People know Dubai as a popular cosmopolitan center and it just keeps on growing. Most of the people who live in Dubai are foreigners. Dubai is also known as being a very popular tourist destination.
The things that happen in Dubai may astound you. There’s a lot of false information about the Middle East and Dubai definitely doesn’t deserve all the stereotypes. Here are some photos of Dubai that you’re sure to have never seen before. It might even make you want to hop on the next flight to this beautiful place.
Dubai is on the way to overtaking fashion capitals like Paris or Milan. Dubai not only serves as a huge consumer of fashion but is also putting itself on the map with the world stage.
There are numerous fashion shows happening in Dubai all the time. Local Dubai fashion designers’ work can be seen frequently on the runway in Paris and New York. The designs may look a bit more conservative than that of western fashion but there’s nothing wrong with that!
There’s an all-female police squad in Dubai that fights to stop theft and fraud. They specialize in anything that’s gender-sensitive that would be wrong for a male officer to be involved in.
The team is comprised of policewomen from many police stations around Dubai. They have experience in protecting VIPs and keeping a close eye on convicts. They also speak fluent Arabic and English. This is a huge thing for women in Muslim culture.
Lots of big celebrities have started coming to Dubai as it’s been getting more of a name. That’s amazing considering not long ago this place was just a desert. People like George Clooney and Kim Kardashian have been seen taking in the beauty of Dubai.
While Kardashian was in Dubai she frequented all of the huge malls that Dubai has to offer. You can imagine how much of a bill she racked up there. She also went on a sandy adventure and even went to a special needs center for children.
Dubai screams luxury and it’s no exception for the cops. You can usually see them driving around in exquisite and expensive high-performance sports cars. Ferraris, Aston Martins, and Bugattis are just a few of what you can see on the streets.
A police car in Dubai costs a college tuition for someone in the U.S. But thankfully the cars aren’t damaged often as Dubai’s crime rate is extremely low. This is because of their very strict laws that can end up with deportation or imprisonment.
The culture and populous of Dubai are very diverse. This photo proves it where you can see women dressed in conservative clothing at the beach and in the distance, you can see people wearing much more relaxed clothing.
Bikinis are only allowed at very specific non-family beaches. And outside those beaches, people have to cover up. It’s always a good thing to respect the culture and in exchange, Dubai is very friendly and welcoming of foreigners.
Dubai is actually quite relaxed with its dress code for foreigners, they’re allowed to wear normal western clothes that don’t expose too much and no women are required to cover up their heads.
Dubai only asks that you don’t show too much skin. If the police catch wind of you they may force you to change into something else. The only time traditional attire is required for everybody is when you want to visit a mosque since it’s a place of worship.
The city has grown at such a rapid rate. The first skyscraper was only built in 1979 and just look at the skyline now! Originally it probably didn’t seem worth it to build such a city in a desert but look at it now!
The picture shows downtown Dubai today. The view is gorgeous. They changed a barren desert into an immensely wealthy and popular city in just a few years. This has to be one of the most impressive feats ever.
Dubai is always ready to deal with the heat. Bus stops in Dubai are fully enclosed and even have sweet, sweet air conditioning! Now that’s an upgrade from the bus stops we think of.
The temperature in Dubai can go over 120 degrees Fahrenheit. During the day you can’t stand in the sun too long or you’ll really regret it. So this bus station was the perfect solution to the problem.
Dubai has the largest gold market on the planet. And people over there are more than happy to show off. People have even taken to gold plating a lot of their things just to fluent the image.
There are specialized crafters that know how to work with gold on an amazing level. Dubai must be the best place to get anything gold plated. Dubai is the most expensive cities in the region.
The tennis court in this photo is something to behold. It’s 1000 feet in the air and would make anyone think again about wanting to play tennis. Just imagine how many tennis balls never get reclaimed once they get overshot.
But this is just a promotional image. The helipad was briefly made into a tennis court for Andre Agassi and Roger Federer to promote the Dubai Duty-Free Men’s Open tournament in 2005. When the tournament was over the tennis court was restored back into a helipad.
In 2004 camel racing got a whole lot more interesting when robots started replacing the jockeys. This is because of human rights violations related to having children as jockeys.
Both Qatar and the UAE, of which Dubai is a member, have banned the use of human jockeys in favor of the robots. The UAE was the first country to implement the ban in an effort to thwart child slavery and abuse aimed at keeping child jockeys as light as possible.
We’ve all heard the saying “Everything’s bigger in Texas,” but what about Dubai? Well, they are certainly giving Texas for a run for its money. The city of Dubai holds no stops when it comes to building enormous structures just for the sake of displaying their sheer size.
