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Fruit & Vegetable Market
This vast wholesale market, part of which is open air, is the exchange point for melons from Jordan, potatoes from Turkey and onions from just about everywhere. A highlight is cruising along date alley, where shops sell around 45 varieties (from Dh25 per kilogram). Giant medjool da
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Dubai Dolphinarium
Bottlenose dolphins and seals entertain audiences with their antics and acrobatics at this popular attraction in Creek Park. Those wishing to get close and personal with these adorable mammals can sign up for a swimming session (from Dh550). Non-watery fun can be had in the mind-be
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Emirates National Auto Museum
Like a kooky mirage, a pyramid-shaped structure rises from the desert sands some 45km south of Abu Dhabi on the lonely highway that leads to the Liwa Oasis. It holds the private car collection of Sheikh Hamad bin Hamdan Al Nahyan, aka the ‘Rainbow Sheikh’: some 200 vehicles – from
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Al Ain Camel Market
It’s dusty, noisy, pungent and chaotic, but never mind: Al Ain’s famous camel market is a wonderful immersion in traditional Arabic culture. All sorts of camels are holed up in pens, from wobbly legged babies that might grow up to be racers to imposing studs kept for breeding. The
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Ibn Battuta Mall
The shopping here is only so-so, but this mall is still well worth a visit for its stunning architecture and design, which traces the way stations of 14th-century Arab scholar and traveller, Ibn Battuta. It’s divided into six sections, each reflecting a region he visited, including
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Al Ahmadiya School
Dubai’s first public primary school was founded by the pearl merchant Sheikh Ahmed bin Dalmouk and welcomed its first pupils ( all boys) in 1912. Decades later, Dubais current ruler, Sheikh Mohammed, was among those who squeezed behind the wooden desks to learn the Holy Quran, gram
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Heritage House
This 1890 courtyard house offers a rare opportunity to peek inside the one-time residence of a wealthy pearl merchant. Built from coral and gypsum, it wraps around a central courtyard flanked by verandahs to keep direct sunlight out. Most rooms have audiovisual displays and use dio
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Dibba
From Masafi, point the compass north and cut through the dramatically rugged Hajar Mountains to the sleepy fishing village of Dibba. This is the northernmost point of the 65km scenic East Coast highway to Fujairah, hemmed in by the Hajars, shimmering beaches and the turquoise expan
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Deira Fish Market
Follow your nose to Dubai’s largest and busiest fish market, near the Al Shindagha Tunnel. Shrimp (prawns) the size of bananas, metre-long kingfish and mountains of blue crabs are among the treasures of the sea being hawked at this market since 1988. Come either early in the mornin
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Al Mina Fish Market
Never mind the prospect of lots of tasty seafood, this large fish market is a visual feast of colour, texture and design. Rhythmical arrangements of prawns, orange-spotted trevally, blue-shelled crabs, red snappers, pink Sultan Ibrahims and a host of unlikely edibles from the sea g
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Zayed Centre for Studies & Research
This eclectic collection of artefacts and personal memorabilia documents the life of Sheikh Zayed, the founding father of the Emirates. The collection is housed in a rare assembly of old villas sporting traditional wind towers, on the coast near the new Al Bateen developments. The
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Abu Dhabi Louvre
The Abu Dhabi Louvre, designed by Jean Nouvel, is expected to open in late 2016. Already the theme of palm-tree shading is detectable in the elaborate filigree dome, whose geometric openings are intended to represent interlaced palm leaves used in traditional roofing. The gaps will
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Manarat Al Saadiyat
Housed in a postmodern building with an eye-catching honeycomb mantle, Manarat Al Saadiyat (place of enlightenment) is a multimedia exhibit called Saadiyat Experience. It explains the vision behind the development of Saadiyat Island, which will include residential communities, hote
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Dubai Aquarium & Underwater Zoo
Dubai Mall’s most mesmerising sight is this gargantuan aquarium where thousands of beasties flit and dart amid artificial coral. Sharks and rays are top attractions, but other popular denizens include sumo-sized groupers and massive schools of pelagic fish. You can view quite a lot
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Al Badiyah Mosque
Badiyah (also spelt Bidyah and Bidiya), 8km north of Khor Fakkan, is famous for its teensy mosque. The modest stone and mud structure, adorned with four pointed domes and resting on a single internal pillar, dates to 1446 and considered the oldest mosque in the UAE.Non-Muslims are
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Madinat Jumeirah
One of Dubai’s most attractive developments, Madinat Jumeirah is a contemporary interpretation of a traditional Arab village, complete with a souq, palm-fringed waterways and desert-colored hotels and villas festooned with wind towers. It’s especially enchanting at night, when the
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Burj Al Arab
The Burjs graceful silhouette – meant to evoke the sail of a dhow (traditional wooden cargo vessel) – is to Dubai what the Eiffel Tower is to Paris. Completed in 1999, this iconic landmark sits on an artificial island off Jumeirah Rd and comes with its own helipad and a fleet of ch
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Dhow Wharfage
For a glimpse of Dubais long trading history, stroll down the Creek for photogenic close-ups of brightly coloured dhows, precariously loaded to the hilt with everything from air-conditioners to chewing gum to car tyres. This type of long flat wooden vessel used in the Indian Ocean
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Al Fahidi Historic District
Traffic fades to a quiet hum in the labyrinthine lanes of this nicely restored heritage area formerly known as the Bastakia Quarter. Its narrow walking lanes are flanked by sand-colored houses topped with wind towers, which provide natural air-conditioning. Today, there are about 5
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Alserkal Avenue
Hub of burgeoning arts precinct Al Quoz, the Alserkal Avenue complex is the brainchild of local developer and arts patron Abdelmonem bin Eisa Alserkal. Roughly 20 galleries have turned high-ceilinged warehouses into pristine art spaces. Standouts include Gallery Isabelle van den Ey
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