I Spy With My Little Eye: My Dubai

Not everything in Dubai is about the world's tallest, world's biggest, world's best... Let me show you the other side of this city worth visiting.

The old part around the Creek is nicely restored and can give you a good insight into local architecture. This wind tower or barjeel is an element of a traditional house in Persian Gulf. It acts as a ventilation system allowing hot air to rise out the top of it, and cooler winds to flow down into the home. Sort of antique A/C. Smart!

Soon after moving to Dubai I realized the warmth of Arab hospitality is something special. Tea and coffee are part of every social gathering here. Arabic coffee or gahwa is served in tiny coffee cups when welcoming guests and it will be topped up every time you empty the cup until you tilt the cup left and right to signal that you've had enough. It is much brighter in color than the coffee as the West knows it. Spices like cardamom and saffron give it a unique taste. The most popular tea is Morrocan tea (green tea with leaves of fresh mint), usually served after meal. This coffee shop serves the best Morrocan tea I've tried.

Markets are full of colorful chandeliers. Arabic homes are usually decorated with large chandeliers, giant sofas with endless pillows and heavy courtains.

Restored traditional buildings with yellow light make evening walks in the old city really charming. Definitely help you forget about the heat!

Although located in the desert, many areas of Dubai are pretty green thanks to heavy irrigation. Still, neatly trimmed bushes and turfs along the highways can't compare to an old tree like this one.

The old city features numerous tiny museums dedicated to local culture and nearly all are open to public for free. You can learn about the local clothing, architecture, coffee, Arabic language, the role of women ... there's even a camel museum!

Souk Al Bahar is Arabic-style shopping mall with antique, carpet and lifestyle stores and it's right next to the world's tallest building, Burj Khalifa. It is far from old but it adds a nice contrast to the modern look of the city's Downtown.

Jumeirah Mosque is probably the most photographed mosque in the city and it's not surprising. "Jumeirah" means beautiful in Arabic. You can see it from the inside, too!

You can visit the Sheikh Saeed al Maktoum house, the residence of the ruling Al Maktoum family. Check out this cool 3D animation about the construction of the house.

Hope you liked the post, more photos to come!