
There are a number of luxury desert resorts, where stays are all about soaking up the dune scenery and heading out on desert activities.
Old UAE
Water Resources in the UAE
There are two sources of water in UAE: Desalinated seawater and groundwater. Desalinated water contributed 24% of the water consumed in the country. Ground water contributed 71% of the water needs primarily for agriculture.
Abut 90% of groundwater in Abu Dhabi Emirate is saline, in some cases up to eight times as much as seawater. There are only two freshwater aquifers. Brackish groundwater is mostly used for the irrigation of date palms which are relatively salt-tolerant. Recharge dams have been built on wadis in order to prevent flood water to flow into the sea.
Dubai’s Al Fahidi Neighborhood is the last remaining fragment of Old Dubai. It is also known as Bastakia. This part of the city reminds the simpler, gentler past of the city before skyscrapers took over the skyline. The district holds memories of an era that pre-dates the federation of the emirates — before the union of the Emirati tribes in 1971 and a time when the pearl trade flourished in the region. The buildings here date back to the 1890s and were made with traditional materials such as coral, stone, mud and wood. The 18th-century Al Fahidi Fort is now home to Dubai Museum’s pearl-diving exhibits. Sheikh Saeed Al Maktoum House is a former royal residence now displaying old photos and documents, while the Heritage and Diving Villages have replica mud huts with potters and jewelers at work. The Textile Souk offers colorful pashminas and handicrafts.
In the 1980s half of the Al Fahidi Historical Neighborhood village was demolished to make way for the development of a new office complex. The remaining houses were mostly used as warehouses or accommodation for foreign laborers.
Rayner Otter, a British architect, bought a house and renovated it for his personal use. He started a campaign to preserve the area and wrote a letter to Prince Charles, who was scheduled to visit Dubai that year. During his visit the Prince suggested that Al Fahidi Historical Neighborhood should be preserved and the demolition was canceled.
Bastakia Quarter
Now the narrow, winding lanes in the area are lined with carefully restored traditional buildings in typical Arabian architectural styles. Many of the buildings feature the wind towers, which kept houses cool before air-conditioning became common.
Many of the buildings now house small museums, art galleries, and craft shops, allowing you to see the typical Arabian interiors. The Sheikh Mohammed Center for Cultural Understanding is also based within the quarter.
Dubai Museum
Dubai Museum is located here. The structure, originally built in the 1700s, is the restored Al Fahidi Fort. The building served as a home to a former reigning monarch and even served as a prison before it was converted into a museum in 1971. In the museum one can see replicas of the traditional markets of old, ancient weapons, pottery and tombs. Notable exhibits include those which depict pearl diving, which was an important part of the old economy before the discovery of fossil fuel.
Dubai Museum
Culinary side of Emirati life
Visitors can enjoy Bedouin-style traditional meals in this area, to experience local culinary heritage. Depending on whether you come for breakfast, brunch, lunch or dinner, you’ll get to taste such local dishes as balaleet (sweetened crunchy vermicelli), chabab (cardamom-spiced pancakes), saloona (a stew) or machboos (a rice and meat or fish dish).e local culinary heritage.
Al Fahidi Neighbourhood
Mawaheb
Mawaheb is an art studio. The purpose of the studio is to develop the artistic skills of people above or equal to the age of 16 and have special needs. Arabian Tea House Café serves traditional Arabic food. XVA Gallery specializes in contemporary art from the Arab world, Iran and the Subcontinent.The gallery also features an Art Hotel and Cafe, serving Middle Eastern vegetarian food.
Mawaheb
Shaikh Muhammad Center for Cultural Understanding
Shaikh Muhammad Center for Cultural Understanding, a non-profit organization, spreads cultural understanding among the people of Dubai. Guided by the motto ‘Open Doors, Open Minds’, this unique institution was founded in 1995 by Dubai’s ruler, Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid, to build bridges between cultures and to help visitors and expats understand the traditions and customs of the UAE.
Sheikh Mohammed Centre For Cultural Understanding Al Bastakiya
Coffee Museum
On the ground floor of the Coffee Museum, visitors can buy coffee of their choice and on the second floor there are books relating to coffee. Coffee plays a big part in Emirati culture along with the wider Middle East, and here you can learn all about the cultural significance of this drink. You can discover the history of coffee, and get an insight into production processes and the many varieties of beans, along with different coffee cultures throughout the world.
