PHOTO GALLERY Dubai MosqueFalcon HuntingHorse RacingDubai WaterfrontGold SoukDesert SceneHarbourLocal MarketTraditional Dhow

Dubai is to the Middle East what Hong Kong is to Asia: a capitalist jewel buzzing with activity. Most visitors to the region stop here for at least a day to browse the shops, eat in the restaurants and soak up the atmosphere of a city oozing wealth and a general air of self-satisfied confidence. Split into two by a long creek, a water taxi is an ideal starting point for orientation purposes and an opportunity to admire the modern, palatial architecture, the hallmark of a successful Arab state. There isn't much here that isn't glistening new. Even the traditional souks that attract thousands of visitors each year are packed with up-to-the-minute gadgets and the latest designer wear.

Dubai is the quintessential home of sand, sun and shopping. A century ago, it was a tranquil town whose coral-and-gypsum huts housed Bedouin traders and pearl divers. Today the merchants have gone international and science-fiction skyscrapers stand alongside the mosques and wind towers of Old Dubai.

The audacity of the city's rulers is breathtaking. Running out of coastline to build hotels? Build vast artificial islands with 120km (74.5mi) of new beachfront. Need better connections with the world? Build up an award-winning international airline in 15 years.

Need some publicity? Stage the world's richest horse race, million-dollar lotteries, international tennis and golf tournaments, and a month-long shopping festival. Need a few landmarks for people to recognise? Up goes the world's tallest and most lavish hotel, perched on an artificial platform, and a city skyline to boggle the eye.

Dubai is really two towns merged into one and divided by Dubai Creek (Khor Dubai), an inlet of the Gulf. Deira lies to the north and Bur Dubai to the south. Both districts are home to traditional architecture and bustling souqs, but the old city centre is in Deira. Glittering new office buildings along Sheikh Zayed Rd (known as Trade Centre Rd) in Bur Dubai threaten to supplant it as the city's real centre of gravity.

The focal point of Deira's hustle and bustle is on Baniyas Rd, which runs along Dubai Creek; Baniyas Square, which used to be called Al-Nasr Square and is still generally referred to as such; Al-Maktoum Rd and Al-Maktoum Hospital Rd; and Naif Rd. on the Bur Dubai side, the old souq area runs from Al-Ghubaiba Rd to the Diwan (Ruler's Office) and inland as far as Khalid bin al-Waleed Rd.

There aren't really any street addresses in Dubai. People refer to the main roads by name, but the smaller, numbered streets remain largely anonymous. If someone offers you directions like 'It's in the white villa, next to the big tree, across from the Avari Hotel,' don't fret. Your taxi driver will know the way.

The best time of the year to visit Dubai is between November and April, when the weather is coolest. The rest of the year you're more likely to be running from one air-conditioned environment to the next instead of getting out and exploring. Ramadan, which takes place at a different time each year on the Western calendar, is the Muslim month of fasting and is strictly adhered to throughout the UAE. That means that it's illegal, not to mention rude, to eat, drink or smoke in public from sunrise to sunset at this time. on the up side, hotel rates drop up to 70%.

Dubai International Airport (DXB) is the busiest airport in the Middle East. The national carrier is Emirates, which flies to some 45 destinations in the Middle East, Europe, Australia, Africa and the Indian Subcontinent. For all the talk of free markets, air fares out of the UAE are just as strictly regulated as anywhere else; there are no bucket shops. Dubai International Airport has no separate airport departure tax; it's included in the price of your ticket.

Buses run from Dubai to other parts of the UAE and surrounding countries. one useful bus route runs to Hatta from the Deira bus station. To get to most other cities in the Emirates, take a Dubai Transport minibus. There are two buses a day to Muscat, Oman. Balawi Bus Service runs to Jordan twice weekly and Egypt on Wednesdays.

Long-distance taxis can take you to any other emirate on a shared or 'engaged' basis (which means you'll either have to wait until all five seats are filled or pay for them yourself). Settle the price before you leave.

