The United Arab Emirates comprises seven emirates and includes Abu Dhabi ~ The Capitol, Dubai, Fujairah, Sharjah, Ras Al Khaimah, Ajman and Umm Al Quwain.
The UAE lies at the north-eastern part of the Arabian Peninsular, bordered
by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to the south and west , and the Sultanate
of Oman to the east and north. It has a coastline on both the Gulf
of Oman and the Arabian Gulf. The UAE has 700 km of coastline, of
which 100 km are on the Gulf of Oman.
The largest city is Abu Dhabi (73,441 sq. km.) &
a population of 1,000,000 and is the capital. The next largest is
Dubai (3,900 sq. km.) population 740,000. These are the only 2 we
visited this trip. They were really beautiful. They were so
green and had soooo many trees. Boy, coming back to Bahrain from
there made me feel like Bahrain was just a desert ~ haha ~ BUT the
traffic in both of those places is much worse than Bahrain. CLICK HERE
To learn more about the UAE
Mike had to be there for a meeting, so we flew over to Dubai on Saturday
morning, June 9th 2001. We drove around and did some sightseeing.
This
is Sheikh Saeed Al Maktoum House The house is located in Al_Shindagha area, between the banks of the
creek and the Arabian Gulf. Overlooking the creek it is situated at
the very heart of the city and was once the ruler's residence a. The
house was the seat of government and the center of development of modern
Dubai till the era of the late Sheikh Rashid Bin Saeed Al
Maktoum.
This is a sign with the history of the house. It will take a bit to
download ~ It is large so you can read it.
This is a photo of Sheikh Saeed bin Maktoum
It was the starting point of the development of the Emirates. With
its Arab architecture and ornamentation, the house represents the finest
of the traditional building and original Arab and Islamic
art. In 1996 it was declared a national museum.
ARCHITECTURE
The house is a symbol of Arab architecture. It is square shaped with
two floor and two entrances, one of them leads to the meeting room and the
other overlooks the courtyard of the house inside. The yard is
surrounded by different rooms including a meeting room, living rooms,
stores, and kitchens.
This is in the court yard.
The rooms which are rectangular with engraved walls and shelves for
various purposes are good examples of traditional Arab houses. The
upper floor with its many room and balconies which overlook the sea and
creek, provide a spectacular view and also provide good ventilation.
Above the house are 4 wind towers or Al Barajeel. The wind towers
were a traditional way of keeping the house cool during the summer
months. From the upper floor and its huge balconies, a wonderful
view of the Dubai creek can be seen. At this point the waters of the
Arabian Gulf flows into the city for a distance of abut 10km, dividing the
city into 2 parts; Deira and Dubai. From atop the house you can view
the skyline dotted with tall building along the creek and marvel at the
enormous development that has taken place in Dubai in recent years. This is the outside and some of the architecture of the house.
The house is divided into many wings and each is allocated for a certain
part of the history and heritage of the Emirate. AL Maktoum Wing Mike enteringthe
room. Look how short the people must have been!
The exhibits of this wing show the development of political and social
life and foreign relations chronologically. During the periods of
the different Sheikhs since the establishment of the Emirates, in the era
of Sheikh Maktoum Bin Buti Al Bloflas in 1833, to the era of Sheikh Rashid
Bin Saeed Al Maktoum the founder of modern Dubai. Restoration Wing
The various stages of the restoration exercise undertaken are shown in
this wing. The restoration, which began in 1981, transformed the old
house into what it is today.
This is the doorway to Maktoum Wing depicting typical Arab architecture
and Islamic art.
This is another typical Arab Doorway
This is one of the four wind towers used to circulate air in the
house. They had no AC and this seems to work fairly well. The
rooms were cool.
This is a room below the wind tower. There are cushions all
around the room on the floor for sitting.
The
Diving Village is next to the Sheikh's house.
Heritage
and Diving Village Located next to Sheikh
Saeed’s house this newly constructed site focuses on the marine heritage
of the region, with its pearl diving traditions. Displays include a tented
Bedouin village with traditional weapons, chests and household utensils.
Shops sell handicrafts and at times camel and donkey rides are available.
There are cafeterias and a seafood restaurant. Folk dance and music
performances are staged from time to time.
For some reason I am fascinated with different
phone booths in different parts of the world. Here are three in
Dubai.
This is a distant photo of the house from the creek with Dhows in front.
These are some of the photos I took while driving
around Dubai.
This
is a reallyneat
hotel. Look at the architecture.. This
is an aerial view of the hotel.To
the left is a tour boat the next is a camel market.This is the clock roundabout.
Driving
thru DubaiIn
the center medial are these large Incense Burners that are all over the
Gulf. We
have one also. They are really big into incense and perfume oils
here and burn a lot of Frankincense and Mir. This is a photo of our
Incense Burner.
Walking
along the Cornish.
We encountered some camels along our way ~ I was a little leery but finally decided they would
not bite me and petted them.
Mike
at the Bedouin Village This was the mosque near the village and museum. Notice this one
is for Muslims only.
All over Saudi and the UAE these are the
restroom signs( I don't see these in Bahrain) Or as they say here as
well as England "toilet"It took me a while to figure out which one is the woman's ~ they are
not usually anywhere near each other and I thought since that one was all
in Black it was a woman with her Arab attire.
While
driving thru a residential part of Dubai we came across some sheep.