Coin Museum
Coin Museum
The museum showcases nearly 500 coins mainly from the Arab world from different time periods and geographical locations. The display allows you to inspect each coin closely and gives you details of the minting date, shape and material. Housed in a traditional coral, stone, and sandalwood building, the collections are displayed in eight rooms.
The Louvre Abu Dhabi is an art museum located on Saadiyat Island, or “Island of Happiness.” in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. This island is connected by a bridge to the mainland. This site will eventually be a “cultural district” bristling with hotels, condos, malls and other museums, including an Abu Dhabi Guggenheim.
Louvre Abu Dhabi Agreement Between The UAE And France
It is operated under an agreement between the UAE and France. The agreement signed in March 2007 allows the use of the Louvre brand name till 2037 for a reported $520 million. Under the agreement France would loan artworks and provide management expertise for 30.5 years. This time period will give the museum time to assemble a permanent collection — the acquisition process is well underway — and create its own version of a global art history. The deal would also see wider cultural exchange and high-profile collaborations between the two countries.
Louvre Abu Dhabi Museum
The museum is approximately 24,000 square metres in size, with 8,000 square metres of galleries. The galleries are set in 55 detached buildings. The centerpiece of museum architecture is a huge silvery dome that appears to float above the museum-city. Despite its apparent weightlessness, the dome weighs around 7,500 tons. That’s about the same weight as the Eiffel Tower in Paris.
The museum showcases artworks around the world, bridging the gap between the Eastern and Western art. By 2019, the Louvre Abu Dhabi had already attracted 2 million visitors, making it the most visited museum in the Arab world.
Louvre Abu Dhabi
Louvre Abu Dhabi Silvery Dome
The centerpiece of museum architecture is a huge silvery dome that appears to float above the museum-city. Despite its apparent weightlessness, the dome weighs around 7,500 tons. That’s about the same weight as the Eiffel Tower in Paris. The domed roof of the museum features nearly 8,000 metal stars set in a geometric pattern, which allows shards of sunlight to enter, casting shimmering rays throughout the interior.
Louvre Abu Dhabi Exhibits
Louvre Abu Dhabi Exhibits
Many exhibits come from its sister gallery in Paris, while others are resolutely Arabian. The story of humanity is told in 12 chapters, starting with ancient Egyptian and Cypriot antiquities and ending with contemporary showstoppers such as Ai WeiWei’s Fountain of Light.
Louvre Abu Dhabi Exhibits
Leonardo da Vinci’s La Belle Ferronnière, one of only 15 known paintings by him, is there. There are also Vincent Van Gogh’s 1887 self-portrait, Claude Monet’s The Saint-Lazare Station and Jacques-Louis David’s huge Napoleon Crossing the Alps. There are also modern artwork by art heavyweights such as Jackson Pollock, Andy Warhol and Cy Twombly.
Aside from permanent collections, each year the Louvre Abu Dhabi hosts four temporary exhibitions co-organised with its French partners, meaning an ever-changing showcase of international talent. Sound is as important here as vision, so music and multicultural performances underpin the creative output from the museum’s auditorium.
Louvre Abu Dhabi
Louvre Abu Dhabi Collecting Photography
In 2012, the Louvre Abu Dhabi started collecting photography, making its first acquisitions in the field, including works by Joseph-Philibert Girault de Prangey, Roger Fenton and George Wilson Bridges. The museum also acquired a sculpture of a Bactrian princess dating from the third millennium BC, a pavement and fountain set from the early Ottoman period, as well as the paintings Breton Boys Wrestling (1888) by Paul Gauguin and The Subjugated Reader (1928) by René Magritte.
Ras Al Khaimah (RAK) is the largest city and capital of the Emirate of Ras Al Khaimah, United Arab Emirates (UAE). It is the sixth-largest city in UAE. Its name in English means “the tent point,” reputedly after a large tent erected as an aid to navigation by an early chief. The city, a port from ancient times, developed into a modern port only in the 20th century. It has a land area of 2,486 km2 and a coast line of 64 km. Ras al-Khaimah joined the UAE in 1972.
A creek divides the city into two parts: old town in the west and Al Nakheel in the east. Ras Al Khaimah is one of the oldest civilisations in the world. It has been the site of continuous human habitation for 7,000 years.
