SMCCU in Travel Weekly

0 DUBAI

OW 7 a piii

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Travel Weekly, National05 Oct 2012, by Richie Kenzie

Supplements, page 10 - 3,307.00 cm²Australian Magazines Trade - circulation 5,168 (----F--)

ID 00165260178 PAGE 1 of 4

DUBAI e

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Some may pigeonhole Dubai as a glitzycity of skyscrapers, riding its luck onoil-based prosperity, but the reality isdifferent. The emirate is every bit as muchdefined by its cultural heritage as it is bythe feats of construction that have shapedit. In fact, as Richie Kenzie discovered,it's a firm, but tolerant Islamic foundationthat really characterises Dubai

Ies not diesimilar to the scene before the

commencement tif al.., 0111V a glowingorange hemisphere a the SLIII biLS ablWe 010

,himineiMg horizon anti eyes have already

begun to dart areand the coon, Plan. prid, upand then. suddenly anti sharply own- the in.hoitse

speakers, ih-c rmagOrnh (sunset) prayer begins to wail

out_ OnCe Vinipleted. The ravenou, community .1Mitullinoi who haec gatheierl here ill AXACeer rim,'

tiriskl) anti - %Oh ennstritrahle decorum, 'ir. MUtt

be said - head lea the vasi army nil' finni stall,

This is if kr, the ceremonial evening mealwhen Mitslims break their darlong fast durIngshe holy month of Ramadan. And since I

MirreplinUth di ttrcl rl Oli rig the clay, Ire .nty toohappy to let thaw who ha'rst famed go ii[11.

: They soon rentro en, their tables wearing

I expressions of graduid0, and rarrOng plates which

: support srnalL mountains ..,r rr. Id. I can Karcely

hlarne therm /Cs now 7Fi111 ii1 iii thew mole people

: %Lae had iinihing pass their Lip, since dann bisike.

"Ifs rustoinar, io clid the fast midi it riate,"i my host Maraika Leas the. Observing others

doing the same. E eat one of LIic sticky, overripeofferings- Maraika, the Pk manager rat Adanus,

. The Paha - home of i he tentcii Asatcer diningquarters where v, are awaiting cell FOCA I

-1 pr,C,C,I, ti7 tell ice 3 hill, 171.01e about the land

a, Wt. Wait. Afle7 thc crowd ihins, we approach asedes of tables and , inches, Mierr heaniing stallmembers await, We air ier.-ci 0 ,Lhoi-a or

[4i1Mots% Elegerl

and ockoriul

facades are

c,-cHihduni

Above: puha;

o tilernat issci

welostning city

-

*1*:4





ID 00165260178 PAGE 2 of 4

DUBAI

.

beef and Lamb. chicken With .4:191,1 carnal el,

1..., light salads and kiikec mc51J.e tie of Fried onion and rut nrenieml., A

cloFint; glass of poincgrana Le ItIk ci. profferedto help wash down the food.

Hack a, the .1,1,1 ILK* in. and find mr3chf

Ltimciiiirg chat I 1.1E11 fasted tun: the &aid is

delectable Ina the quaniier proves nversdelming.

Feeling ',the, ghrt4-3.nsi anal stilt dealing mill aease nl jer lag, I ant eocorted drowsily thuiuglt tho

sealing ni.gla air hack to n7 roorn, where I promps7

fall into a light coma.

It Ls after I lake niysellotu oF the Iwtel fora fess hours the nem day chat begin 10 betterappreiciale the privations that Muslims stlhirctthen1SCI,C5 to in the name of de-rot

Ira about I pm and mt!atriti.;li It siguAli .13iiiat it ...saints tilling. Cluvide. the temperature

it 42 deg-rcLe and the humidity is suffocating.

Small iributaries of sweat running di., iny bodysap rne Of energy at Li rapid puci, Freliiim

crcirckmingsense of guilt and. an even stronger

if knowledge andunderstandingare considered a

of cultural:.lourishment, thenA3nbai offers an

I admirable levelI of sustenance forforeigners

V,31.4C Of }Hinge, I retreat to no hotel where sricralrrstaitrailLs are _serving lunch I dine cloisteredhe-hind a seriet htlartilrigr.. the kind 5s.ni

might encounter in a building site. erected as amark of respect for th413e tasting.

