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.
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.
Burj Khalifa is the tallest building in Dubai and probably the world. With a height of 828m and 160 stories, Burj Khalifa is in Downtown Dubai. It was designed to be the centerpiece of large-scale, mixed-use development. Burj is in the main business district in in Dubai. Burj Khalifa has three separate outdoor observation decks on the 124th, 125th, and 148th floors, from which you get a good view of Downtown Dubai. The observation decks are equipped with high-powered telescopes to get a good view of the city. Refreshments are served at the Sky Lounge on the 148th floor. Admission prices for At The Top will vary according to the time of the visit and the level of the observation decks.
Burj Khalifa
At.Mosphere is a restaurant on the 122nd floor. The restaurant has floor to ceiling windows that give you a unique view of Dubai.
Light up of Burj Khalifa
The Development
This is a large-scale, mixed-use development. The design is derived from the Islamic architecture of the region, such as in the Great Mosque of Samarra. The construction of this building was based on the government’s decision to diversify from an oil-based economy, and for Dubai to gain international recognition. There are 57 elevators and 8 escalators in the building. It contains 30,000 flats, nine hotels, 7.4 acres of parkland, at least 19 residential skyscrapers, the Dubai Mall, and the 30-acre artificial Burj Khalifa Lake. The malls, hotels and condominiums in Downtown Dubai surrounding Burj Khalifa have generated the most revenue from the project as a whole.
The Building
The shiny aluminum and stainless-steel cladding to reflect the sun, reducing the load on the air-conditioning system. Its special glass is reflective and stops the heat getting in. It takes 36 workers three to four months to clean the entire exterior. The unmanned cleaning system developed in Melbourne, Australia cleans the top 27 additional tiers and the glass spire.
Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed al-Nahyan
The building is named in honour of the ruler of Abu Dhabi and president of the United Arab Emirates, Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan. For the development of the Burj Khalifa project both Abu Dhabi and the UAE government lent money. Outside the building, there is the Dubai Fountain which is a choreographed fountain system located on the 12 hectares of man made Burj Khalifa Lake, at the centre of the Downtown development in Dubai
Jumeirah Beach is a white sand beach that is located and named after the Jumeirah district of Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
Jumeirah Beach Attractions The beach features large hotels, resorts, restaurants, shopping zones and housing developments. Also found in this location are the Burj Al Arab hotel, Wild Wadi Water Park, Jumeirah Beach Hotel, and the old-style Madinat Jumeirah (a hotel and shopping complex) and the Jumeirah Beach Park. This park is a great tourist attraction where visitors relax, swim, or play sports like Volleyball etc.
In the beach you will find a number of exhibition halls and museums like Majlis Ghorfat Umm-Al Sheif, Etihad Museum, and Visitor center Jumeirah Archaeological Site where you can experience the old age charm as well as shop a wide range of trinkets, decorative items, furniture, tea sets, shishas and pashmina shawls.
Jumeirah is considered to be the party hub for Dubai. When the sun sets the beach transforms itself into a glittering world of pubs, clubs, and lively bars.
Scuba diving at Jumeirah Beach
Activities at Jumeirah Beach
Jet Skiing Tour operators provide one hour of jet skiing guided by professional coaches. While skiing you will also see the iconic views of the Al Arab and other beautiful skyline landmarks.2.Parasailing and Boat Tour The program is usually for 15 minutes. You will get aerial views of Dubai Marina and Palm Island.
Sun Lounge If you want to relax on the beach, you arrive at the beach early in the morning because that is when the sun is at its best.
Food and beverage When you walk along the beach you will come across some great cuisines from around the world. Usually the places are crowded. You can enjoy local delights along with many stalls dedicated to French and Chinese cuisines.
Jumeirah Beach
Several bars across the shore which enable bar hopping with night vibes and music.
Places to Eat at Jumeirah beach Dubai
La Parrilla is an Argentinian restaurant which offers fiery meat and seafood items.
At Latitude you can enjoy a live cooking station that offers platters of aromatic fresh fish, pasta dishes, and meats. On Tuesday Nights you get authentic Arabian food and on Saturday nights you get authentic American cuisine.
Shopping places near Jumeirah beach Dubai
Mercato Shopping Mall has 130 retail outlets offering a wide range of products. You can also relish some classic pizzas at the eateries at the mall.
Souk Madinat Jumeirah is a traditional market-style complex combining Arabian shopping stands, barrows and stalls with a blend of boutique brands, souvenir gift shops and luxury fashion and jewellery outlets.
