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[?oe?oe]

Anyone else love viewing cities from observation decks? Here's a video I took last summer up up on the shanghai world financial center (atm 2nd tallest observation deck in the world after canton tower).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DewsbgH2NKg

I don't get why people think shanghai has no soul... I think it might have too much soul lol. Weird mishmash of old and new and oriental and western.

That can't be right. That's not that high. Having been there, Tokyo Sky Tree has a higher observ deck.

EDIT: No, you're right. Maybe cause there's more taller buildings close, it looks lower.

 

[Mairu]

Those pictures and the city in general look amazing. I love reading the posts by those who've lived/worked there.

What kind of work gets done there? How do you even get recruited to work there? It looks like an extreme high-class version of Vegas (from the outside at least, minus all the shady characters)

 

[cvxfreak]

I wasn't comparing human rights infractions. NK's are far worse in that regard. I just don't want anyone to look at Dubai and think, "Oh, what a beautiful modern city" and assume the lifestyle is just as "free" and modern as most 1st world countries. Dubai is holding themselves back still in those regards, and cases like the recent imprisonment of a female rape victim doesn't exactly help their cause.

If you're gonna have that stance, then you can even go as far as to make similar criticisms to, say, Singapore, where there are restrictions in place on certain activity tolerated in other countries, for which severe punishments are in place for violations. But Singapore is a highly respected international destination because of other factors.

Dubai isn't at that particular level yet, but it's definitely on its way there, taking into account the different cultures and circumstances unique to it.

In Dubai, it's pretty obvious that if you just live an ordinary life and don't go looking trouble, you'll have a good time.

 

[Necromanti]

That's not true. Ive kissed GF's in public, hold hands all the time. No one does anything here. If you do something stupid, you can be charged. There are signs in malls saying no holding hands/kissing - but honestly no one enforces it unless you do something REALLY stupid like have sex on a beach in full view of everyone.

Dubai is very safe. Its the safest city ive been to besides Singapore - i never have to worry about getting mugged/robbed or attacked. Not saying it doesnt happen, but like all cities, there are areas where it may not be safe to walk alone.

But the point is that it can and has happened, which is why it's better to be safe in that regard. I mean, a lot of rules are selectively enforced -- like the regulations of what women are allowed to wear in malls. The majority of women aren't stopped or it would be happening all the time since women are showing more skin than they "should" be, but there have still been cases--like the one with the young girl who was with her father, wearing something they considered "revealing". Corruption in the police force isn't uncommon, either.

And while certain types of crimes are more rare in Dubai, the reported crime rate is a lot lower than what actually transpires. (This is the same reason why Sweden, for example, has a higher per capita incidence of rape compared to India.) Most crimes are in money laundering , human trafficking, and prostitution, though, so it's not something most people would take notice of. Most people are happy living in a bubble. I agree with you that a lot of people can be critical about Dubai without fully comprehending it, but there are just as many people who ignore its dark side.

 

[Kinder Egg]

I used to live in Dubai and I have to call bullshit on a lot of those photos. Even on a beautiful clear day, visibility isn't great. I know generally all photographs are touched up, but I think the skies have been replaced or something. I could be wrong I guess, but I really wouldn't say this unless I really believed this.

Either way, the photos look stunning.

 

[Necromanti]

I used to live in Dubai and I have to call bullshit on a lot of those photos. Even on a beautiful clear day, visibility isn't great. I know generally all photographs are touched up, but I think the skies have been replaced or something. I could be wrong I guess, but I really wouldn't say this unless I really believed this.

Either way, the photos look stunning.

Honestly, when I first came to Dubai, the skies were blue. In recent history, however, I can't really recall much beyond grayer skies in the urban areas.

 

[George Claw M.D.]

I don't know why but it looks so empty compared to other big cities like Tokyo, Singapore, and places like that.

That's because it is. These are long camera exposures. That's why everything looks so bright. However, you'll notice the lack of those red and white light streaks on the roads that are caused by the combination of long exposures and the the head and tail lights of cars driving on the roads.

