We have all heard of Dubai! A city of tradition and a city of great change. A city with over half the world's cranes building a huge modern city. A mixture of people from all corners of the world working to create a modern Dubai.

Dubai in recent years has developed as a major tourist destination due to the shopping, desert, beach, climate and infrastructure. Dubai is home to the world's best hotels and indeed is aiming to be number 1 in many areas with the tallest building, the largest theme park and much more on the way.

Dubai is the "city of merchants" and has been trading for centuries. Today this has resulted in some of the world's largest and splendid shopping malls and they are much more than shops. The Mall of the Emirates has a ski resort inside!

The ruler and President of the UAE His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed al Nahyan and the ruler of Dubai is His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum who is also the Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE.

Bur Dubai
Bur Dubai stretches along the Southern Side of the Creek and the oldest part of Dubai. At the centre is the Textile Souk, the Dubai museum, and the historic Bastakia quarter with the Sheikh Saeed Heritage House and Heritage Village. A lot of the buildings have been converted into art galleries, shops and cafes. Common are the four sided wind tower houses designed to provide natural air conditioning.

Deira
Deira lies north of the Creek and founded in 1841. The main attractions are the Gold Souk and Spice Souk. The Dhow Wharfage shows a little of Dubai's past. Deira is chaotic, somewhat dirty and crowded and a contrast to the modern malls.

Dubai Marina
At the southern end of Dubai is the fast growing Dubai Marina. Once complete will be a major area and have numerous hotels, shops, restaurants, apartments and villas. Offshore is the huge Palm Jumeriah island. Close by will be the new Jebel Ali Airport which is expected to be the world's biggest airport.

The Creek
The Creek runs through the city centre and an active waterway. Alongside the creek are parks and walkways and can be crossed using the traditional Abra. Dubai Creek has many dhows offering dinner cruises with on-board entertainment. Both sides of the creek have souks and corniches. A popular trip is to cross Dubai Creek by the small ferries. Dubai Creek originally served as a port for trading vessels plying to and from India , Africa and the Middle East . Today a bit of the old shipping culture still remains. In and around the creek one can see some of the original buildings that served as customs houses and defence structures.

Garhoud
Garhoud is the area between Dubai airport and the Creek. The main attraction is the Deira City Centre mall and a useful mall for the city centre.

Jumeirah
Jumeriah is a beach side suburb with lots of low rise villas and spread around the Jumeirah Road. The Jumeirah Mosque is one of the main attractions along with Jumeirah Beach Park a popular public beach.

Karama
Karama is an inner city suburb where a lot of Indian and Pakistan expatriates live and so a good place to find reasonably priced curries. The main attraction is the Karma Souk and a palace where many fakes are sold.

Oud Metha
Opposite Garhoud across the Creek is Oud Metha with a number of hotels, parks and the Wafi City mall with it's Egyptian theme.

Satwa
Satwa is the last of the inner city suburbs before the start of the skyscrapers along Sheikh Zayed Road.

Sheikh Zayed Road
A long road about 3km south of the Creek. Along both sides of this ten lane highway are huge skyscrapers and designed to create a very modern city and a massive contrast to the old city. The Emirates towers make a good centre piece for the commercial and financial heart of Dubai.

Shindagha
The place where Dubai started out at the mouth of the Creek. In this area are the Heritage and Diving Villages and Sheikh Saeed's house.