I am not sure what the woolly thing is ~ I guess some type of sheep or
goat?
Then
on another street they
darted out in front of us.
We
came across these camels in another part of the residential area. I
guess they are someone's' pets.
Dubai
traffic. Yuck, but not as bad as Houston.
This
is going thru the tunnelunder
the creek.
After eating lunch and
driving around some we headed for Abu Dhabi. Very shortly out of the
city it started to look like I pictured ~ a desert.
Follow
the Camel On
to Abu Dhabi
POPULATION The United Arab Emirates,
also known as the UAE, or just 'the Emirates', has a population of over 3
million people. It is a federation composed of seven emirates: Abu Dhabi,
Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman, Umm al-Qaiwain, Ras al-Khaimah and Fujairah.
UAE PRESIDENT Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nuhayyan has provided
leadership to his country for over fifty years. He became Ruler of Abu
Dhabi in 1966 and has been President of the whole UAE since its
establishment in 1971.
Vice President Shaykh MAKTUM bin Rashid al-Maktum (since 8
October
1990), ruler of Dubai RETURN TO TOP
Supreme
Council of Rulers:
composed of the seven emirate rulers, the council is the highest
constitutional authority in the UAE; establishes general policies and
sanctions federal legislation, Abu Dhabi and Dubai rulers have veto power;
council meets four times a year
GEOGRAPHY - COASTLINES The United Arab Emirates
(UAE) has over 700 kilometres of sea-coastline. From the low coastline and
islands of Abu Dhabi, along the Gulf shoreline, where Dubai, Sharjah,
Ajman, Umm al-Qaiwain and Ras al-Khaimah each have coastal cities,
harbours and extensive shoreline; to the eastern side of the UAE, where
Fujairah is situated and where Sharjah has a number of enclaves.
WOMEN - THEIR STATUS There are more women in
higher education in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) than there are men. The
equal status of women is enshrined in the UAE Constitution. The UNDP's
'Human Resources Development Report for 1997 states that women in the
United Arab Emirates (UAE) have achieved the highest rate of development
in all Arab countries.
AID WORK The United Arab Emirates
supports a vigorous foreign aid programe, providing emergency supplies,
infrastructure facilities and personnel to troubled areas of the globe,
such as Kosovo. Over 50 countries have benefited from the Abu Dhabi Fund
for Development (ADFD) assistance programe. The Zayed Charitable and
Humanitarian Foundation, established in 1992, also plays an important role
in the country's aid work. The UAE Red Crescent Society also plays an
active role as part of the UAE's efforts to assist countries in need.
OIL RESERVES The UAE has the third largest
proven oil reserves in the world. Oil and gas production has been the
mainstay of the economy of the United Arab Emirates and will remain a
major revenue earner for the UAE long into the future. At the current rate
of utilization, and excluding any new discoveries, these reserves will
continue to provide energy for the United Arab Emirates for more than 150
years.
ECONOMY The non-oil sector of the
United Arab Emirates' economy contributes more than twice the oil sector's
contribution to GDP (Gross Domestic Product, providing greater stability
to the UAE economy, and protecting it from the full impact of oil price
fluctuations.
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is
the third most important re-export centre in the world (after Hong Kong
and Singapore).
CURRENCY The Emirati currency, known
as the Dirham (Dh) has a fixed rate of exchange with the US dollar whereby
US $1.00 = Dh 3.671.
HOTELS - BEST EVER The Jumeirah Beach Hotel,
next to the towering structure of the 'Arabian Tower Hotel' or Burj al
Arab, located in Dubai, within the United Arab Emirates, was recently
voted 'best in the world'.
FREE TRADE Jebel Ali, part of Dubai's
free-zone, is the largest man-made port in the world. There are a number
of other important Free Zones in the United Arab Emirates, including the
Saadiyat Free Zone, under development in Abu Dhabi; the Dubai Airport Free
Zone; Fujairah Free Trade Zone; and Sharjah's Hamriyyah Free Zone.
DATE PALMS Over 30 million date palms
are cultivated in the UAE. Thanks to the determination and leadership of
Sheikh Zayed, the UAE's agriculture has undergone a remarkable
transformation.
WILDLIFE ACTION & TECHNOLOGY The Arabian oryx, which gave
rise to the legend of the unicorn, is a native of the United Arab Emirates
(UAE) and has been saved from extinction by a vigorous programe of
captive breeding with a total figure of around a thousand of these
enigmatic animals now in the UAE.
United Arab Emirates based
scientists have applied satellite tracking technology to the migration of
the houbara, traditional quarry of Arab falconers, recording an individual
bird's flight from Abu Dhabi in the UAE, all the way to China and back
again!
HORTICULTURE Abu Dhabi Municipality
produces 1.5 million sapling trees, 20 million flowers and 30,000 plants
every year, as part of this emirate's urban horticultural work. The
environment plays a key role in planning and implementation of all
development projects throughout the UAE.
HERITAGE The UAE has a rich
archaeological heritage that has been traced back more than seven thousand
years, towards the beginning of the Late Stone Age.
SPORT The UAE hosts some of the
world's premier sporting events including the world's richest horse race,
the Dubai World Cup. Sports such as football, cricket, horse racing,
sailing, powerboat racing, golf, tennis, bowling, athletics, and
ice-hockey are complimented by more traditional sports such as camel
racing and traditional boat racing. BACK TO THE TOP