1 reflect on the fact that this is my second.

substantial meal in AiN h.., Returning outsidewith renewed ,114,./.. ILL notice !IL,

liulusiriolts locals working all around. me. Theirhmiger 111Lisi he crippling.

Later that night 1 fend niwicat the Sheikh!,101.11Ined Centre tor Cubural UnderlanclinglS.MICCU) in the tilt] neighhciurhixxl. of Bur flu boa.Here_ within ;I traditional winci tower stnxture 1

alang wirh another ri.0 Wemcns eripati ani given

it crash comse in 115e basics ulIdarn. Partaking

in another sumptuous Ill, I can only begin tofathom litre well received le must he by the bsters.

a most social time /leaf provirirs an

npportimiTy For M111.1iP., me illtet end shore [heirdaily experiences over a inea]," were aild by theSkICCI: general manager Nasit





ID 00165260178 PAGE 3 of 4

Lek: The [XI,museum is

hciated within

*he 18141 cenwry

Ai keel& Fert

Riqhe Kmar

Right: Spices

tr,dad ri Dubai

155 .nh.irits

Below: Sae.ktpiv. ,'Ror

righT:

rhe skirl; oi

inner eity Dt.rboi

1,11,t Kenze

One of the cultural centre's stated aims is toencourage expats to gain a better understandingof Islam and the local way of life. Looking around,I see native Emiratis and the visiting guests inrespectful conversation. In these tumultuous timeswith religious zealots and hot-headed protestersdominating the news, this oasis of calm is quietlyand admirably discharging its social duty.

Another illuminating experience follows earlythe next morning at the city's glorious jumeirahMosque. Built between 1976 and 1979. it wasa gift to the city of Dubai courtesy of the lateSheikh Rashid Bin Saced Al Maktoum. As far asgifts go, this is benevolence indeed.

Our tour here ties in with the previous night'svisit to the cultural centre and a programcalled Open Doors, Open Minds. In Dubai,Islam is not just the major religion, it informsthe whole way of life. And yet a mere 17% ofDubai's population are native Emiratis, while dumajority are a working class of Asian extraction.As well as the proliferation of Indian, Pakistani

DUBAI e

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and Bangladeshi expats, there is a small, affluentcross section of Westerners here too. It stands toreason then that in this cultural melting pot thedominant religion would look to demystify itscustoms to the overwhelmingly foreign populace

In this spirit, we are led by a Miss Latifa, who is

attired in the flowing jet black burr customarilyworn by Emirati women. But it's when shespeaks that I am taken by surprise. Instead of thenuanced English of a native Arabic speaker, herwords carry the accent of a housewife straightout of EastEndm. "Now the fird pillar of Islam iswot's known as zakat, the giving of ahhhms," sheexplains. For an hour she addresses our group offifty in cockney as we sit cross-legged before heron the ornate carpets, like a kindergarten class.

Through social programs like Open Doors,Open Minds. Dubai reveals itself as an exemplarof religious tolerance. In fact, the widespreadacceptance of foreigners and their customs strikesyou as a defining trait of the emirate. Whilevisitors may feel a certain degree of respect for

Islam is expected from them, the same toleranceis reciprocated towards foreign ways of life.

Dubai is also notable as a remarkably orderlyplace. Not in the sense that the rights of thepopulace are curtailed, as in a dictatorship, butperhaps as a condition of the prevailing religionand a certain inherent civic pride. Crime isnon-existent, the roads are as smooth as glass,cleanliness within the city is a paramottnt concernand public infrastructure positively gleams in thedesert sun. Even the less salubrious parts of townhave a down-at-heel charm about them.

But it's the emirate's Islamic foundations thatreach you on that most essential level.

And if knowledge and understanding areconsidered a form of cultural nourishment, thenDubai offers an admirable level of sustenance forforeigners. Travellers to the emirate would be wiseto acquaint themselves with some of the culturalexperiences on offer. As anyone who has enjoyed amuch anticipated yiarmeal will tell you, the worldfeels like a better place with a full stomach.





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