Not only does the city boast the tallest tower in the world, the Burj Khalifa, standing at a massive 2,722 ft tall, it is also home to one of the largest malls in the world along with the largest indoor ski facility in the world. The Great Mosque of Samarra in Iraq was used as inspiration for the design of Burj Khalifa.
While this phenomenon doesn’t only exist in Dubai, many tourists might find it surprising to learn that there are specific beaches for women and families only. That means no single men are allowed in those areas. Beach-goers at those sites are also required to wear “respectful” beach attire at all times.
Women, in particular, are required to be fully covered. According to locals, it’s nice for them to have a few beaches where they don’t have to worry about being disturbed or disturbing others. They also feel that the dress code at these special beaches is more respectful to their cultural and religious beliefs. “It ensures there are areas of the beach where everyone can feel more comfortable and avoid large groups with loud music and smoking, especially when you have children,” one local woman said.
Laws in Dubai and the rest of the United Arab Emirates are particularly strict when compared to western countries. Even seemingly harmless acts can result in trouble with the authorities, so it’s better to be in the know about what is and isn’t acceptable. One thing that might surprise you is that public displays of affection are generally not tolerated.
Married couples are permitted to hold hands in public, but apart from that, any physical contact between two people of the opposite sex can become problematic. Kissing in public is a big no-no. It’s also not recommended to shake a woman’s hand unless she extends her hand first.
With a GDP of more than $105 billion in 2015, it’s undeniable that Dubai is a very rich city and its residents are known to love to flaunt their wealth and status. As the saying goes, “if you’ve got it, flaunt it.” That has gone for pets as well. There was a popular trend in the Middle Eastern city/Emirate of having exotic pets such as chimps, baboons, lions and cheetahs.
Exotic animals have been considered a status symbol in the UAE. It has been understood that the more expensive and exotic the animal, the more wealth and power its owner has. The trend proliferate so much, in fact, that the government outlawed the practice in 2017. Nowadays owning an exotic animal can get you either a $136,000 fine or a six-month stay in jail.
Construction in Dubai is booming like never before. And all that construction requires lots of money, man-power and of course, infrastructure. Dubai is home to more construction cranes than any other city in the world. Estimates show that the city is home to around 25% of all construction cranes in the world. Now that’s impressive.
The city with the second most construction cranes in the world is a surprising one — it’s actually Sydney, Australia. The city with the highest number of cranes in the Unites States is also a surprising one. No, it’s neither New York City nor Los Angeles, it’s actually Seattle, Washington.
Yes, Dubai is located in a desert but when you have enough money, anything is possible. Even going for a brisk ski in the snow. Conveniently located in the Mall of the Emirates is Ski Dubai, an indoor mountain-themed attraction, replete with snow and all.
The park boasts of multiple slopes with varying degrees of difficulty, as well as a snow park and a penguin exhibit. Seems like a great way to escape the simmering Dubai heat for a few hours, or even an entire day. A two-hour ski pass costs around $55, while a day pass costs about $83. Multiple visitor packages are also available including lessons, snow gear, and even meals.
These days you can get just about anything in a vending machine. While the Japanese may have perfected the art of vending everything you need (and lots you don’t need) there are a few machines that Dubai has that Japan doesn’t. And one of them is the gold-dispensing machine!
Using either cash or a credit card, you can purchase pure 24 carat gold from this machine. You can also buy in different sizes, anything from a 2.5 gram piece to an entire bar of gold. A computer inside the machine updates the prices every 10 minutes to ensure that it is up to date on current gold prices.
It wouldn’t be the Middle East without a few camels. And these iconic animals are an integral part of life in Dubai, whether that be for a good relaxing camel race, or foods made from camel milk and/or meat. While you won’t find many restaurants serving camel meat, they do indeed exist.
You can also buy some great camel milk chocolate as a souvenir for friends back home. For true adventurers, you can go for a camel desert safari just outside of the city and experience how the Bedouins live life out in the desert. Most of the camel desert safaris also offer enriching cultural experiences such as henna, sheesha and bread making.
One of the unique and mesmerizing parts of Dubai are its artificial islands. Two of the artificial islands, the Palm Jebel Ali and the Palm Jumeirah, were built in the shape of palm trees. Meanwhile another more ambitious project still in the works is the illustrious World Islands Project.
The World Islands are a series of 300 of small islands formed to make a map of the world with each island representing a country, landmark or region. Overall cost estimates for the project were projected at $13 billion back in 2005. Construction of the project was halted due to the 2008 financial crisis. And to date, only a few of the islands have been developed.