Not saying there isn't anyone there. But those pictures lack the signs of movement and activity that you see in other cities' photos. All the vehicles and boats are just parked and not moving.

 

[Milamber]

Lived in Dubai for 32 years. I have been here since before the beginning of the construction boom. It always feels weird that the places I go to now used to be a desert or a favorite oasis to camp by is now a building my friend stays at. Or a secluded beach that has great clams is now a private resort.

There used to be long stretched of road that leads to other states, threatening to disappear under the sand dunes. There used to be lonely tiny shacks sparsely dotted around these massive 300 km long roads between cities with only an old man and a coke machine inside that barely chills the drinks.

It used to be a place where almost everyone knows each other by name. Now it is just like any other city.

 

[Phoenician_Viking]

That's not true. Ive kissed GF's in public, hold hands all the time. No one does anything here. If you do something stupid, you can be charged. There are signs in malls saying no holding hands/kissing - but honestly no one enforces it unless you do something REALLY stupid like have sex on a beach in full view of everyone.

Also, to people saying they wont come because of a crime they heard of here - does that mean you wont visit another city because of a rape/murder?

Dubai is very safe. Its the safest city ive been to besides Singapore - i never have to worry about getting mugged/robbed or attacked. Not saying it doesnt happen, but like all cities, there are areas where it may not be safe to walk alone.

Define stupid?

 

[Phat Michael]

Define stupid?

I said it in the next sentence - like having sex on a beach in full view of the public. You will be jailed for that and deported.

 

[SilentxS3ud]

I'm Arabian and I live 9 hours drive from Dubai, ask away gaf

 

[Phat Michael]

But the point is that it can and has happened, which is why it's better to be safe in that regard. I mean, a lot of rules are selectively enforced -- like the regulations of what women are allowed to wear in malls. The majority of women aren't stopped or it would be happening all the time since women are showing more skin than they "should" be, but there have still been cases--like the one with the young girl who was with her father, wearing something they considered "revealing". Corruption in the police force isn't uncommon, either.

And while certain types of crimes are more rare in Dubai, the reported crime rate is a lot lower than what actually transpires. (This is the same reason why Sweden, for example, has a higher per capita incidence of rape compared to India.) Most crimes are in money laundering , human trafficking, and prostitution, though, so it's not something most people would take notice of. Most people are happy living in a bubble. I agree with you that a lot of people can be critical about Dubai without fully comprehending it, but there are just as many people who ignore its dark side.

This is a fair point. Dubai is safe, but like any emerging market it sure can be corrupt. Things arent black and white here there are a whole lot of grey areas and leeway you can use.

About ignoring the dark side, it is in every city. Im not defending any of the negative points here (except the bullshit false ones) - but of course there are good and bad things in each city. But on the whole, this is a very safe city.

Oh and about the blue skies - right now the skies are VERY blue..but i would say its a 50/50 split with blue and grey due to the sand/dust from construction and the shamals.

 

[Spongebob]

Stunning.

 

[Phat Michael]

Those pictures and the city in general look amazing. I love reading the posts by those who've lived/worked there.

What kind of work gets done there? How do you even get recruited to work there? It looks like an extreme high-class version of Vegas (from the outside at least, minus all the shady characters)

Dubai is being positioned as a Tourism and knowledge hub right now. There is zero oil here (Abu Dhabi has oil, Kuwait and Saudi) - so Dubai makes its money from the following:

- Tourism
- Shopping
- Events (Huge amount of business events and concerts throughout the year)
- Hotels/Restaurants/Night life etc

There are themed free zones in Dubai which license companies depending on industry category. So if you are an IT company, you set up in Dubai Internet City, if you are a media company, you set up in Dubai Media City, and so on. 400 of the top fortune 500 companies have offices here. This is due to zero tax and the fact that Dubai is a trading hub where 4 billion people can be reached within 6 hours flight.

