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Dubai: Al Ain

Dubai: Al Ain

As we left Dubai, Mohammad, the tour guide, told us about Dubai Land and the plans for development. We passed a few areas of the future site and saw a few areas that looked close to being completed. As we continued toward Al Ain, I enjoyed studying the picturesque landscape filled with high sand dunes that did not have any plants in them and stretched into the horizon. Some fences and walls had been breached because the sand dunes had drifted and piled up so high that it formed a bridge over the manmade barrier, which made me think of man’s impermanence compared to the sustaining forces of nature. Some areas of the landscape were also used to farm dates (the first actual farms I had seen so far). Mohammad, informed us about the numerous camel farms we also saw. He said that the best camels can be sold for millions and used in camel races, while others are bred for their meat, milk, or to be used as a mode of transportation, just like in the olden days. We passed a big camel racing complex and he told us that little boys used to ride the camels in the races, but now little robot jockeys are used.

As we entered the outskirts of Al Ain, we were informed whole city is a UNESCO World Heritage Sight and that it is the only UNESCO World Heritage site in the United Arab Emirates. The city is also known as “the Garden City” because of its greenery and is famous for its oases. We were informed that the city is the birthplace of Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the first president of the United Arab Emirates. We were also informed that Al Ain has a population of 375k people, making it the fourth largest city in the UAE and the privilege of housing the country’s highest number and percentage of Emirati nationals. As we drove around the town, we passed many walled palaces owned by the royal family and other huge houses.  When we drove around a well-landscaped roundabout, Muhammad told us that the city is full of them.  He also told us that a water pipeline was built to transport desalinated seawater all the way from Abu Dhabi. Interestingly, I still saw many potable water trucks on the roads as we drove around the town.  We drove past a huge park that looked enticing and inviting. To bad we couldn’t stroll through it. The town was the first and most traditional looking settlement that I had seen which resembled the old Arab culture.

As we drove down the main street through the middle of the town, Muhammad told us that strict height controls exist that restrict all new buildings’ height to be no more than four floors in order to maintain the charm and character of the old city. The controls are apparently working because the city had a small town vive that was much more quiet, and slower paced, than Abu Dhabi and Dubai. Our first stop was at the Al Ain National Museum, which was housed archeological artifacts from the 3rd millennium BC and onward. Next, we visited the largest oasis in Al Ain, the Al Ain Oasis, which seemed to be a date plantation with really old tall date palms. A sign out front read “now using pesticides.” A man that worked there climbed up one barefoot, picked a date, and threw it down at us.  All he used to climb the palm was a simple rope that had support for his back. I really wanted to try. Dara tried first and had a tough time. She said, “You really need smart feet for this.”  I should have listened to her, but I didn’t. I thought that the climber only climbed it barefoot because he was good at it and used to it. When I tried, my sneakers slipped a couple of times on the bottom portion of the palm, so I let someone else try. Jake tried next and he was able to climb a little higher. He reached the area about five feet up, which he said was a lot easier to climb. Before we left, some people bought some dates, but they were really expensive, so I passed.

Our next stop was the camel market. Many livestock were for sale including camels, goats, sheep, and cows. I slipped my hand through the fence and pet one of the camels. I had never pet a camel before. He really liked it, so I pet him the whole time we were there. It was awesome! Before we left the market, we stopped to buy some flowers at a nursery. I talked to a worker there and learned they were selling all kinds of fruit plants for under $50, which was much cheaper than I expected for a fruit plant that could fruit within one year. After we left, we drove through Jebel Hafeet, a 1340-metre-high mountain, and the surrounding area, which featured some beautiful natural geological formations.

Our next stop in Al Ain was at a locals home for lunch. Abdulsalam Alblooshi, an Emirati who attends ASU as a mechanical engineer, and his family treated us to an absolutely delicious lunch! I was not expecting it, but we were served a complete feast (which I had never had before). Our group looked down at 3-4 big and heavy plates that contained a whole lamb laying on saffron rice and other delicious ingredients. Other dishes included cooked lamb with potatoes and a special kind of bread. Another dish was some sort of gooey dough. While we were eating, the Emiratis brought in 3-4 big and heavy plates filled with mountainous piles of fruit, from which, I ate a lychee. We were served desert next, which was some sort of delicious pudding like substance. Finally, the females left to join the females of the household, while we stayed and conversed with the men. We were served delicious Arabic coffee and tea. The Emirate hospitality was remarkable.  They were very happy to serve us their delicious food and they were really nice. We learned from the men that many Emirati nationals in Abu Dhabi and Dubai own holiday houses in the Al Ain that they frequent in the summertime because the dry desert air is much more tolerable than the coastal humidity and extreme heat of the larger cities.

Our final stop in Al Ain was a quick walkthrough of the Sheikh Zayed Palace Museum, which used to be the palace of the former UAE President, Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan, and his family and was originally built in 1937. On our way back to Dubai, we were greeted by a final picturesque view of the silhouetted skyline of Dubai.