If you were wondering what a traffic jam in Dubai looks like, here you go. This many luxury cars all piled up and honking their horns at each other look more like a luxury car show than a traffic jam. OK, so not everyone in the city owns a Ferrari, but this is certainly a sight to be seen.
Traffic congestion is a big problem in the rapidly growing city and the government spends billions of dollars each year to develop transportation infrastructure. One example of such efforts was the Dubai Metro, which, became operative in 2009 after a mere 18 months of construction. Traffic congestion costs the city’s economy an estimated $790 million each year.
Is your multi-million dollar house, yacht, Ferrari and pet lion making you feel poor? Well, not to worry, because now you can also have your car dipped in gold. Just in case anyone was wondering whether you had money or not, they won’t now.
And not to worry, gold-plated cars aren’t tacky or gaudy at all. People are sure to be impressed by your wealth, or perhaps they will just run themselves off the road when the sun reflects off your car and into their faces. Hopefully the other drivers are all wearing sunglasses or else they might not live to tell the tale of this golden car.
Dubai is a very diverse city and amazingly most of its residents are foreigners. Only 17% of the population of Dubai are citizens of the United Arab Emirates. In case you were wondering how all of those skyscrapers get built, well, they are built by foreign workers.
The city’s population is currently made of about 83% immigrants, mostly from India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. The locals are called Emirates (People of emirates), and other people who reside in Dubai are referred to as Expats. In fact, anyone from seven of the Emirates (Abu Dhabi, Ajman, Fujairah, Ras al-Khaimah, Umm al-Qaiwain, and Sharjah) are called Emirates.
Giving charity is a staple of Dubai’s culture, this is especially true during the holy month of Ramadan. It’s not unusual to see sights like these placed in malls around the city providing free food to the poor and unemployed people of the city. That’s just something you won’t find in many places around the world.
“We keep everything from Laban Up to fresh yogurt. Then there are juices and water besides Arabic breads and ready-to-eat tuna meat or pre-cooked macaroni for anyone to come and take it for free,” one mall manager told reporters. Read on to find out what other surprises the amazing city of Dubai has to offer.
Slated to be the largest mall in the world, Dubai has plans for the justly-named Mall of the World. This won’t be any old shopping complex as the complex will house a massive indoor temperature-controlled city in Dubai and span around 8 million square feet. The mall will include over 100 hotel facilities to accommodate around 80 million visitors a year. The complex is also due to include a massive park larger than London’s Hyde Park.
The plans for the Mall of the World were announced in July of 2014 and it is reportedly due to take at least ten years to complete. But when it gets built, it will be just one more reason to visit Dubai.
Bet you never imagined this Guinness World Record exists — but then again, the competition is endless to see in what creative ways people across the planet can set the bar. While Dubai is known for its massive buildings, what happened in the air is also record-breaking.
Over the manmade Palm Jumeirah Island, skydivers set out to bring some pride for the United Arab Emirates up into the heavens. To ensure that they would make a record that much harder for other countries to break, the 4,886 square meter flag that they unfurled was 2,000 square meters bigger than the previous record holder.
Dubai’s Ibn Battuta Mall holds inside its bounds the coffee shop to end all coffee shops. Starbucks has become such a fixture across the globe that we’ve grown accustomed to that quaint setup with the green signage. Dubai, however, being what it is, just had to take it to the next level.
This is probably one of the most unbelievable coffee shops out there. It’s almost as if the coffee itself is just a side note — here is a dazzling display of colors and geometric patterns typical of traditional Persian architecture, fit for a palace. Come for the frappuccino, stay for the vividly-colorful domed ceiling and its gorgeous chandelier.
The debate rages on: you’re in the market for a new phone, and you ask all your friends their opinion as to what brand you ought to check out. You want to know how much data it can hold, what quality the camera has, but ultimately, the deciding factor is bound to be the price tag itself.
These phones were spotted for sale in Dubai, and chances are, you won’t be buying one like this any time soon. Check out those six-numeral figures underneath the phone. Yes, that’s the actual price of this solid gold phone, written in American dollars. Just don’t drop it!
You have to be of a certain character to want to attempt this next Dubai superlative, but if you’re in the mood for some serious adventure, it’s nothing short of awe-inspiring. High in the Arabian sky, the world’s largest urban zipline has been strung.
Because of the incline of the zipline, its riders zoom down through the sky at about 50 miles per hour. And don’t worry, the company managing the zipline has your social media needs already taken care of: the helmets come armed with cameras to document the epic plunge as you careen past the massive buildings that make up Dubai’s famous skyline.
