The Burj al-Arab (Arabic: برج العرب, "Tower of the Arabs")

Burj Al Arab Pictures & History & Location

The Burj al-Arab (Arabic: برج العرب, "Tower of the Arabs") is a luxury hotel in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, built by Said Khalil. It was designed by Tom Wright of WS Atkins PLC. At 321 metres (1,053 ft), it is the tallest building used exclusively as a hotel.[2] However, the Rose Tower, also in Dubai, which has already topped Burj Al-Arab's height will soon take away this title upon its completion in 2007. The Burj Al-Arab stands on an artificial island 280 metres (919 ft) out from Jumeirah beach, and is connected to the mainland by a private curving bridge. It is an iconic structure, designed to symbolize Dubai's urban transformation and to mimic the

"A nation's glory is measured by its past and present and its civilised development, perpetuating the memory of the past, the construction of the present and the planning of the future." H.H General Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Ruler of Dubai, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE.

Area: The total area of Dubai is approximately 2,428 sq miles.

History: The seven independent emirates of Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman, Ras Al Khaimah, Umm Al Quwain and Fujairah came together to form the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in the year 1971. While Abu Dhabi is the capital city of the UAE, Dubai remains its commercial centre.

Location: Dubai is located on the Eastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula, in the South West corner of the Arabian Gulf.

Weather: Dubai enjoys 365 days of warm sunshine, with cooler evenings and occasional showers in the months between November to March. 5 day forecast

Climate: The UAE has a sub-tropical, arid climate with infrequent and irregular rainfall, amounting to less than 13 centimetres a year. Temperatures range from a low of 10 degrees (Celsius) to a high of 48 degrees. The average daily maximum is 24 degrees in January, rising to 42 degrees in July.

Time zone: The UAE is 4 hours ahead of GMT (+4 GMT)

Population: Dubai is home to a little less than 1 million residents with 79% of the population employed.

Transport: Dubai offers a variety of inexpensive and efficient public transportation and you can choose between metered local taxis, intra-city and inter-city buses, private car hire services and abras (local boats).

Economy: The UAE is one of the world's wealthiest countries, with a GDP of US $54 billion (2000), and has the third-largest proven oil reserves in the world. While oil and gas production form its foundation, Dubai is increasingly broadening its economic activity to include: real estate, tourism, trading and manufacturing.

Cultural mix: Owing to the resources and foreign enterprises located in Dubai, more than 80% of the population are expatriates from across the globe and the city is home to almost 200 nationalities.

Alcohol: While alcohol is served at restaurants mostly located in hotels, it can also be purchased at the Arrival Duty Free store in Dubai International Airport or with a special permit valid for non-Muslim residents only. Dubai operates a zero tolerance policy to driving under the influence of alcohol. Currency and credit cards: The official currency of the UAE is the Arab Emirates Dirham (AED or Dhs). Each Dirham is divided into 100 fils and is held constant against the US Dollar at an average of 3.67. All banks operate from 8.00am to 1.00pm, Saturday through Wednesday and 8.00am to 12.00pm on Thursdays. Currency exchange houses are open until late in the evening. All international credit and debit cards are widely accepted. Currency Converter Dress code: Visitors are free to dress according to their personal choice. Dress sensibly, although very revealing clothes shouldn't be worn in public or places of worship. Shorts and skirts are acceptable for ladies. Most Emirati men and women still choose to wear the traditional national dress. Lightweight summer clothing can be worn for most of the year, but the temperature can drop quite sharply at night during the winter. Electricity: The standard electricity supply is 220/240 volts. American appliances may need a transformer. Hospitality: Dubai is extremely well known for its warm hospitality and rich cultural heritage, and the Emirati people are welcoming and generous in their approach to visitors. Languages: While Arabic is the official language, English is very widely spoken, especially in business. Given the large size of the expatriate population, several other languages are also used in everyday life, headed by Hindi, Urdu and Farsi. Photography: Photography of buildings and sights is widely acceptable. Local people, especially the women, do not take kindly to being photographed without their prior permission. In general, it is best to avoid taking photographs (or video footage) of any individual in a National Dress. Safety and security: Dubai is a very safe city for visitors and residents alike, with minimal chances of untoward events. However, locking your car and minding your personal belongings is always recommended. Visa regulations: Travellers holding passports with a right of residence in the following countries can get a visa on arrival at Dubai International Airport - a visit visa valid for 60 days is stamped directly in your passport by immigration officials: Andorra, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brunei, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, GCC Countries, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Hong Kong, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Monaco, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, San Marino, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, USA, Vatican City Useful Links Department of Tourism & Commerce Marketing Dubai Chamber of Commerce & Industry

