Posted by Doug in Travel at 11:44 am
The Northern Bank of the Dubai Creek has a lot to offer to world travelers. There are many different districts and neighborhoods that are packed densely into this region, Deira being the oldest of the city. This is the center of history for the city-state, and is well known to be a local trading hub for gold, spices and rice. Many five star Dubai hotels are located in this section as well, giving travels the convenience to experience most of what the North Bank has to offer. The city of Dubai has many modern and glamorous shopping malls, as shopping is one of the favorite past-times for locals as well as tourists, but the souks located here, are more traditional, have more of the local flavor of this historical area. Many bargains are found here as customers haggle with shops owners and many a merchant, without a shop, pushes a wheelbarrow throughout the streets, selling their wares. Some of the oldest buildings in the country are found here, and although they may not have the glitter and the glamour, they have the rich heritage of the culture of this city.
This area has expanded exponentially over the current years, giving way to some of the first high rises buildings, to the first governmental offices and banks, and has a bit of the modernism of the downtown Dubai, however there are still the old ships floating up and down the Creek, carrying everything from cooking oil, used cars and refrigerators intended for Somalia, Iran, and countries all throughout the UAE. This area has retained much of its local charm as these docks are not the fancied tourist attractions that many docks become with shopping malls and amphitheaters, these are working docks. There are various projects in development for tourism however, such as Dubai Festival City, which opened in 2007 and a new plan for a city park. The Festival City is a self sustaining project, with sports arenas, entertainment facilities, shopping malls, and residential quarters. This ‘city’ within a city will also is filled restaurants and cafes. This small sector of Dubai has everything offer, from old world charm to modern decadence.
