Dubai has come in for some stick this week after a new poll crowned it one of the most overrated tourist locations in the World.
Travellers, seemingly non-plussed by architectural feats such as the Burj Khalifa, the Burj Al Arab and the Palm Jumeirah, took aim at the Emirate, which has grown from being a relatively unexplored part of the world in the 1970s to being a tourist trap today, with people from around the world being lured by its year-round sun and plethora of up-market hotels, bars and restaurants.
Posting on the viral Reddit thread, one person described it as the “largest shopping mall on the planet”, while others likened it to Nordstrom if it was a city, in reference to the American department store.
A third wrote: “There is nothing to do, and no culture. Unless you like gaudy designer bulls**t or laying by the pool”, which is undoubtedly true in many ways, but a little unfair in others.
As I discovered during a recent trip, culture can actually be found in abundance in Dubai – You just have to know where to look for it.
Here are five places to start:
5 ways to explore traditional Emirati culture in Dubai
– Take a cooking class
Emirati cooking is a wonderful melting pot of cuisines from several continents, and there’s no better way to explore all it has to offer than to experience it first hand in one of Dubai’s top restaurants.
Seven Sands offer a cooking class experience which gives guests two hours of hands-on cooking with Executive Chef Bassel Ibrahim, who will guide participants through an exciting Emirati culinary adventure.
The class will teach you how to cook two of the nation’s best-loved dishes, after which everyone will sit down to enjoy their creations with a three-course meal.
The class will also include kitchen etiquette, and tips and guidelines to recreate these dishes at home. Participants go home with an apron, a recipe booklet and a jar of bezar spice mix.
Price Per Person: prices start from £60 per person
Website: http://www.sevensandsrestaurant.com/en/pages/default
– Go on a desert safari
Experience local wildlife, climate and cooking on a desert safari.
Throughout Ramadan you can take part in a traditional iftar in a magical setting in the Dubai Desert.
Platinum Heritage offer the opportunity to take a step back in time and experience Ramadan in Dubai as it was 50 years ago.
You will break the fast at a sunset falcon show the traditional way with dates, chami cheese and sparkling date juice and enjoy the company of local Bedouin as they share stories about Ramadan in the region.
Then make your way to a luxury desert camp, lit with gentle flames nestled inside a private Royal desert retreat and enjoy a scrumptious Iftar dinner under the stars.
Price Per Person: rates start from £100.
Website: https://www.platinum-heritage.com/
– Visit the old town
With traditional Middle Eastern buildings, markets and ports, you can get a taste for where it all started in Dubai’s old town.
The legendary Creek was once the entryway to the Gulf’s most successful pearl-diving port, and that presence is still felt today with fishermen and merchants crossing the calm waters intersected by passenger boats.
Take a boat out to the market and you can experience Dubai’s famous souks, with gold, perfumes and textile stalls littering the streets. But the greatest sensory overload comes from the spice souk, which comes alive with vibrant colours and scents.
– Join a program at the Sheikh Mohammed Centre for Cultural Understanding
The Centre for Cultural Understanding was set up by Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum to reach out and educate expatriates and tourists in the traditions and customs of the UAE.
During Ramadan you can join the centre in breaking the fast in the evening, with representatives on hand to discuss Islam and answer any questions you may have. You will also be given a tour of a nearby mosque, where you can ask further questions about the religion.
Price Per Person: £38 per person
Website: http://www.cultures.ae/
– Check out the Etihad Museum
Exploring the remarkable, albeit short, history of the United Arab Emirates, the Etihad museum is a must for those looking to learn more about the country’s past and its future.
The 25,000 m2 landmark is befittingly located at the very place where the UAE was founded in 1971.
Through a unique visitor journey, the various pavilions house experience-driven exhibitions, interactive programmes and education initiatives that explore the chronology of events that culminated in the unification of the Emirates in 1971, with a key emphasis on the period between 1968 and 1974.
The programmes also aim to educate visitors about the nation’s constitution, in particular – the rights, privileges and responsibilities that it bestows upon the people of the UAE.