Dubai has a very eventful social calendar. With international sporting events, shopping and entertainment festivals, music and cultural programmes held at various indoor and outdoor venues all year around. Varying from the world's richest horse race - The Dubai World Cup, and international jazz festivals, to the home grown Dubai Shopping Festival, Dubai also hosts regionally significant exhibitions and trade shows on a regular basis. While the actual dates of many important events are timed to match the season, the Lunar calendar and the holy month of Ramadan change from year to year. The chart below provides a guideline to the city's many events:

January - The Dubai Marathon, Dubai Shopping Festival, Dubai International Jazz Festival, Emirates Cup Traditional Dhow Sailing Race, Dubai International Sailing Week Regatta February - The Dubai Terry Fox Run, Dubai Tennis Championships March - Dubai Desert Golf Classic, Dubai World Cup, Dubai International Kite Surfing Challenge April - International Jewellery exhibition May - Local and international events June - Dubai Summer Surprises, UAE National Sailing Championship July - Dubai Summer Surprises August - Dubai Summer Surprises September - Local and international events (Dubai, the City that Cares festival) October - Gulf IT Exhibition (GITEX), UAE Desert Challenge November - Horse racing season, Dubai Traditional Dhow Sailing Race December - Rugby 7s, Dubai Air Show, Dubai Grand Prix, National Day celebrations

Useful Links We have provided a number of links below to help you find out more about Dubai's activities and events calendar. If you are unable to find the information you require, perhaps we can be of assistance. Please email us on info@jumeirah.com. WhatsOnWhen ...what's on when in Dubai. Search the city's events by month, by interest or by location. TimeOut Dubai ...from the award winning series of guides to the world's major cities, Time Out's Dubai Guide offers an exhaustive and lively insight into the city.

The city of Dubai embraces its namesake creek, dividing it into two halves. The main sightseeing circuit in Dubai is split between Bur Dubai and Deira which lie on opposite sides of the water, and the gently curving Dubai Creek is an attraction in itself. You will have plenty of opportunities for some brilliant views of the city from the water: gleaming skyscrapers on one side, and old trading dhows on the other. Deira's many attractions include the historic quarter of Bastakia, as well as old souks and covered marketplaces. Wandering along the alleys, you can explore the Spice Souk and the Gold Souk. The Dubai Museum is housed within the beautifully restored Al Fahidi Fort, and is a must-see for first time visitors to Dubai. Built in 1799 to defend the city against invasion, it has served as both palace and prison and the museum's collection includes life-size figures and galleries depicting Arab houses, mosques, date gardens, desert and marine life. On the Bur Dubai side, Heritage Village, located in the Shindagah area, is a family destination where you can watch potters, weavers and artisans at their crafts. The adjoining Diving Village offers a cultural microcosm of pearl diving and fishing. Sheikh Saeed Al Maktoum House, a museum restored from the house of Dubai's former ruler and dating back to the late 1800s, is within the same complex. With its unusual layered rooms and authentic wind towers, Sheikh Saeed's House showcases regional architecture at its best. If you drive west from the city centre, you will reach the popular suburb of Jumeirah, home to some of Dubai's finest luxury hotels and resorts, unspoilt stretches of sunny beaches and water sports complexes. In Jumeirah is the Grand Mosque, re-built in 1998, with the city's tallest minaret, nine large domes and 45 small domes - a distinguished landmark and an important place of worship. About 115 kms south east of Dubai, in the heart of the rocky Hatta Mountains, is the 3000 year old Hatta Village, an important historical site for the region. The two towers overlooking the village used to be defence fortresses against hostile invaders, and during a relaxed day at the Village, you can visit the Houses of Traditional Handicrafts and Palm Products, The Castle Centre, and the 200 year old Sharia Mosque. In contrast to the traditional attractions of Dubai and the surrounding areas, the city boasts world-class business and leisure facilities. Ski Dubai Dubai is home to Ski Dubai - the first indoor ski resort in the Middle East. This unique resort spans 22,500 square metres, which is temperature controlled at -1° to -2°, and covered with real snow throughout the year. The theme of Ski Dubai is that of a mountain resort - with qualified instructors to guide you through the intricacies of learning to ski or snowboard. Inside the resort, a retail shop, themed restaurants and the world's largest Snow Park, offer something for everyone.

