Skypools, wind towers, skyscrapers: five tips for a trip to Dubai

The sun is burning from the sky. An Emirati woman wearing a long black overdress, the abaya, walks quickly in front of me through the alleys of Al Shindaga, one of the oldest districts in Dubai. It is located directly on the creek, an arm of the Persian Gulf that winds for 14 kilometers through the metropolis. The lifeline of the city, because it is precisely here that Dubai was founded in 1833 by the Al Maktoum family, which still rules over the emirate today.

1 . On the trail of old Dubai in Al Shindagha

At the Al Shindagha Museum, which spans 80 of the district’s historic buildings, interactive installations, videos, photos and artifacts chronicle Dubai’s humble origins as a former fishing village. The residents lived from pearl diving, sheep and goat breeding and date cultivation. Until Dubai increasingly developed into an international trading center and in the second half of the 20th century, oil, the black gold, helped the country achieve unimaginable wealth.

Highlights of the museum are the old Maktoum Palace, which served as the residence of the ruling family until 1958. Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the current ruler of Dubai, grew up there.

It’s like being in the Arabian Nights in the Perfume House of the Al Shindagha Museum, where visitors can smell the scents of the Orient at interactive stations. The production of perfume oils has a long tradition in the region. Sweet, woody and heavy, oud fills my nose, one of the typical aromatic essences of the region. It is obtained from the resin of the Southeast Asian agarwood tree and is one of the most expensive perfume oils in the world.

2. Narrow streets and wind towers in the historic Al Fahidi district

If you want to find out more about old Dubai, you will also find the historic Al Fahidi district with its narrow, winding streets further south on the creek. There are also typical old clay houses with wind towers, the so-called Barajeel. They were used to cool the buildings by distributing the air in the rooms of the houses like a fan. The creators of these natural cooling systems were immigrants from Bastak in Iran who came to Dubai at the end of the 19th century. That’s why the district is also called Al Bastakiya.

The fact that Bastakaiya, which was supposed to be demolished in the 1990s, still exists is credited to none other than King Charles III. of England (then still Prince of Wales). He is said to have lobbied the sheikh to preserve this unique settlement.

Al Fahidi, which was redeveloped in the early 2000s, has now transformed into a lively arts and culture district with cafés, galleries, craft shops and museums such as the Al Fahidi Fort. The fortress, built in 1787 and the oldest surviving building in the city, also houses a museum dedicated to Dubai’s cultural history. Tip: At the Sheikh Mohammed Center for Cultural Understanding, visitors can take part in numerous cultural activities such as a visit to a mosque or a typical Emirati meal.

Al Fahidi is also an ideal starting point for visiting the souks of old Dubai with their countless shops and traders: the textile souk is in the Bur Dubai district and on the opposite side of the creek in the Deira district is the gold and spice souk. To cross the creek, be sure to use the old wooden water taxis, the so-called Abras, which leave from various piers every minute.

3. Burj Khalifa – Visit the tallest building in the world

I stroll through the Dubai Mall in Downtown Dubai, the emirate’s mega shopping temple with the chicest designer shops and department stores. After the heat outside, it feels good to stroll through the cooled halls. But my goal is different: I want to go up to the Burj Khalifa, at 828 meters the tallest building in the world. It is considered a kind of vertical city with a total of over 1.85 million square meters of living space and over 300,000 square meters of commercial space plus swimming pools, fitness clubs, the chic Armani Hotel and the “At.mosphere”, the highest fine-dining restaurant in the world on the 122nd floor .floor.

This gigantic tower made of steel, glass and concrete was built in just six years, from 2004 to 2010. The latter was used in an amount equivalent to the weight of 100,000 elephants. Incomprehensible proportions.

In the Dubai Mall, the access area for the observation decks is on the 124th, 125th and 148th floors. I’m greeted at the elevator by an Emirati wearing a kandura, the typical white floor-length robe that provides good protection against the sun and overheating. He explains the most important facts about the construction history of the Burj Khalifa. The driveway itself is like a spectacle: loud music blares from the speakers and sequences that simulate the driveway flicker on the walls.

Strange, you can hardly feel that the elevator is moving. It races up at a speed of 10 meters per second, so that after a minute we are already on the 124th floor. Once you reach the 148th floor with another elevator, you will be treated to an overwhelming view of the desert city that no visitor to Dubai should miss – from the skyscrapers in the center to the sea and the desert on the outskirts of the mega-metropolis. In contrast, the Burj al Arab on Jumeirah Beach seems vanishingly small. It was the region’s first luxury hotel built in the shape of a sail and marked the start of Dubai’s tourism rise in the early 2000s.

• More info: Ticket prices from around 45 euros for the 124th/125th. floor, from 100 euros for the 148th floor. Booking at www.burjkhalifa.ae/en

4. Alskeral – Hip art district in the middle of the industrial area

From Dubai’s gigantic skyscraper, head southwest on Sheikh Zayed Road, Dubai’s main artery that leads to Abu Dhabi. The bus stops in the AL Quoz industrial district, more precisely on Alskeral Avenue. What looks like a desolate warehouse complex from the outside has turned into one of the city’s hippest art districts. The art patron Abdelmonem Bin Eisa Alserkal founded the initiative of the same name there in 2007 and transformed the former marble factory into a lively cultural center. Behind the gray facades there are now a whole series of galleries, artists, cafés, boutiques, restaurants and an art house cinema.

One of the first galleries to open there is the Carbon 12 gallery, founded by the Austrian Nadine Knotzer and her partner Kourosh Nouri. Their aim is not only to bring western artists to Dubai, but also to exhibit artists from the region. For example, Sarah Almehairi, who comes from Abu Dhabi, creates abstract and geometric sculptures, pictures and wall objects using a wide variety of materials, from wood to paving stones. A visit to the New York branch of the Leila Heller Gallery is also a must. With 1,500 square meters and almost ten meter high ceilings, it is the largest gallery in Askeral. There are works by famous contemporary artists from Jeff Koons to Shirin Neshat.

Tip: If you like doing yoga, you should definitely stop by Shimis. Yoga teacher Simona Stanton offers Vinyasa yoga in a dark room heated up to 34 degrees, so yogis sweat and feel even better afterwards.

5. View of The Palm Jumeirha from Dubai’s highest pool

Everything sparkles and glitters. I look out over The Palm Jumeirah island, its sand arches shining brightly in the water. This 560 hectare artificial island, which was completed in 2008 after seven years of construction right off the coast of Dubai, looks unrealistically beautiful. A landmark and a symbol of Dubai’s gigantism at the same time. Since then, countless luxury villas, apartments and holiday homes, beach clubs and restaurants have been built on the palm island. And also a number of top hotels such as the spectacular Hotel Atlantis The Royal, an architectural masterpiece made up of stacked blocks. It wasn’t until 2023 that it opened with splendor and glory – even Beyoncé appeared at the celebrations.

The best view of The Palm is from the Nakheel Palm Tower at the foot of the island. There is the Aura Skypool on the 50th floor, a kind of beach club only without a beach. But with a gigantic infinity pool that wraps around the building like a tube at a height of 200 meters. Anyone chilling up there in one of the cozy daybeds with a cocktail in hand will feel like they are in heaven – especially when the sun sets behind the palm islands in the most beautiful gold tones in the Persian Gulf.

• More info: Tickets can be booked from 56 euros per person auraskypool.com. It’s best to book weeks in advance!

*The research was carried out with the support of Dubai Tourism