Passenger ferries make the 12-hour trip between Sharjah (a twenty-minute drive from Dubai) and the port of Bandar-é Abbas in Iran daily. There's also a fortnightly passenger service in between Dubai and Bushehr in Iran. It leaves the passenger terminal at Port Rashid every second Sunday.

Getting Around

Buses run between Dubai International Airport and Deira bus station every 15 to 20 minutes, and there are metered, beige-colored Dubai Transport taxis. Although they can't serve the airport, there are scores of private taxis in all shapes and colours. As these aren't metered, you may need to haggle a bit about fares.

Local buses run from the Deira bus station, near the Gold Souq, and the Bur Dubai station on Al-Ghubaiba Rd. Monthly bus passes, known as taufeer, get you unlimited travel on one or the other side of Dubai Creek or, more expensively, throughout the city.

Driving in the city of Dubai is considered an extreme sport, but masochists love it. If you must hire a car, bring your credit card and a copy of your passport. Drinking and driving will get you jail time on top of a stiff fine. Note that all accidents, no matter how small, must be reported to the police.

The older parts of Dubai, with their souqs, fascinating architecture and museums, are best seen on foot. Abras (small motorboats) crisscross Dubai Creek from early morning until around midnight, and are a great way to see the waterfront.

Bastakia Quarter

This district, on the waterfront east of the Dubai Souq and Diwan, features a number of traditional wind-tower houses. Built in the late 1800s, the quarter was once the home of wealthy Persian merchants, most of them from the Bastak district and lured to Dubai by its relaxed trade tariffs.

Bur Dubai Souq

Bur Dubai Souq has been beautifully rebuilt to appeal to shopping-mad tourists, but mostly caters to the Indian and Pakistani expat community. It does not sell many Arabian things, but is certainly the place to purchase a custom-made sari.

Deira Gold Souq

Deira's celebrated Gold Souq attracts buyers from all over the world. Pass through its wooden lattice archways and you'll find great dazzling heaps of gold chains, rings, earrings, bracelets and every other kind of jewellery. It also sells silver.

Diera Covered Souq

This souk has more of an Indian flavour than an Arabic one. It sells just about everything, but notably textiles, clothes, kitchenware, walking sticks, and all the henna you'll ever need.

Dubai Creek

Dubai's waterfront epitomizes the city's personality. If you do only one touristy thing in Dubai, make sure to visit Dubai Creek and see the grand trading port from the water. You can book a cruise or abra (small boat) for an hour or so; ask the captain to take you to Al-Maktoum Bridge and back.

It's also worth taking some time to walk around the dhow wharfage on the Deira side of Dubai Creek, to the west of the abra dock. Dhows bound for ports from Kuwait to Mumbai (Bombay) dock here to unload just about everything, including kitchen sinks.

Dubai Museum

The Dubai Museum is housed inside the Al-Fahidi Fort, which was built in the late 1790s, and is believed to be the city's oldest building. The museum has collections of everything from Arabian sailing boats to the curved daggers known as khanjars. There are multimedia and interactive displays, and all the exhibits have captions in Arabic and English.

Electronics Souq

The Electronics Souq is the place to get all the televisions, calculators, stereos, digital cameras, video games, DVD players and karaoke machines you've ever wanted. It's all almost tax free, and once the haggling is done, can be got for rock bottom prices.

Grand Mosque

This multidomed mosque boasts the city's tallest minaret. The mosque might appear to be a beautiful example of restoration work, but it was in fact built in the 1990s. As well as being the centre of Dubai's religious and cultural life, the original mosque was also home to the town's kuttab (Quranic school) where children learnt to recite the Quran from memory.

Maintaining the style of the original Grand Mosque, which dated from 1900 and was knocked down to make way for another mosque in 1960, its sand-coloured walls and wooden shutters blend in perfectly with the surrounding old quarter of Bur Dubai.

