Dubai is a cosmopolitan melting pot at the crossroads of time - and the quintessential home of sand, sea, sun and shopping. A century ago, it was a tranquil town along the banks of Dubai Creek, where coral-and-gypsum huts housed Bedouin traders and pearl divers. Today, the merchants have gone international, their bounty calling forth science-fiction style skyscrapers from the sand to 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 120 km 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 recognize? Up goes the world's tallest and most lavish hotel, perched on an artificial platform, and a city skyline to boggle the eye.

Orientation
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 center is in Deira. Glittering new office buildings along Sheikh Zayed Rd (known as Trade Center Rd) in Bur Dubai threaten to supplant it as the city's real center 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.

One of seven sheikhdoms forming the United Arab Emirates, Dubai traces its history back 5000 years. Settlements sprang up along what is now called Dubai Creek. Thanks to the area's ample freshwater supply and its easy access to the Persian Gulf and Arabian Sea, which made it a pivotal stop in overland and maritime trade routes. Pearl-diving, too, became a thriving industry, as warm, still gulf waters yielded some of the world's finest specimens. However, in the 1920s, the Great Depression and a growing market for cultured pearls handcuffed the industry until it nearly died out. Always the survivor, Dubai recovered by promoting its duty-free trade zone and becoming one of the Middle East's economic goliaths. Today, jetsetters from around the world daily arrive in Dubai, attending the city's fabulous resort hotels and taking advantage of its cosmopolitan dining, nightlife, and shopping scenes. Dubai is more than just Western-style resort, though, and exploration of the city reveals "souqs" (traditional open-air markets), where shoppers can find fabulous deals on jewelry and fabrics; architectural ruins at Jumeirah Beach; a quaint Old Town where ornate wind towers loom over narrow lanes; and an enviable park system featuring exquisite Creek side Park and Jumeirah Beach Park. Indeed, the city embraces its past while still managing to keep both eyes on the future, a mentality reflected in many of Dubai's ultra-modern business towers and shopping centers, which bear distinctively Middle Eastern-themed designs.

Souqs
Souqs, Arabic open-air markets, are a classic Dubai experience. They've changed a lot since the Bedouin days, but are still open for business in the early morning and between 5pm and 8pm.

The Deira Covered Souq has more of an Indian feel than an Arabic one, with folks hawking textiles, spices, kitchen wares, clothes and henna. The Spice Souq , also known as the Deira Old Souq (it's not just for spices), sells all sorts of trinkets, clothing, rugs and glassware. The overflowing bags of seasonings are concentrated at the eastern end, closest to Dubai Creek; just follow your nose.

Deira's celebrated Gold Souq , with its intricate wooden lattice archway and windows filled with glittering gold, attracts buyers from throughout the world. Dubai's nickname, the 'City of Gold,' was well earned: any type of gold jewelery, in any color the craftspeople can coax from the metal, can be yours for a price. Next door is the Perfume Souq , with European designer fragrances, cleverly named knock-offs and strong, spicy Arabic scents.

The Electronics Souq is known throughout the region as the place to get the PlayStation of your dreams, and does a roaring business with those who ship the stuff back home and sell it for a tidy profit. The Dubai Souq , in Bur Dubai, has been beautifully rebuilt to appeal to tourists, but sells mostly items appreciated by the Indo-Pakistani expat community. This is the place to purchase that custom-made sari.

Dubai Museum
The Dubai Museum, occupying the Al-Fahidi Fort on the Bur Dubai side of Dubai Creek, is not to be missed. Thought to be the city's oldest building, the fort was both the residence of Dubai's rulers and the seat of government until it was retired as a museum in 1971.
Aerial photographs show the city's phenomenal growth over the years. Several nautical items are displayed in the courtyard, including a shasha, a small palm-frond fishing boat like those still used on the UAE's east coast. A collection of antique khanjars (daggers with curved sheaths) and a complete grave from the Al-Qusais archaeological site are highlights. Multimedia and interactive displays touch on everything from traditional and modern methods of water conservation to a presentation of the city's development.

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. The best way to see the grand trading port is from the water. You can book a pricey cruise or hire an abra (small boat) for an hour or so; ask the captain to take you to Al-Maktoum Bridge and back.

Also take 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 everything, including kitchen sinks.

Grand Mosque
The Grand Mosque in Bur Dubai is home to the city's tallest minaret. It might appear to be a beautiful example of restoration work, but was in fact built in the 1990s in the style of the Grand Mosque, which dated from 1900 but was knocked down to make way for another mosque in 1960. Ah, the perils of progress, always perceived too late. But the new Grand Mosque's sand-colored walls and wooden shutters blend perfectly with the surrounding old quarter of Bur Dubai.

Other mosques are also worth a look, particularly the Jumeira Mosque , known for its size and elaborate design. The best time to see it is at night, when it is spectacularly lit up. The stunning Iranian Mosque has incredibly detailed blue mosaic work typical of Persian building design. Non-Muslims are not allowed to enter mosques in the UAE.

Sheikh Saeed al-Maktoum House
The house of Sheikh Saeed has been restored as a museum of the pre-oil era. For many years, the 30-room house served as a communal residence for the ruling Al-Maktoum family. It was built using traditional methods, with coral quarried in the Gulf that was subsequently coated with lime and plaster, insulators that along with the wind tower keep the house cool and comfortable. An exhibition of photographs documents Dubai's history, and shows just how quickly the city evolved from a sleepy pearling town into a world-class metropolis.

Next door, the Heritage and Diving Villages have displays on pearl diving and dhow building, two of old Dubai's economic mainstays. Another area re-creates traditional Bedouin and coastal village life, complete with barasti (palm-frond) homes, a traditional coffeehouse and a small souq where you can buy freshly made dosa (a flat, grilled bread). A museum with items from nearby archaeological sites is also interesting.

Bastakiya 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 (hence the name Bastikiya) and lured to Dubai by its relaxed trade tariffs. The quarter has been declared a conservation area and restoration work has been carried out on several of the houses.

Bastakiya Quarter is the home to Orient Guest House as well.