Ras Al Khaimah Economy
Ras al-Khaimah emirate is among the principal producers of the country’s crops. The crops include cabbages, onions, tomatoes, dates, tobacco, and fruits, especially bananas and citrus fruits. Thg3ese produces are grown along the coast around Ras al-Khaimah city for local consumption and for export to other states of the federation, mainly Dubai. The emirate has received aid from Saudi Arabia and Kuwait as well as from its sister states Abu Dhabi and Dubai. Industries in Ras al-Khaimah include the production of ceramics, pharmaceuticals, cement, lime, and a variety of construction materials. RAK Ceramics, a global ceramics manufacturer, headquartered in the city, produces 123 million square meters of tiles and 5 million pieces of sanitary ware annually. It employs 12,000 employees and its turnover is estimated at $1 billion a year.
Gulf Pharmaceutical Industries is a pharmaceutical manufacturer operating in the MENA region and headquartered in the city of Ras Al Khaimah.[31] The company, also known under the name of Julphar, employs 5,000 people and distributes its products to 50 countries.
Ras al-Khaimah Education
Other than Arabic government-funded schools, the city has Ras Al Khaimah Academy and Wellspring School, and other Indian schools. It also has Higher Colleges of Technology campus, Ras Al Khaimah Medical and Health Sciences University, American University of Ras Al Khaimah, Al-Ittiḥād University and many other colleges.
Jebel Jais, Ras Al Khaimah
Jebel Jais, Ras Al Khaimah Jebel Jais is a towering mountain featuring sweeping views, camping, wadis & a popular 2.8km-long zip line. It is one of the important tourist attractions in the UAE.The height of the mountain is 1,934 m above sea level. Temperatures at the mountain are around ten degrees cooler than sea level. You get a fantastic view of the city from Jebel Jais.
Jebel Jais
The summit is accessible by hiking, a short distance after Sheikh Saud Bin Saqr Al Qasimi’s palace, which is situated near the UAE’s highest point.
Jebel Jais ZipLine 2,832 m long, is the world’s longest zip line. It was opened on the mountain in February 2018. The users can travel at speeds of up to 150 km/h.
Ski Dubai, the indoor ski centre is located inside the Mall of the Emirates. It has a floor area of 4,500 sq m. The ski centre provides all necessary equipment and clothing to guests, so you don’t need to worry about bringing all of your winter gear to Dubai. There are five ski runs, the longest being over 1,300ft with some 6000 tons of ice. There is also a zone for freestyle snowboarding and an area for snowball fights and tobogganing. There is a cafe at the ski centre where you can enjoy a cup of hot chocolate.
Penguins Show
There are four shows of Penguin March every day at 2 pm, 4 pm, 6 pm, and 8 pm. It is good to watch at least one show. You can get up close and personal with these incredible creatures to discover more about how the species survive in some of the coldest conditions on Earth.
Ski school
Ski School
There is a Ski School at the centre. The lessons are available for all skill levels (beginners, intermediate and advanced). The objective of the school is to get you to master the slopes quickly.
The ski centre offers several packages to suit your requirements. The slope packages will enable you to enjoy the slopes. To enjoy the slope package you should select one of the Ski Dubai Experience Packages that offer Slope access and you must have the minimum skills of intermediate level 2 to access our slopes.
School package
Snow Park Packages
Snow Park Packages allow engaging in snow sports. With the Penguin package, you can enjoy the penguins in the park. School packages provide for school excursions. The corporate package allows businesses to hold corporate events in the park. The attractions available are the giant zorbing ball, ice cave, Mountain Thriller ride and more. When you hit the slopes you will discover why this snow-filler attraction is one of Dubai’s must-visit destinations.
Corporate package
Ski Dubai is open every day. From Sunday to Wednesday, it is opened from 10 am to 11 pm. On Thursday, it is open from 10 am to midnight. Friday and Saturday, the hours are 9 am to 11 pm. You would spend 2 to 3 hours in Ski Dubai.
Burj Park by Emaar is a 5km (3.1m) stretch of land through Downtown Dubai, located in the middle of Burj Lake. This is a suitable place for a picnic. It was designed for a high-end range of corporate events and exhibitions including banquets, weddings, concerts and product launches.The events include such as Dubai Light show, Auto Show and The Market OTB, a pop-up market celebrating the Dubai Shopping Festival. Burj Park by Emaar is at walking distance from Dubai Mall and Burj Khalifa, the tallest building.
