With its reputation as the Las Vegas of the Middle East minus the sin, it’s refreshing to discover there’s more to Dubai than shopping and a quick escalator ride up the world’s tallest building.
Dubai never interested me as a travel destination but the desert oasis of building sites, mammoth towers, mega malls and high-end fashion is discovering (or more correctly discovering how to promote) its culture through new arts precincts, food tours and Emirati culture programs. The regional port rapidly evolved into a city some 40 years ago and the cosmopolitan metropolis is one of the world’s major flight stopovers. The most populated city in the United Arab Emirates is of more interest than just a brief overnight layover as it is now a destination worth exploring and is growing into its title as the centre of the arts in the UAE.
The key tourist attractions are still worth a visit – the shopping (that includes the mustvisit world’s largest mall, The Dubai Mall with its ice rink and aquarium) is brilliant, as is the rapid 163-floor escalator ride up the world’s tallest building, the Burj Khalifa for breathtaking views of the city. (The best time to visit is when evening breaks to view the Dubai Fountain water display.) Not everything worth visiting in Dubai needs to come with a ‘world’s biggest’ tag. Which brings us to the food.
Given that a lot of the Middle East’s great food destinations are located in war-torn or hard-to-visit countries and regions such as Iran, Palestine and Lebanon, Frying Pan Adventures boss and guide Arva believes the Old Town of Dubai is the easiest way to experience authentic Middle Eastern food. An enthusiastic, charming and knowledgeable host, Arva grew up in the Old Town and her five-hour walking tour through her neighbourhood is more than just a food fest – it is an all-senses degustation, as the food blogger picks each destination’s (and there are a heap of restaurants, corner shops and cafés on this visit) highlight dish (or dishes) and explains the history of each culinary choice as you take in the colour and surrounds of Dubai’s most authentic food district, which is off the tourist map. Even if you’re in Dubai for just a night – book this in. Along with traditional Arabic food, new restaurants are popping up in recently completed hotels such as the Conrad, which includes celebrity chef brands such as the Marco Pierre White Grill and the brand new Latin American themed supper club Izel.
Recently announced as the 2020 World Expo’s host city, Dubai’s Modern Art Museum and Opera House is scheduled to open five years before Dubai hosts the expo and will be the hub of the city’s art and culture with galleries and design studios joining the opera house and art museum. But you don’t have to wait until 2015 to explore exciting arts precincts in Dubai. With a Los Angeles-like creative district feel, Alserkal Avenue is a warehouse strip home to more than 20 art galleries and design spaces, including brilliant modern art galleries such as Grey Noise and Showcase Gallery. With developments underway, the district will become more impressive when the expansion is completed later this year and coupled with the Modern Art Museum and Opera House precinct will make a powerful arts double-header.
The ideal way to appreciate Emirati culture is by partaking in a traditional brunch at the Sheikh Mohamed Centre for Cultural Understanding. While you eat a beautiful traditional brunch complete with Arabic coffee, your host pleasantly guides you through Emirati and Islamic traditions with grace and humour and is open to religious and cultural questions (no matter how trivial or uncomfortable) from her guests. Even if you don’t agree with everything that the host says, this is an eye-opening experience, which dispels many visitors’ myths.
The writer was a guest of Emirates and Dubai Tourism.
* Emirates operates 84 flights per week to Dubai from Australia with Economy Class fares starting from $2,303. Passengers in all classes can enjoy up to 1,600 channels on ice, Emirates’ award-winning inflight entertainment system, gourmet food and wine and generous luggage allowances including 30kg in Economy and 40kg in Business Class. These fares are for travel between April 1 and June 23 2014. For flight information and bookings contact Emirates on 1300 303 777, visit your local travel agent or go to emirates.com/au.
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Courtesy of Airspectiv Media