You asked about what we do - for example i am in charge of the marketing for two of the free zones here in Dubai. So about 500 companies come under me.

To get recruited here, you either have to be here OR be important enough that someone is willing to headhunt you and fly you over.

 

[Illithid Dude]

You have no idea what you are talking about. Emirates Towers, Jumeirah Beach Hotel, Madinat Jumeirah, JW Marriot SZR - all these are easily accessible and have ground floor retail.

Why make points like this when they are clearly untrue?

Yes, there are exceptions to the rule (like the Marina Promenade), but the vast majority of high rises in Dubai are the anti-thesis of pedestrian friendly. Would you really consider it a positive experience to walk down Sheikh Zayed Road, for example? And I'm talking about the newer areas here, as older areas are very pedestrian friendly.

 

[kage]

.

 

[Phat Michael]

Honestly, when I first came to Dubai, the skies were blue. In recent history, however, I can't really recall much beyond grayer skies in the urban areas.

In just took this where I am right now. it's not so bad.

 

[Phat Michael]

Yes, there are exceptions to the rule (like the Marina Promenade), but the vast majority of high rises in Dubai are the anti-thesis of pedestrian friendly. Would you really consider it a positive experience to walk down Sheikh Zayed Road, for example? And I'm talking about the newer areas here, as older areas are very pedestrian friendly.

yeah dubai in general doesn't have the open walkthrough markets, mainly due to it being too hot for 6 months of the year. however, marina walk as you mentioned addresses this. it's more of a drive to the mall and walk around type city for sure.

 

[Necromanti]

In just took this where I am right now. it's not so bad.

Yeah, that looks fine. I think it's because I live close to a port though, lol. But I guess that in general, it's alright as long as there are not a lot of airborne sand particles that bring down visibility.

 

[Phat Michael]

Yeah, that looks fine. I think it's because I live close to a port though, lol. But I guess that in general, it's alright as long as there are not a lot of airborne sand particles that bring down visibility.

it all depends on time of year i guess. I'm at the world trade centre right now and it's pretty blue.. though getting much hotter!

 

[Blue Ninja]

I need to visit this city one day.

Preferably before Spec Ops: The Line happens.

 

[Lakitu]

Good thread.

This website (Sebastian Opitz) has my favourite Dubai photography

Loads more on the website.

 

[Slayven]

You just had to remind me, didn't you.

It looks incredible too, now it just needs more people.

Hahaha I sing this to myself every once in a while.

 

[Kinder Egg]

I really miss Dubai. I think it's such a nice place to live, full of great people and fun things to do.

 

[SquiddyCracker]

What I don't get is why they insist on maintaining muslim-based laws.
I'm sure none of the royalty believes in them, and do they even have subjects that needs placating through religion?
If 90% of the people living there are foreigners, the other 9% are foreign workers (who probably aren't muslim or going to care about muslim laws), then what's the point in maintaining a muslim facade for the remaining 1%?

Not being allowed to kiss in public, heck even if you're a straight couple, is not the sort of thing that is very conductive to increased tourism.

 

[Furious Styles]

Dat orange and blue.

I read this and now that's all I can see. Damn. :|

 

[Phat Michael]

What I don't get is why they insist on maintaining muslim-based laws.
I'm sure none of the royalty believes in them, and do they even have subjects that needs placating through religion?
If 90% of the people living there are foreigners, the other 9% are foreign workers (who probably aren't muslim or going to care about muslim laws), then what's the point in maintaining a muslim facade for the remaining 1%?

Not being allowed to kiss in public, heck even if you're a straight couple, is not the sort of thing that is very conductive to increased tourism.

