United Arab Emirates ( الأمارات العربية المتحدة ). A voyage to United Arab Emirates, Middle East - Dubai, Abu Dhabi...

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="destinationMapLink clearfix"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7Hg168VQ7gs4fhXs2IdOwvTc6HJy3OS9dEaqYzYA27Phlp-pmSOXU3FIc5NDLF7ymaVeAhC4-KGRJ3jE8MhH95BY59d0Q6SjQ9YmaWODnbrrobeCBP2IObUrQCpeinf39LgQjIC2hixNt/s1600/United+Arab+Emirates++Dubai+99.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="396" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7Hg168VQ7gs4fhXs2IdOwvTc6HJy3OS9dEaqYzYA27Phlp-pmSOXU3FIc5NDLF7ymaVeAhC4-KGRJ3jE8MhH95BY59d0Q6SjQ9YmaWODnbrrobeCBP2IObUrQCpeinf39LgQjIC2hixNt/s640/United+Arab+Emirates++Dubai+99.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCCeyJ5Pq7jbviJAkGP-dUTcgjRyyuI7GPVQauauzsfaTrluDcLKQiWcIkDFUBmN9SNj6I_urhhVEva5MIXQzhBziPfkMZ1WrnsNDoMaoDOlo99A94KNht1ZmIwV7ypCotxnSmLBvzoCWa/s1600/Arab+Emirates+Dubai.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCCeyJ5Pq7jbviJAkGP-dUTcgjRyyuI7GPVQauauzsfaTrluDcLKQiWcIkDFUBmN9SNj6I_urhhVEva5MIXQzhBziPfkMZ1WrnsNDoMaoDOlo99A94KNht1ZmIwV7ypCotxnSmLBvzoCWa/s640/Arab+Emirates+Dubai.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-gpq_f_GYaxE/T0j9oYVn9FI/AAAAAAAADAQ/0nIRyab4SSc/s1600/Emirates+8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-gpq_f_GYaxE/T0j9oYVn9FI/AAAAAAAADAQ/0nIRyab4SSc/s640/Emirates+8.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br /><a name="more"></a></div><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0E8c09zEnhk/T0j9peUv7II/AAAAAAAADAY/3hxSVQxZOYs/s1600/Emirates.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0E8c09zEnhk/T0j9peUv7II/AAAAAAAADAY/3hxSVQxZOYs/s320/Emirates.jpg" width="320" /></a>While the United Arab Emirates (UAE) these days appears to be little more than a stage for <a href="http://www.lonelyplanet.com/destinationRedirector?atlasId=361166">Dubai</a> to strut its increasingly crazy stuff, there’s far more to this fabulous little federation than Disneyesque dioramas.<br />The UAE is a contradictory destination, an Islamic state where the DJs’ turntables stop spinning just before the muezzins’ morning call to prayer can be heard, and where a traditional Bedouin lifestyle and customs continue alongside a very Western version of rampant consumerism. While many visitors marvel at the fantastic (in the true sense of the word) hotel and real estate projects, the real wonder is how the savvy sheikhs manage to harmonise such disparate and seemingly opposing forces. <br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fxnqBRpBLHg/T0j9lnKMvPI/AAAAAAAAC_4/RZLGSliarhs/s1600/Emirates+5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fxnqBRpBLHg/T0j9lnKMvPI/AAAAAAAAC_4/RZLGSliarhs/s200/Emirates+5.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dfj90UJK47c/T0j9nYccL2I/AAAAAAAADAE/2oGNYs_3_NA/s1600/Emirates+7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="128" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dfj90UJK47c/T0j9nYccL2I/AAAAAAAADAE/2oGNYs_3_NA/s200/Emirates+7.jpg" width="200" /></a>For Western visitors, the UAE is a very safe <a href="http://www.lonelyplanet.com/destinationRedirector?atlasId=361008">Middle East</a> destination, with the comforts of home and a taste of the exotic. Here you can max out those credit cards at designer clothes shops, laze on a gorgeous beach and sip a cocktail as you plan which fine dining restaurant to book and which international DJ to dance to until the early morning.<br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Xs39cglwa04/T0j9iVU5nuI/AAAAAAAAC_g/ksxi3AAqEdA/s1600/Emirates+12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="244" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Xs39cglwa04/T0j9iVU5nuI/AAAAAAAAC_g/ksxi3AAqEdA/s320/Emirates+12.jpg" width="320" /></a>On a less hedonistic stay, you can soak up the atmosphere of the heritage areas or the magnificent mountain scenery of <a href="http://www.lonelyplanet.com/destinationRedirector?atlasId=361167">Hatta</a>, haggle over souvenirs in the souqs of <a href="http://www.lonelyplanet.com/destinationRedirector?atlasId=361175">Sharjah</a>, head out to <a href="http://www.lonelyplanet.com/destinationRedirector?atlasId=361165">Abu Dhabi</a>'s desert sands for a camel ride under a star-filled sky, or dive the coral-filled waters of the Gulf (the beaches near <a href="http://www.lonelyplanet.com/destinationRedirector?atlasId=361174">Ras Al-Khaimah</a> are as unspoilt as you'll anywhere in the region). Or simply mix up a blend of everything; after all, that’s what makes the UAE unique.