Dubai is a veritable shopper's paradise! Whether it is for gold, electronics, carpets, spices, textiles or more. The city is one of the largest retail gold markets in the world, selling everything from ingots to intricately hand crafted jewellery, and bargaining is welcomed almost everywhere. The Gold Souk area in Deira has glittering street-front stores and hides dozens of alleys housing smaller shops. The newly built Gold and Diamond Park on Sheikh Zayed Road is an attraction for serious jewellery shoppers. The city is also home to some of the Middle East region's most prestigious shopping malls, boutiques and department stores that house retailers of haute couture, hi-tech electronics, home furnishings and accessories or traditional Arabic crafts. Dubai is famous for offering top international brands at unbelievably reasonable prices. The larger shopping mall complexes also house cinema theatres, food courts, entertainment centres and play areas for children, allowing for complete family shopping experiences. Choose to browse through the older markets and the narrow walkways located in the Meena Bazaar, Karama and Naif areas, dedicated to inexpensive reproductions of international brands; leather goods and textiles; computer and electrical accessories and Arabic perfumes. Most shopping venues and cultural destinations sell a range of gifts and souvenirs representing Dubai: The Seven Sands of the UAE, traditional Bedouin jewellery, sand art, packaged dates and date products, Arabic sweets, wooden crafts and palm leaf handicrafts.

Dubai is an exciting year round destination that offers unlimited opportunities for rest and recreation, be it a walk through a lush green family park, an adventurous day in the waters of the Arabian Gulf, or a pampering session at one of the many health spas.

Beaches: Some of Dubai's beaches are attached to private hotels, where, for a small fee, you can spend the day on the sand and in the waters of the Arabian Gulf. Other beaches and waterfronts - the Corniche and the Creek - are free for public access, and feature a range of water sports offered by several operators.

Desert safaris: One of Dubai's most popular tourist attractions is the desert safari: a unique experience that combines an adventurous 4WD car ride over sand dunes with camels, belly dancers, henna designers, falconers, and a barbecue dinner by starlight. Other attractions include sand skiing, sand boarding, sand karting and 4WD desert driving

Fishing: The warmth and shelter of the Gulf attract a large variety of fish, and several local companies provide full and half day trips to the best fishing waters about 12 kms offshore from the mainland.

Golf: Dubai has the unique distinction of being the only golfing centre in the world to host major international tournaments on both the European and Asian PGA circuits. Visiting golfers can choose from various clubs and courses, each of championship quality and presenting a different type of challenge.

