Dubai is one of the 7 states that makes up the United Arab Emirates, a country formed in 1971 from individual sheikhdoms. An emirate is a political territory ruled by a dynastic Muslim monarch.
Here is a bit of historical background before we share about the activities, sights and experiences we had in our 2 day Dubai stop over.
Officially, Dubai was founded on June 9, 1833 by Sheikh Maktoum Bin Bvti Maktoum and 800 followers of the Bani Yas Tribe who travelled from Abu Dhabi to establish rule in this area. Ever since this date Dubai has been ruled by the Al Maktoum family.
However, as early as 1095 reference to the desert creek area, (where our ship was berthed) as a centre of trade reaches back 50 centuries where recorded documents reveal that the Magan civilisation sailed between the Mediterranean Sea and the Indian Ocean, trading in copper. During the 6th and 7th centuries, Dubai flourished as an important caravan route, supported by pearl diving. In the 15th century Europe tried to take over the trade route, but in 1820 Britain successfully negotiated the first of many maritime truces and Dubai became the main port on the Gulf coast, with pearling continuing to be the main stay of the city's prosperity.
Dubai is the second largest of the seven UAE territories. It lies on the southern end of the Arabian Peninsula in the Persian Gulf. Summer temperatures April- October range from 30⁰C to 50⁰C whilst the "cooler months", November-March have a range of 20⁰C to 35⁰C.
When we'd docked earlier today, the familiar skyline of skyscrapers and cranes, greeted us just like last year. According to "Gulf News" one out of every 4 cranes on earth is located in Dubai. Massive building projects are still taking place all over Dubai and that's why the sky is grey rather than blue: excavation dust particles fill the air. The temperature was 40+C on our arrival but visibility of the sky line was dusty, due to a combination of heat haze, dust storm activity in the desert and from the numerous, 24 hour-excavations and construction sites dotted throughout Dubai.
We were in Dubai last year so this year we planned to again explore the world's largest mall, the Dubai Mall. This four-storey mall with its 1200 shops, an ice rink and an aquarium and a vast cinema complex, is fully air-conditioned and therefore a pleasant way to keep cool. This year we observed even larger crowds of tourists and local families ambling throughout the wide marble tiled corridors because today, being the last day of Ramadan, everyone was preparing and shopping for fresh food and delights to eat after sunset. Tonight all families will celebrate by enjoying feasts either at home or in the many restaurants throughout Dubai. There were also loads of children enjoying the sights and sounds of the various mall activities because as from today onwards a 5 day holiday from school is being a celebrated too. Here are some of the things we visited in the Dubai Mall: We again marvelled at the gigantic dinosaur skeleton towering within one of the many dome alcove areas. Ken and others were dwarfed by its height and length –it's a marvellous specimen and I wonder how much they paid to procure it! We again stood beside the huge 2 storey-high waterfall display with its cool rushing waters and silver coated Olympic diving athlete statues suspended "in mid air" above the cascading torrents of water.
The sound of the waterfalls' thundering made it impossible to be heard when standing next to it but the gentle, cool, gossamer spray of water droplets that wharfs around the area brings the a coolness that is very refreshing and rewarding. The Dubai Mall of today is an oasis within a desert region. The aquarium within the mall is another impressive display, in a country once defined by its' extreme temperatures and lack of water. We joined crowds of people watching the rhythmic movement of sharks, stingrays, turtles and various fish species swirling and gliding around Dubai Mall's several storey high aquarium. People lined the upper floor balconies as well as the area beside the glass enclosure and young children looked in awe when a diver entered a cage and fed the sharks. The aquarium is a real draw card for tourists and locals, most of whom have never snorkelled or seen underwater life in all its beauty and intrigue. We have been spoilt by having snorkelled in several areas all over the world but we have never found any coral reef that comes near the majesty of Australia's Great Barrier Reef. However, we found the Dubai Malls Aquarium display refreshing, calming and relaxing and we'd recommend visiting the Mall just for this experience. 
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