Perfume Souq

While the Perfume Souq is really just a group of shops, it sells a staggering range of Arabic and European perfumes. The European perfumes are a mixture of designer originals and copies while the Arabic perfumes are much stronger and spicier. It's worth buying some of the latter for the kitsch packaging alone.

Sheikh Saeed al-Maktoum House

Built in 1896, this was once the home of the ruling Al-Maktoum family. It was built using traditional methods, from coral coated with lime and plaster. Inside there's an interesting exhibition of photographs showing how little time it took for Dubai to go from a little fishing and pearling town to a big money, resort-style oil city.

Spice Souq

The Diera Old Souq is a wonderful place to wander round and take in the scents of spices and fruits. In the eastern part of the market you'll find sacks brimming with frankincense, dried lemons, ginger root, chilli and cardamom. The rest of the market is full of rugs, shoes, kitchenware, glassware and amusingly tacky little trinkets.

Dubai Shopping Festival (DSF) - January 24 to February 24.

During DSF, Dubai offers the world.s best brands at the world.s lowest prices. Although Dubai is considered a year-round shoppers. paradise, during DSF the city becomes the most exciting shopping destination in the world. Dubai has bustling textile and spice souks (traditional markets), the renowned Gold Souks with over 400 jewellery shops, two electronic markets and over 25 world-class shopping malls.

More than two million visitors attend the Dubai Shopping Festival each year. Sponsored by Dubai Duty Free, DSF offers an array of entertainment for the whole family - children.s events, international fashion shows, visiting artists, streetside performances, nightly fireworks, musical shows, film festivals, numerous cultural events reflecting the emirate.s cosmopolitan character and record-busting feats.

Dubai's beautiful parks will be used for various entertainment activities such as Cable Car rides, Dubai Creek Tours, Mini Fun Fair, Space Ship, Remote-control boats, World of Ice, Flower Garden, Park Taxis, Spiderman Zone, Trampoline, helicopter tours, China Town and Acrobatics Show.

Once again, Dubai's beautiful streets will be turned into colourful venues for a host of DSF activities, exuding the excitement of the unique shopping festival. Street performers, clowns, magicians and fun-fairs will keep visitors entertained throughout the festival.

Plenty of water sports, including jet-skiing, water-skiing, scuba diving, snorkeling and deep-sea fishing are offered by dozens of operators.

It costs a fortune to maintain the greens, but golfing is a huge draw and Dubai has most of the Arabian Peninsula's courses. If it's too hot to don the requisite collared shirt and slacks, consider a visit to the slides at Wild Wadi Waterpark or one of the city's two indoor ice skating rinks. Dozens of health clubs make working out a breeze.

The Dubai Explorer or What's on have more comprehensive listings of the the city's activities and organisations.

Religious holidays are tied to the lunar Islamic Hejira calendar, so dates vary from year to year on the Western Gregorian version, which runs on solar time. Eid al-Fitr (the end of Ramadan), Eid al-Adha (a celebration that follows Pilgrimage), Lailat al-Mi'raj (the Ascension of the Prophet), the Prophet's Birthday and the Islamic New Year are the main celebrations. Secular holidays include New Year's Day (1 January) and National Day (2 December). Keep in mind that Thursday and Friday make up the Dubai weekend.

Ramadan is the month during which Muslims fast from dawn to dusk, and it is in poor form to eat, drink or smoke in public. If a Muslim friend offers you tea or coffee during the daytime in Ramadan, Ms Manners would suggest that you politely refuse. Bars and pubs are closed until 7pm each night, and some restaurants do not serve alcohol. At sundown, the feast begins.

Dubai hosts two major tourist-oriented events during the year. The fiercely promoted Dubai Shopping Festival (DSF) is held from mid-January to mid-February. Shopping centres bust themselves to bring in the spenders. Entertainment for the kids, fireworks and free raffle tickets with every purchase are just part of the fun. The lower-key Dubai Summer Surprises (held in June) is designed, along with cheap hotel rates, to attract tourists during the summer slump. Surprises include displays of traditional culture, cooking demonstrations, art shows and more raffle tickets.