Visiting The Middle East during Ramadan - Dubai
- Arlinda Ismaili
- Jun 20, 2017
- 4 min read
Dubai - One of the best UAE destinations
I have always been intrigued by the Arabian culture, it's ancient history, traditions, food and music. Dubai in particular has been my favourite, it is one of the seven emirates of the UAE that truly became alive around forty years ago. Therefore this year I decided to book a surprise holiday for my brother’s 22nd birthday to Dubai, which was ultimately a win/win for the both of us.
The trip took place during Ramadan, which restricted us from a number of activities. On a positive note, choosing a trip during this season meant much cheaper flights and we never had to queue for anything.
Some of the rules Dubai places during Ramadan:
It was illegal to eat or drink in public till 7:30pm
Most restaurants were shut during the day or only accepted takeaway orders
Most clubs and bars are shut. Dancing is illegal
Emiratis and other locals tend to dress more modestly
My trip from London to Dubai took around 10 hours due to an overly delayed stop in Amsterdam caused by heavy winds.
I arrived past midnight and the moment I stepped out of the airport the humidity was so intense, it took my body a while to adjust to the temperature. The level of humidity Dubai experiences during night time is probably the same as English summers day.
You can't not possibly imagine how day time heat felt like !
DAY 1
Day Time
On the first day I got to tick off something I've always had on my bucket list- to visit the tallest building in the world. Luckily, I managed to do this during the first day of exploring Dubai. We set off to the 127th floor of the Burj Khalifah in the morning, and were greeted with spectacular views of Dubai, as well as the extremely hot sun.
Then we visited the Dubai Mall. This is also the biggest shopping mall in the world.
All indoors shops, restaurants and train station are cooled down by air cons. There is a massive contrast between the indoor and outdoor temperatures, as they tend to vary from 44C (outside) to 18C (indoor).
The mall has an aquarium showcasing more than 300 species of marine animals, including sharks and rays. It's a beautiful view and I could have watched them all day.
Due to Ramadan we ate in a specific area of the mall which were covered by a wall. Most restaurants only allowed take away orders and often had their display windows covered with curtains or a cupboard. Cafés like Starbucks covered their sandwiches and drinks with a black veil.
Evening
During the evening we ordered a few drinks by Jumeirah Al Qasr Hotel. It was extremely hot and almost everything felt sticky, but we paid little attention to our sweat, as our attention was hijacked by the hotel and the stunning view of the Burj Al Arab (The only 7 star hotel in the world).
DAY 2
Day Time
We visited the Souk at Madinat, which is a traditional market that sells a mixture of unique accessories and souveniers.
Then took a boat ride in the Madinat Jumeirah, which explores the city on traditional wooden arabs. The journey gave us the chance to appreciate the mini city surrounded by hotels and villas.
Evening
In the evening, we took a trip to the desert safari were we had the chance to dune bash, ride the camel (I choose to pet them instead), experienced sand boarding, henna designs as we feasted in the arabian sunset.
We broke the iftar (fasting) with Emiratis and other tourist whereby we were offered BBQ buffet dinner with vegetarian & non-vegetarian dishes. After the sunset we also enjoyed 2 live entertainments; a fire show and the tanura Show. Due to Ramadan season belly dancing was excluded and other acts had to be cancelled.
Overall this was an amazing experience as we got to see Dubai as a desert farm without the tall skyscrapers, obscene luxury and extravagant mod.
DAY 3
Day Time
On our last day we managed to visit as many beaches as possible and get burned
Jumeirah Beach
Open Beach
Then we took the train to the Palm Jumeirah which was absolutely breath-taking. The palm is a man made artificial island and it’s one of the largest man made islands in the world.
The palms is surrounded by some of the most expensive houses and apartments, among side with private beaches that can only be accessed by the locals.
In the late evening we watched the fountain show by the Dubai Mall. The fountain displays occured every half an hour from 6:00pm to 11:pm. This was another amazing sight as the water jumped up as high as 152.4 m.
Overall, Dubai has been one of my favourite destinations despite the quite and prayer season. This has been a unique experience that has allowed me to discover a new culture. I will definitely visit this beautiful country again, as I am keen to explore how different the city looks like during a busier periods of the year.
Until next time ... xox
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