Treatments and therapies: Dubai is home to an extraordinary number of spas and wellness clinics, ranging from internationally renowned brands to ancient Chinese and Indian holistic treatments

website: http://www.burj-al-arab.com/

Didim Türkbükü Turkey - Turkei Didyma

Didim



Temple of Apollo in Didim, the ancient Didyma

Location in Turkey
Overview
Region Aegean Region, Turkey
Province Aydın Province
Population 37,395 (2000)
Area 402 km²
Elevation 29 m
Postal code 09
Area code 256
Licence plate code 09
Website http://www.didim.bel.tr
Governor website http://www.didim.gov.tr

Didim , home of the antique city of Didyma with its ruined Temple of Apollo, is a small town, popular seaside holiday resort and district of Aydın Province on the Aegean coast of western Turkey, 123 km from the city of Aydın.
Contents


Etymology

Didim takes its name from ancient Didyma, sited close to the town. During the Ottoman Empire the town was known as Yoranda or Yoran and under the Turkish Republic was called Hisar (meaning castle) and following its destruction in an earthquake in 1955 was rebuilt and renamed Yenihisar (new castle), but was later given the ancient name Didim to distinguish it from other places in Turkey called Yenihisar.

Geography

Didim is located on the north shore of the gulf of Güllük opposite the Bodrum peninsula villages such as Torba, Türkbükü and Yalıkavak. The district consists of Didim itself, a coastal town of 26,000 people and a number of small towns including Altınkum (which means golden sand), Gümüşkum (silver sand), Sarıkum (yellow sand) and, well you get the picture....

Tourism is the main source of income for the area, especially in summer, but agriculture is also an important contributor, the main crops are wheat and cotton. Animals, especially sheep and goats, are raised mainly for local consumption.

[edit] Tourism

This coast has thus become a very popular holiday resort and is genuinely attractive with its long sandy beaches, clear blue sea, ancient ruins to visit, and its own microclimate, benefitting from hundreds of days of sun a year and warm winters, allowing residents to enjoy the famous beaches and watersports even in January. Perhaps the most attractive bays are the smaller quieter ones further from the centre, such as Haydar, along a dirt road around the shore of Akbük (white bay). The village of Akbük is one of Didim's classiest, and has a yacht marina.

As Didim is so well-situated in the 1980s people from large cities around Turkey, especially Ankara, began to buy holiday homes, apartments, and villas in the area. Most of these were built as cooperative housing projects with private beaches. The attraction of the area is proved by the number of Ankara families that have now been going to Didim for two or more generations, and even today you will see many cars with Ankara (06) numberplates in Didim in summertime. Property values are now rising dramatically and the building boom continues as foreign buyers, especially the families of Turks living and working in Europe, follow their lead. The growth of Didim in the 1980s was enhanced with the building of hotels to accommodate visitors, originally from Britain but now from Turkey itself, on cheap package holidays. Since about 2001 British people have begun to buy holiday homes in Didim, establishing themselves as a visible community of many thousands, to the extent that utility bills in the district are now printed in English as well as Turkish. [1] You will see the Union Jack and other British flags all around Didim, especially in the bars.

Didim town has hotels, a weekly market, a waterpark and the antique temple of Apollo nearby. Didim is also close to a number of other ancient towns and natural wonders: Lake Bafa national park is nearby, along with the Büyük Menderes River and historic sites such as Miletos and Priene.

In the evenings most people try to find somewhere quiet to sit by the sea and look at the lights of other towns across the water, but if you are of a more energetic nature Didim has two or three discotheques, and a number of smaller bars and clubs, some with live music, mostly Türkü (Turkish folk music). However Didim is really a quiet family resort with great coastline, and if it's nightlife you are looking for you would be better off in Bodrum. Summer in Didim involves your father sitting on the balcony drinking rakı while you and your friends play volleyball, sit on the beach, or wander along the seafront munching sunflower seeds and spitting out the husks, while groups of boys will be following girls around. The local station, Didim TV, is in fact an amateur project by a TV repair shop owner and neighbourhood councillor (muhtar), and is mostly adverts for local shops and hotels.

[edit] History

See Didyma for a full account of this ancient city, settled in the neolithic period, established as colony of Mycenae and then Crete in the 16th century BC and subsequently possessed by Persians, Ancient Romans, and Byzantines as part of the province of Caria. The area came into the hands of Turks following the defeat of Byzantium at the Battle of Malazgirt in 1071.