Thursday, 12 November 2015

Food

The food in Dubai is very tasty. Muslims can not eat any meat or any animals tissues. The food which they eat is called Halal food. Halal is Arabic for permissible. The reason why they eat Halal food is because in the religion of Islam killing an animal is seen as a sin. The Quran states that animals are just a much the same as humans, they form communities just like humans "There is not an animal that lives on the earth, nor a being that flies on its wings, but they form communities like you. Nothing have we omitted from the Book, and they all shall be gathered to their Lord in the end"   
http://islam.about.com/od/islamsays/a/animalwelfare.htm


"Allah" in Arabic calligraphy

Dubai is a great place to try different kids of foods that you have never tried before. It is a great country to try all types of gulf and middle eastern cuisine , including Lebanese and Arabic food.
Since their diets are pretty much similar to vegetarians, the most eaten foods here are salads and starters. I will now name a few dishes and foods which the Muslims like to eat: 1) Al Harees , 2) Falafel, 3) Hummus, 4)Ghuzi and 5) Matchbous.

There is a good selection of Halal shops spread all around the city, they are usually in a supermarket itself.

Transport in Dubai

With a population of  2.106 million, Dubai's population continues to grow and grow! There is a downfall to this as people who live in Dubai experience a huge amount of Traffic congestion. Traffic congestion is when vehicles travel at a slower speeds, it increases queuing and makes the travel time for a person a lot longer.

According to some traffic experts, Dubai is suffering because they have a really bad road system.
However new infrastructures are being put into place including the Dubai Metro, the new bridges and complex of flyovers is expected to settle congestion to an extent. I remember hearing talks about the new Metro being built when I was over there.

Taxis
If you visit Dubai you will notice that taxis are a huge part of transportation and they are used very frequently by the public. There are both government-operated and private cab companies. The Dubai Transport Corporation own cream coloured Taxis. The taxi fairs are not too expensive too, they are quite cheap. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transportation_in_Dubai

There are many more ways of transportation in Dubai such as the metro, trams, buses and ports and water travel. 


                                      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transportation_in_Dubai



                                     Cream coloured taxis.
                                     http://lebanonblogsapp.com/2/Article/2566/95564180



Culture

Dubai is an Islamic country. So before I went on my holiday I did some research on Dubai's culture
as I heard that it is very important to them. I learnt that there were some factors that I had to take into consideration, those factors were behaviour and my clothing.

Religion is very important and is taken seriously in the country of Dubai. I remember arriving at Abu Dhabi airport and hearing the Muslims praying. There was speakers around the airport for everyone to hear that it was prayer time. I found it so cool as I had never heard words from the Quran before.
Mosques are spread across the city and at sunset prayer time the calling to prayer can be heard.

People who are visiting the country should dress appropriately especially in public areas. swimwear such as bikinis are acceptable around pool areas and beaches but you must make sure you are covered elsewhere. It is ok to wear t-shirts and shorts , but if you are visiting a mosque or a religious site t-shirts and shorts are not acceptable. Men and women usually wear loose clothes which cover all arms, legs, and shoulders. Women usually wear a head scarf to cover their hair.

Alcohol is permitted in Dubai but once you are in control of yourself. Alcohol Is available to purchase in the duty free section in the airports or in bars and restaurants and hotels. Muslims do not drink so misbehaving or falling over in the streets is not acceptable or being respectful to them. However there is a fine for anyone who is seen doing this.  

Tuesday, 10 November 2015

Tourist Attractions

The Burj Khalifa:
                                                                                                              
                                           
   The Burj Khalifa is the tallest skyscraper in the world standing at 829.8 m.


In the year of 2004 construction started, it was completed in 2009. The Burj Khalifa
opened in 2010 as a part of the new development called Downtown Dubai. the Burj 
Khalifi was named in honour of the ruler of Abu Dhabi and the president of the United
Arab Emirates, Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan. This skyscraper broke many height records.

The Burj Khalifa is located at 1 Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Boulevard. In total the
skyscraper cost USD $ 1.5 million to build. The Burj Khalifa design was inspired by a Desert
plant called Hymenocallis. If you take a look at the aerial view of the skyscraper you can see that it is very similar in shape to the desert plant, where the long petals extend.
 


Here is a picture of the hymenocallis desert plant:

                                                                                                 

Here is a picture from my holidays in Dubai of the Burj Khalifa,

  
 
 
 

                                                   https://shari66.wordpress.com/2009/11/
Here is a picture of the magical dancing fountains. They are amazing to watch especially at night.