The Fairmont Dubai

THE STORY OF DUBAI:
A century ago, Dubai was a tranquil town along the banks of Dubai Creek, where coral-and-gypsum huts housed Bedouin traders and pearl divers.[more]

THE STORY OF DUBAI:
A century ago, Dubai was a tranquil town along the banks of Dubai Creek, where coral-and-gypsum huts housed Bedouin traders and pearl divers. Today, the merchants have gone international, their bounty calling forth science-fiction style skyscrapers from the sand to stand alongside the mosques and wind towers of old Dubai.

Dubai is a city of adventure and surprises. Its diversity means that tourists can take part in a wide range of experiences ' from beautiful undulating sand dunes or unspoiled beaches to the excitement of a bustling downtown nightlife. Trade is the lifeblood of this traditionally Arabic and tolerant society, where business and commerce bring the best and brightest from across the world to help build Dubai's future. To many Dubai is the Hong Kong of the Middle East with a little Las Vegas for flare; a cosmopolitan melting pot at the crossroads of time - and the quintessential home of sand, sea, sun and shopping.

Dubai is really two towns separated by Dubai Creek (Khor Dubai), an inlet of the Gulf. Deira lies to the north and Bur Dubai to the south. Both districts are packed with traditional architecture and bustling souks, but the city centre is in Deira. Glittering new office buildings along Shaikh Zayed Rd in Bur Dubai form the core of another burgeoning city centre.[less]