Dining options at Burj park
Yeldizlar is a restaurant located at the Burj Park in Dubai. The restaurant serves authentic Lebanese cuisine in the Downtown area. The Vida Food Truck is a popular take-out option located near Burj Park. The burgers are a must-try item from the menu.
Dubai Fountain
It is a good place to watch Dubai Fountain at night when the park lights up with specially fabricated cube-shaped lights. The Dubai Fountain is the world’s tallest performing fountain and it’s located in Burj Park Dubai. The massive fountain stretches over 275 metres in length. The Dubai Fountain performs to a wide range of songs, right from contemporary pop songs to classic hits. Its powerful water nozzles shoot over 22,000 gallons water up to heights, equivalent to that of a 50-storey building. The luminescent colour projections create a visual treat for crowds making it a popular attraction with both visitors and residents.
Burj Park
The three fingers statue at Burj Khalifa Park in Dubai
Three Fingers Statue
The Three Fingers Statue is found here. It is a “Win, Victory, Love” sign. The statue depicts a three-finger salute, which High Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum created to be a logo for the UAE. The statue could be seen in front the Khalifa tower, with an explanation of it beneath the statue itself to help the viewers to understand the story behind the whole statue and the story of its installation and more.
There are dedicated bicycle stands allowing visitors to hire a bike and cycle across this beautiful park.
Wings of Mexico
Wings of Mexico
The Wings of Mexico is a sculpture specifically designed for the park by Mexican artist Jorge Marin. The Wings of Mexico celebrates human potential, dreams and victories. The Wings of Mexico are on permanent display in several cities including Dubai, Los Angeles, Singapore, Nagoya, Madrid and Berlin. It celebrates human potential, their dreams and victories. This sculpture is a representation of the human desire to take flight and explore the world, experiencing the woes and joys of the adventures.
Burj Park
There are a few restaurants and cafes nearby the park. There are more restaurants and cafes at Emaar Boulevard.
Burj Dubai Park permits free entry. It is open 24 hours and does not have fencing. Sometimes the park is used for events, shows and concerts. During this time the access to that area may be restricted. There is underground car parking nearby off Emaar Boulevard
Etihad Museum is located in the Al-Mina district, next to Pearl Jumeirah, a scenic island in Dubai. It consists of a parabolic-shaped Pavilion structure. It is equipped with a library, an education centre, a temporary exhibition hall, and a restaurant. Etihad Museum, spread over 25,000 sq m, tells the story of how the UAE was founded. It sits in the very place where the constitution was signed in 1971. It is also adorned with seven columns, which symbolize the pens used to sign the union agreement. Its parabolic roof represents the sheet of paper upon which the declaration was written. The ‘envelope’ shaped design of the Visitor’s Pavilion is an architectural marvel that combines innovative design and intelligent engineering exhibiting a strong structural foundation while maintaining the sense of lightness of the ‘floating paper’ effect.
Etihad Museum
The Etihad Museum was formerly called the Union House. The UAE flag was hoisted here for the first time here. The museum collects, preserves, and displays the heritage of the United Arab Emirates in the areas of social, political, cultural, scientific, and military history.
Founding fathers of the UAE
The interactive and educational exhibits help one to understand how the seven Emirates became the UAE. It also shows important historical events before the union. There are pictures of the founding fathers of the UAE. It holds artifacts from old passports to personal artifacts of the rulers of United Arab Emirates.
Founding fathers of UAE
Pavilions of Etihad Museum
The shows include UAE’s extraordinary economic development since its independence. The museum has eight permanent pavilions. Pavilion 1 shows a documentary film about the history of the UAE. Pavilion Two houses an interactive map that shows the era before the formation of the federation. Pavilion Three displays an interactive timeline that demonstrates key historical events before the formation of the union. Pavilion four gives an interactive guide to the formation of the union. Pavilion Five gives an interactive guide to the formation of the union. Pavilion Six depicts the important moments and challenges confronted the founding fathers before 1971, which led to the formation of thr Union. Pavilion Seven is dedicated to the UAE Constitution and includes the actual declaration itself. Pavilion Eight is the final pavilion is an open gallery celebrating the newborn nation.
It is open every day from 10 am to 8 pm. Admission and a tour start at AED 35. It is necessary to book a time slot for your visit.