<a class="pin toggleMap closed" href="http://www.lonelyplanet.com/united-arab-emirates#" id="pinToggleMap" style="display: block;"><span class="showMapText">Show in Lonely Planet</span></a><br /><b>Ready to go? </b>These tours & activities make it easy:<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-haO6OBLFIDU/T0j9k2NIj4I/AAAAAAAAC_s/j6QToLHFg14/s1600/Emirates+14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="216" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-haO6OBLFIDU/T0j9k2NIj4I/AAAAAAAAC_s/j6QToLHFg14/s320/Emirates+14.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><ul class="inBody"><li>Travel by 4WD <a href="http://www.lonelyplanet.com/united-arab-emirates/dubai/activities/4wd-atv-amp/4x4-dubai-desert?lpaffil=fbta1">across the deserts of Dubai</a></li><li>Join an early-morning <a href="http://www.lonelyplanet.com/united-arab-emirates/dubai/activities/balloon-rides/dubai-hot-air?lpaffil=fbta1">hot-air balloon flight to the heart of the desert</a></li></ul><div class="relatedLinks clearfix"><h3 class="themeHeading"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-uqrMzbuzTeA/T0j9hezjowI/AAAAAAAAC_Y/qESVyWZbVtc/s1600/Emirates+11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-uqrMzbuzTeA/T0j9hezjowI/AAAAAAAAC_Y/qESVyWZbVtc/s200/Emirates+11.jpg" width="200" /></a> More about United Arab Emirates </h3><ul> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWdLMTmqyPu42fDbt0y416bgPz-gT0hYLrxVEWxMqBSKhDhyphenhyphenOdadO028HBxsAY3y8BRJX2JDS7EQ7dG9tYvttliFpO5to_vfcqYmN-UftXB4GYmar9VzbaA7yJA4QbNNmGa0-TIBssrrzn/s1600/Emirates+13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWdLMTmqyPu42fDbt0y416bgPz-gT0hYLrxVEWxMqBSKhDhyphenhyphenOdadO028HBxsAY3y8BRJX2JDS7EQ7dG9tYvttliFpO5to_vfcqYmN-UftXB4GYmar9VzbaA7yJA4QbNNmGa0-TIBssrrzn/s400/Emirates+13.jpg" width="400" /></a><li> <a class="linkChevron" href="http://www.lonelyplanet.com/united-arab-emirates/places">Places in United Arab Emirates <span class="bottom"></span> </a> </li><li> <a class="linkChevron" href="http://www.lonelyplanet.com/united-arab-emirates/weather">When to go & weather <span class="bottom"></span> </a> </li><li> <a class="linkChevron" href="http://www.lonelyplanet.com/united-arab-emirates/transport/getting-there-away">Getting there & around <span class="bottom"></span> </a> </li><li> <a class="linkChevron" href="http://www.lonelyplanet.com/united-arab-emirates/practical-information/money-costs">Practical information <span class="bottom"></span> </a> </li><li> <a class="linkChevron" href="http://www.lonelyplanet.com/united-arab-emirates/history">History <span class="bottom"></span> </a> </li><li> <a class="linkChevron" href="http://www.lonelyplanet.com/united-arab-emirates/work-study-volunteering/work">Work & study <span class="bottom"></span> </a> </li><li> <a class="linkChevron" href="http://www.lonelyplanet.com/united-arab-emirates/travel-tips-and-articles">Tips & articles <span class="bottom"></span> </a> </li><li><a class="linkChevron" href="http://hotels.lonelyplanet.com/united-arab-emirates/">Hotels</a></li></ul></div><div class="relatedLinks clearfix"><h3 class="themeHeading"> Make it happen</h3><ul><li><a class="linkChevron" href="http://shop.lonelyplanet.com/shopSearch?q=united+arab+emirates">Shop for travel guides</a></li><li><a class="linkChevron" href="http://hotels.lonelyplanet.com/united-arab-emirates/">Search hotels</a></li><li><a class="linkChevron" href="http://www.lonelyplanet.com/bookings/flights.do">Cheap flights</a></li><li><a class="linkChevron" href="http://www.lonelyplanet.com/bookings/insurance.do">Travel insurance</a></li></ul><div class="separator" style="clear: both; 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United Arab Emirates ( الأمارات العربية المتحدة ). A voyage to United Arab Emirates, Middle East - Dubai, Abu Dhabi...

While the United Arab Emirates (UAE) these days appears to be little more than a stage for Dubai to strut its increasingly crazy stuff, the...

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