..Let your stay be an Oasis stay..

- About Dubai -

Dubai is an emirate of fascinating contrasts. On the one hand is the beauty of the desert dunes, taking on poetic hues at dawn, on the other, 21st-century skyscrapers overlooking the city's highways. Although Dubai is an ultra modern metropolis, it remains steeped in heritage.

Dubai is a city divided by waterway, a saltwater inlet known as the Creek. The emirate's fortunes have been dependant on this crucial waterway since the first settlement was established on its banks centuries ago. It remains the main artery of the city and separates Bur Dubai on one side from Deira on the other. Near the mouth of the Creek, in the Shindagha district, the modern Port Rashid sits adjacent to a heritage village and the replica of an old pear-diving village. These hug the shoreline and provide fascinating insights into Dubai's traditional culture.

Also in Shindagha is the home of the former Ruler - Sheikh Saeed Al Maktoum - who ruled Dubai from 1912 - 1958. Sheikh Saeed House has been renovated and transformed into a museum containing many intriguing displays of photographs of old Dubai, maps and historical memorabilia.

Dubai is at the global trading crossroads between Europe and Asia, and historians believe its Creek is probably one of the oldest ports in the world. Today, visitors can spy traditional dhows nestled in the shade of the most modern, state-of-the-art, glass-and chrome buildings. Land reclamation for the Palm Deira and Dubai Maritime City.

Dubai boasts exceptional architecture, with soaring chrome-and-glass skyscrapers, such as the Twin Towers, they reflect the afternoon sun and mingle seamlessly with the large, traditional wooden dhows below them, providing a complimentary blend of both ancient and modern Arabia.

Dhows crews spend many months at a time at a time plying the ancient trade routes from Dubai to the Indian subcontinent, Iran and Africa and back again. When they sail into the haven of the Creek, their captains, or nakhuda, moor alongside other dhows, perhaps four abreast, meeting up with old friends from other vessels. A visit during the early evenings will reveal much domestic activity on board each dhow, with meals being shared and coffee being drunk as the crews swap tales.

The banks of the Creek evoke the city's centuries-old trading traditions with the colour and bustle of the loading and unloading of motorised dhows. It is a great place to enjoy a leisurely stroll during the cooler hours of the day as well as to capture some colourful photographs.