Travel destinations: Al Ain, United Arab Emirates
October 26, 2009 by admin
Filed under Tourists Attractions
Al Ain Garden city of the Gulf
Dubai (population 1.1 million) is widely popular among Indian’s as an ideal shopping and holiday destination which offers white sandy beaches, ultra-luxury hotels, Ali Baba’s cave style shopping malls and adventure sports activities such as indoor artificial snow-skiing, desert safari, camel and ostrich racing, dune and wadi bashing, etc, But contrary to popular opinion, Dubai is not an independent country but a small self-administered unit of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), a federation of seven sheikhdoms which comprise Abu Dhabi (Abu Zaby), Ajman, Dubai, Al Fujayrah, Ra’s al Khaymah, Ash Shariqah aka Sharjah, and Umm al Qaywayn.
Al Ain sited close to the UAE-Oman border about 135 km from Dubai is attracting a large and growing number of leisure tourists who wish to take a break after a hectic shopping spree. Al Ain offers a plethora of rest and recreation opportunities, historical monuments, sports facilities and lots and lots of greenery. Naturally endowed with several large oasis’ Al Ain (pop. 500,000) is a green low-rise city sited in the shade of the Jebel Hafit mountains. Surrounded by awesome red sand dunes and the rugged craggy mountains, Al Ain is linked by excellent roads to Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah.
Blessed with generous groundwater resources and self-renewing aquifers, Al Ain is one of the most fertile agricultural areas of the UAE, often described as the garden city of the Gulf’. Indeed Al Ain’ in Arabic means spring’ and the region with its ancient but efficient non-mechanised falaj irrigation system boasts sprawling date and fruit plantations.
The history of Al Ain can be traced back over four millennia as evidenced by numerous archaeological excavation sites which date settlements to around 3,000 BC. Its more recent history is centered around seven restored plantations and 42 carefully preserved forts. A tour of the city offers its visitors contrasts of old and new, turrets and watch towers of old forts jostling for space with modern steel and glass skyscrapers. Paradoxically and delightfully, the UAE’s sole camel trading market is also located in a suburb of the city.
Attractions in Al Ain
The most popular tourist attraction here is the Al Ain Oasis. Sited in the epicentre of a cool date plantation and divided into numerous well-maintained date farms, the oasis is thronged by tourists who walk in quiet shades in lush greenery.
Another equally popular locale in the city is the Al Ain
Life in Dubai
One such ground breaking example is the Ski Dubai, 400 metre indoor ski slope constructed at a cost of 272 million US dollars. The artificial ski slope holds over 6000 tonnes of artificial snow which is made through revolutionary methods. Due to the amount of sunshine, Dubai is becoming a centre for sports. Dubai Sports City is growing by the day with high profile developments within it such an Ernie Els designed golf championship golf course called,”The Els Club”. Launched in January 2008, the course was opened by the creator and golfer himself, Ernie Els, ranked 5th in the world and the former Open and US Open champion. “The Els Club” was the first completed venue at Dubai Sports City and also the first in The Els Club brand in the world. This course has then led to residential developments being built with the focus on golf with many properties having views of the golf course.
Further major sports choosing Dubai for large tournaments if Cricket. The ICC will be moving their headquarters to Dubai with planned projects such as a global cricket academy at an expected cost of 25 million US dollars.
All these high profile sports and subsequent sports and related people are then creating an even more cosmopolitan community and not just at Dubai Sports City. With the diverse range of Dubai property on offer, it is not just celebrities or the rich that are purchasing Dubai properties. Of course, the land mark towers such as the very highly anticipated revolving tower, will be of top most exclusivity but there is so much more to offer in Dubai. For example, many very well equipped apartment at Dubai Sports City, such as Eagle Heights and the Elite Sports Residence collection are beyond comprehension for most people compared with the investment property in the UK.
Buying off-plan in Dubai property couldn’t be easier which is another plus point for the consumer. The discounts available are hard to say no too with many being sold in a matter of days. The downward turn in the property markets in the UK and USA looks not to have made any difference to the market in Dubai.
