The United Arab Emirates are the pearls of the Persian Bay. Abu Dhabi and Dubai are thecommercial and tourist centers of the area and develop with a breathtaking speed. The imagesof the cities are dominated by office buildings, luxury hotels and shopping malls - these areskyscrapers, made of concrete, metal and glass, but down there, below them are the oldtowered houses, the 'souqs', the roofed bazaars, mosques with multiple towers, the hecticmarkets and the colorful harbors. The museums of the ancient forts keep the tradition of theancient Arab professions and presenting folklore shows. Thanks to the duty-free regime, theshopping malls are cheap and offer an incredible variety of big designer brands' clothing, aswell as technical gadgets, natural pearls and oriental rugs. Dubai's golden bazaar in itself canbe an attractive port of destination. The elegant Burj el Arab hotel, shaped as a wind-blownsail is only a forerunner of the futuristic buildings of the near future: the Palm Islands and theunderwater-hotel. The metropolises are surrounded by the desert with its sand dunes and rarebright oases, Bedouin tents and camel caravans.

This app contains a travel journal.