Ras al-Khaimah on the Persian Gulf

25 February 2015 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  9 minutes

© rasalkhaimahtourism.com

© rasalkhaimahtourism.com

Ras al-Khaimah is a Persian Gulf Arab emirate and a member of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Its name means “Top of the Tent”. The emirate is in the northern part of the UAE, bordering Oman‘s exclave of Musandam. It covers an area of 1,684 square km. The capital city and home of most residents is also called Ras Al Khaimah. The city has two main sections, Old Ras Al Khaimah and Nakheel, on either side of a creek. It is served by the Ras Al Khaimah International Airport. It consists of a northern part (where the city of Ras al-Khaimah is situated), and a large exclave in the south (near Hatta), and a few small islands in the Persian Gulf. The current total population is estimated at 260,000.   read more…

The Cayan Tower in the Dubai Marina

21 January 2015 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Dubai Reading Time:  3 minutes

Cayan Tower © Imad marie/cc-by-sa-3.0-de

Cayan Tower © Imad marie/cc-by-sa-3.0-de

Cayan Tower, known as Infinity Tower prior to its inauguration, is a 306 metres (1,004 ft), 80 story skyscraper in the Dubai Marina by Cayan Real Estate Investment and Development. The tower is among the 20 tallest buildings in Dubai. The tower is designed by Skidmore, Owings and Merrill SOM architectural group, the same group who did the concept design for the Burj Khalifa also in Dubai and Trump Tower in Chicago. Upon its opening on 10 June 2013, the tower has become world’s tallest high rise building with a twist of 90 degrees.   read more…

Theme Week Dubai – Burj al Arab

6 December 2014 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Dubai, House of the Month Reading Time:  7 minutes

Burj Al Arab and 360 degree club © Titoni Thomas/cc-by-sa-3.0-en

Burj Al Arab and 360 degree club © Titoni Thomas/cc-by-sa-3.0-en

Burj Al Arab (Tower of the Arabs) is a luxury hotel located in Dubai. At 321 m (1,053 ft), it is the fourth tallest hotel in the world; however, 39% of its total height is made up of non-occupiable space. Burj Al Arab stands on an artificial island 280 m (920 ft) from Jumeirah beach and is connected to the mainland by a private curving bridge. The shape of the structure is designed to mimic the sail of a ship.   read more…

Jebel Ali, a hub of world trade, which link India with Africa and East Asia with Europe

27 August 2014 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Dubai Reading Time:  5 minutes

Dubai World Central International Airport © Emirates Institution for Advanced Science and Technology/cc-by-sa-3.0

Dubai World Central International Airport © Emirates Institution for Advanced Science and Technology/cc-by-sa-3.0

Jebel Ali is a port town, located 35 kilometers (22 mi) southwest of the city of Dubai in the United Arab Emirates. The Port of Jebel Ali is situated in Jebel Ali.   read more…

Theme Week Abu Dhabi, capital of the United Arab Emirates

16 August 2014 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Bon voyage, Theme Weeks Reading Time:  12 minutes

Abu Dhabi skyline from Marina © FritzDaCat/cc-by-sa-3.0

Abu Dhabi skyline from Marina © FritzDaCat/cc-by-sa-3.0

Abu Dhabi is the capital and the second most populous city in the United Arab Emirates and also capital of the largest of the UAE’s seven member emirates. Abu Dhabi lies on a T-shaped island jutting into the Persian Gulf from the central western coast. The city proper had a population of 921,000 in 2013. Abu Dhabi houses federal government offices, is the seat of the United Arab Emirates Government, home to the Abu Dhabi Emiri Family and the President of the UAE, who is from this family. Abu Dhabi has grown to be a cosmopolitan metropolis. Its rapid development and urbanisation, coupled with the relatively high average income of its population, has transformed Abu Dhabi to a larger and advanced metropolis. Today the city is the country’s center of political and industrial activities, and a major cultural and commercial centre, due to its position as the capital.   read more…

Theme Week Dubai – The Dubai Marina

14 May 2014 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Dubai, Hotels Reading Time:  6 minutes

View from the Torch - 64th floor © Matteoserena/cc-by-sa-3.0

View from the Torch – 64th floor © Matteoserena/cc-by-sa-3.0

Dubai Marina is a district in Dubai. Dubai Marina is an artificial canal city, built along a two mile (3 km) stretch of Persian Gulf shoreline. When the entire development is complete, it will accommodate more than 120,000 people in residential towers and villas. It is located on Interchange 5 between Jebel Ali Port and the area which hosts Dubai Internet City, Dubai Media City, and the American University in Dubai. The first phase of this project has been completed. Dubai Marina was inspired by the Concord Pacific Place development along False Creek in Vancouver. Upon completion, it is claimed to be the world’s largest man-made marina. The current largest man-made marina in the world is Marina del Rey in California.   read more…

Theme Week Abu Dhabi – Capital Gate, the Leaning Tower of Abu Dhabi

12 February 2014 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  4 minutes

Capital Gate, July 2012 © FritzDaCat/cc-by-sa-3.0

Capital Gate, July 2012 © FritzDaCat/cc-by-sa-3.0

Capital Gate is a skyscraper in Abu Dhabi adjacent to the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre designed with a striking lean. At 160 m (520 ft) and 35 stories, it is one of the tallest buildings in the city and features an 18° incline to the west. The owner and developer of Capital Gate is Abu Dhabi National Exhibitions Company. The tower (also known as the Leaning Tower of Abu Dhabi) is the focal point of the Capital Center/Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre master development.   read more…

Khor Fakkan on the Gulf of Oman

3 February 2014 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  6 minutes

Sunrise over Oman Bay © Stzeman/cc-by-sa-3.0

Sunrise over Oman Bay © Stzeman/cc-by-sa-3.0

Khor Fakkan is a town located along the Gulf of Oman on the east coast of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The town, the second largest on the east coast after Fujairah, is set on the picturesque bay of Khor Fakkan, which means “Creek of Two Jaws”. Khor Fakkan belongs to the emirate of Sharjah but is geographically surrounded by the emirate of Fujairah. It is a natural deep water port that is now a major container terminal.   read more…

Theme Week Dubai on the southeast coast of the Arabian Gulf

30 October 2013 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Dubai, Bon voyage, Theme Weeks Reading Time:  10 minutes

Dubai Creek © Shahid1024/cc-by-sa-3.0

Dubai Creek © Shahid1024/cc-by-sa-3.0

Dubai is a city in the United Arab Emirates, located within the emirate. The emirate of Dubai is located on the southeast coast of the Arabian Gulf and is one of the seven emirates that make up the country. It has the largest population in the UAE (2,100,000) and the second-largest land territory by area (4,114 km2) after Abu Dhabi, the national capital. Dubai and Abu Dhabi are the only two emirates to have veto power over critical matters of national importance in the country’s legislature. The city of Dubai is located on the emirate’s northern coastline and heads up the Dubai-Sharjah-Ajman metropolitan area. Dubai is nowadays often misperceived as a country or city-state and, in some cases, the UAE as a whole has been described as ‘Dubai’.   read more…

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