The Mall Jumeirah offers home items as well as fashion goods. Top brands at this place and grab a delectable meal at the food court. Here you will also be able to enjoy some beauty treatments at notable N-Bar or Zuri Beauty Lounge.
Palm Strip Mall is a Californian inspired open air mall that is located opposite the Jumeirah Mosque. This is one of the busiest shopping places and home to Pro Art gallery, restaurants, and confectionery stores.
Masdar is a planned city project in Abu Dhabi, in the United Arab Emirates. Literally it means ‘Source City’. Its core is being built by Masdar, a subsidiary of Mubadala Development Company, a state-owned construction company, with the majority of seed capital provided by the Government of Abu Dhabi.
Masdar City is a hub for innovation, research and development, advancing real-world solutions in energy and water efficiency, mobility, and artificial intelligence. Its first tenant was the Masdar Institute of Science and Technology, which has been operating in the city since it moved into its campus in September 2010. Masdar City is a highly planned, specialised, research and technology-intensive municipality.
Masdar City a ghost town or a green lab?
Cars are not allowed inside the city. You have to park the car in the car park provided. In the city you can take autonomous pods and self drive buses for movement within the city.
Masdar City is a living, working community where residents, academics and business professionals live, learn, work and play in an environment that pushes the boundaries of sustainable design, construction, and operation. The city contains one of the largest clusters of low-carbon buildings in the world.
Masdar City Free Zone is a powerful business enabler and incubator. More than 800 companies from six continents operate from Masdar City ranging from multinationals such as Siemens, Honeywell, Lockheed Martin, to regional corporations, SMEs and startups.
Masdar City
Masdar Park features a children’s playground, music wall, and art installations themed on sustainability.
The companies in the city will concentrate on energy saving and energy substituting projects as well as reuse of water.
Due to the impact of the global financial crisis, the initial 1,000,000 square metres of buildings which was estimated for completion in 2015, was pushed back to between 2020 and 2025 and final completion was estimated to be 2030.
Saruq Al Hadid is an archaeological site in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE). Findings from the site are displayed in a museum with the same name in the city of Dubai. The site was originally discovered by the ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, while flying his helicopter across the desert. He noticed a large black deposit in the sands and he reported the site to Dubai Municipality.
The site proved to be a field of waste, or slag, from copper and iron smelting. It was noticed that the extensive slag field, measuring some 1.5 hectares, had stopped the sand from shifting and blowing and so had preserved the underlying excavation site.
Pottery Artifacts found in the site
The Saruq Al Hadid site is believed to have been a centre of constant human habitation, trade and metallurgy from the Umm Al Nar period (2600–2000 BCE) to the Iron Age (1,000 BCE). During the iron age this site was a major location for smelting bronze, copper and Iron.
Arguably its most important period of development as a metallurgical centre was in the Iron Age II period (1100–600 BCE). Thousands of finds were documented at the site. One of the finds was an ornate gold ring, which became the logo for Dubai’s Expo 2020.
Archaeological Findings
Over 12,000 unique objects, mostly consisting of pottery and metal artifacts, have been excavated at the site. Some of the findings indicate some form of snake worship prevalent at that time. The findings also indicate that this place was a hub for manufacturing and international trade.
The fossilized bones of fish found in the excavation site tell us the people of that time went far and across the oceans even though they lived in the desert. One can infer the valuable beads found were meant to be sold in India.
Gold Ring
Museum
Visitors to the museum can even carry out their own dig in a simulated archaeological excavation. Children have their own gallery trail which keeps them involved and encourages them to explore each room in turn. There is a 3D movie hall in the museum and informative videos are projected on the walls during your exploration journey.
The building that houses the museum has cultural and historical significance in Dubai. It once served as the residence of Sheikh Juma Bin Maktoum Al Maktoum back in 1928. It is one of the finest remaining examples of Dubai’s traditional architecture. It is made of local materials such as coral, gypsum, and Chandal wood. During the conversion of the building into a museum, the original structure was carefully preserved along with new additions.
Tourists even if they are not Muslims, should refrain from eating or drinking in public places in the daytime during Ramadan fasting. Sleeveless tops and short dresses may not be allowed in certain places. Clothes need to be in appropriate length.
Dress code
Expats and tourists are not allowed to consume alcohol in public. However, they can consume in bars, hotel restaurants, and private homes.
