“Dubai High is that very rare thing: an honest account of a failure. This unsparing memoir of twelve months spent creating Dubai’s cultural authority, in a climate of mingled idealism and opportunism, intimately describes the complexities of working in an epicentre of globalization. It offers a dry but sympathetic view of Dubai’s bewildered Emiratis as they construct, or have constructed for them, a unique 21st-century urban prototype. It is a record not only of how the writer tried to change Dubai, but of how Dubai changed the writer.” Rem Koolhaas, December 2010

Now available in ePub format. This second edition of The Rough Guide to Dubai is the ultimate companion to the world's most exciting tourist destination. Read expert coverage on everything from traditional souks to state-of-the-art tourist attractions, beautiful beaches to "seven-star" hotels, with up-to-date listings of all the hottest places to stay, eat, drink, and shop. An inspirational full-color introduction highlights the best of the city, while subsequent full-color sections reveal the incredible contrasts between traditional and futuristic Dubai. The Rough Guide to Dubai features the latest developments to Dubai Marina and the Palm Jumeirah, as well as day-trips throughout the United Arab Emirates, including Sharajah, Al Ain, the East Coast, and ambitious Abu Dhabi. Comprehensive maps throughout help you find your way around the region. Make the most of your time with The Rough Guide to Dubai.

The Rough Guide to Dubai is the ultimate companion to the world's most exciting tourist destination. Experts cover everything from traditional souks to state-of-the-art tourist attractions, and from beautiful beaches to "seven-star" hotels, and up-to-date listings include all the hottest places to stay, eat, drink, and shop. An inspirational introduction highlights the best of the city, while subsequent sections reveal the incredible contrasts between traditional and futuristic Dubai. The Rough Guide to Dubai features the latest developments to Dubai Marina and the Palm Jumeirah, as well as day-trips throughout the United Arab Emirates, including Sharjah, Al Ain, the East Coast, and ambitious Abu Dhabi. Comprehensive maps throughout help you find your way around the region. Make the most of your time with The Rough Guide to Dubai.

From desert sands to a glittering metropolis: the inside story of Dubai’s transformation. In just two decades; Dubai has reinvented itself from a small; poor and quiet fishing village to a dazzling city with a vibrant urban life. How did this happen? Home to more than 200 nationalities—particularly those from the Indian subcontinent—the emirate’s choice to welcome expatriates has paid off. Cultivating an open and welcoming culture; Dubai manages to attract people from all over the world; heartily embracing any entrepreneurial contribution they wish to make. The emirate is now also known for its cosmopolitan melting-pot culture; and its enabling environment to conduct business; and this; along with the tax-free system and hassle-free infrastructure; makes it a much sought-after site for multinational enterprises who want a base in Asia. Unlike the Gulf emirates that can count on petroleum wealth; Dubai has wound its way to prosperity by planning carefully and executing those plans methodically. Its airline and luxury construction have made it a popular destination for luxury tourism. Projects like the Burj al-Arab; the Palm Jumeriah and the Burj Khalifa; along with events like the world’s richest horserace—the Dubai World Cup—and the Dubai Shopping Festival; have sustained tourist interest and focused the world’s attention on the emirate. Pranay Gupte draws on his deep knowledge of the region and its leading personalities to trace the city-state’s extraordinary and fabulous journey.

Comprehensive, fun and easy to use, this book covers everything worth knowing about Dubai and where to do it. Meticulously updated by a resident team of writers, photographers and lovers of life, the result is the most in-depth, practical and accurate coverage and recommendations around. Ideal for residents, short-term visitors and tourists; essential for anyone in this vibrant and surprising city. It contains New Resident tips and advice; Independent reviews of over 500 restaurants, bars and cafes; Leisure and sporting activities from Abseiling to Entertainment to Zoology; Exploring - from museums and heritage to the latest shopping malls; Everything fully referenced to 30 pages of photographic maps; Plus a pull-out city map. This is the insiders' guide to what's hot and what's not in Dubai and the Emirates!

The Pocket Rough Guide to Dubai is your essential guide to this exciting city, with information on all the key sights in an easy-to-use format. Whether you have an afternoon or a few days at your disposal, Rough Guides' carefully curated itineraries help you plan your trip, and the "Best of" Dubai section picks out the highlights you won't want to miss. Divided by area for easy navigation, the Places section is written in Rough Guides' trademark honest and informative style, with listings of the must-see sights and our pick of the places to eat, drink, and more. · The very best of the area, selected by our expert authors · Tailored itineraries and highlights to make trip-planning easy · Inspirational color photography brings the area to life on the pages · Up-to-date background information, including transportation details and a calendar of events Travel like you mean it, with The Pocket Rough Guide to Dubai. Now available in ePub format.

This book investigates the history of Arabian sūqs from their pre-Islamic beginnings to the present. Collecting evidence from archaeological ruins, Islamic towns, modern cities, Arabic poetry, philosophical debates, political conflicts, puppet shows and the insights of modern-day market-goers, the book presents new and unforeseen interpretations of the Arabian sūq’s meaning and its transformation through time and place. The finding that such meaning is tied to ancient trade rituals, where temple and market presented a holistic socio-urban unit, re-questions some instrumental assumptions regarding the value of sūq-ness in Arabia’s everyday practices. Such a finding, which locates the fadaā/tareeq duality as a central theme in Arabia’s socio-urban discourse, emphasizes the importance of lived experiences and poetics as key sources for understanding socio-urban phenomena.

This book aims to contribute to the conceptual and practical knowledge pools in order to improve the research and practice on the sustainable development of smart cities by bringing an informed understanding of the subject to scholars, policymakers, and practitioners. This book seeks articles offering insights into the sustainable development of smart cities by providing in-depth conceptual analyses and detailed case study descriptions and empirical investigations. This way, the book will form a repository of relevant information, material, and knowledge to support research, policymaking, practice, and transferability of experiences to address aforementioned challenges. The scope of the book includes the following broad areas, with a particular focus on the approaches, advances, and applications in the sustainable development of smart cities: • Theoretical underpinnings and analytical and policy frameworks; • Methodological approaches for the evaluation of smart and sustainable cities; • Technological developments in the techno-enviro nexus; • Global best practice smart city case investigations and reports; • Geo-design and applications concerning desired urban outcomes; • Prospects, implications, and impacts concerning the future of smart and sustainable cities.

Human history has seen many settlements transformed or built entirely by expatriate work forces and foreigners arriving from various places. Recent migration patterns in the Gulf have led to emerging 'airport societies' on unprecedented scales. Most guest workers, both labourers and mid to high-income groups, perceive their stay as a temporary opportunity to earn suitable income or gain experience. This timely book analyses the essential characteristics of this unique urban phenomenon substantiated by concrete examples and empirical research. Both authors have lived and worked in the Gulf including Qatar, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates during various periods between 2006 and 2014. They explore Gulf cities from macro and interconnected perspectives rather than focusing solely on singular aspects within the built environment. As academic architects specialised in urbanism and the complex dynamics between people and places the authors build new bridges for understanding demographic and social changes impacting urban transformations in the Gulf.