Dude like..just stop. There is so much wrong information in your post. We get it, you dont like Dubai. Your posts imply that CLEARLY - but stop making wrong posts. How do you know that Sheikh Mohammad or Sheikh Khalifa dont believe in the laws? And UAE nationals do NOT make up 1% of the population

1) "The Bureau’s report showed Emiratis were estimated at 947,997, nearly 11.5 per cent of the total, making the UAE among the Gulf countries have the lowest proportion of natives to the overall population." http://www.emirates247.com/news/emirates/uae-population-put-at-7-2-mn-2012-04-03-1.451861

2) You realise expatriates can also include Expat Arabs from the GCC and Levant (Jordan, Bahrain, Oman, Kuwait) - who have a high proportion of Muslims.

We really need to stop this kind of baseless posting which has no value whatsoever. If you dont know about a topic - why are you just guessing your statistics?

On Tourism/Hospitality and your comment:

• Tourism contributed to 14% of the UAE Economy in 2012 which is above the global trend of 9% (Page i and 1 of WTTC Report– Travel and Tourism Economic Impact 2013)

• Revenues from the hotel and hospitality market will reach US$4.9 billion (Dh17.99bn) this year, up from $4.5bn last year, and will eventually grow to $7.5bn by 2016 as tourists continue to flood into the country, according to Alpen Capital’s latest GCC industry report. (Page 20, GCC Hospitality Industry Report October 2012)

• The growth in the UAE hospitality market will also outpace the overall GCC market, which is expected to increase at 8.1 per cent per year until 2016. (Page 6, GCC Hospitality Industry Report October 2012)

I can keep going all day, this is my area of expertise and i just completed a full market research study on this.

 

[kurahador]

Does sandstorm comes often? Is it dangerous?

 

[Milamber]

In just took this where I am right now. it's not so bad.

Ooh, the Trade center area, right behind the old apartments.



Got to find my binoculars and try to spot you.


EDIT: Fun fact. The yellowed apartments just right of his photo are the same ones on that 30+ year old photo on the first page...

 

[Parakeetman]

For anyone interested in Dubai and a bit of its history, do highly recommend this book.

Still got it next to the PC here and am going to send it off to my father whos recently come back from a business trip there.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/1848870094/?tag=neogaf0e-20

 

[Bumhead]

Fun fact. The yellowed apartments just right of his photo are the same ones on that 30+ year old photo on the first page...

Nice bit of trivia that.

Would love to see some more shots of Dubai before and during such rapid construction and transportation. I should look more into that.

 

[Phat Michael]

Does sandstorm comes often? Is it dangerous?

No and no. It is NOT like in Mission Impossible 4. Basically, if you leave some windows open, some sand will be on your floor. You see mini sand tornado's but the Shamal's are not dangerous.

 

[$200]

What a monument to waste and exploitation. The entire place should be burned to the ground.

 

[Mii]

Some snippets from Wikipedia:

[b]Year 	Population[/b]
1822 	1,200
1900 	10,000
1930 	20,000
1940 	38,000
1954 	20,000
1960 	40,000
1968 	58,971
1975 	183,000
1985 	370,800
1995 	674,000
2005 	1,204,000
2013 	2,106,177

If you build it, they will come. This doesn't seem like Chinese ghost city numbers to me.

[b]City 	Density 	Area[/b] 	
Dubai 	463.17/km2 	4,114 km2
NYC 	10,640/km2 	1,213 km2

At the same time this city by no means is packed. I couldn't find numbers for specifically metropolitan Dubai, except this interactive map that isn't fully in English. If anyone can gather some details from it, it might be useful.

[B]% 	Nationality (2005)[/B]
53.0% 	Indian
17.0% 	Emirati
13.3% 	Pakistani
07.5% 	Bangladeshi
02.5% 	Filipino
01.5% 	Sri Lankan
00.3% 	American
05.7% 	other countries

One key point to remember is this is the cultural make-up as of 2005 when the population was 1.2M. The population number is now almost 75% greater. Has anyone seen anything detailing where the recent growth has been? What ethnicities are coming to Dubai, and what are they coming to do? I can't figure its more indentured servitude for construction since construction basically halted in 2008.

I think we can figure the Bangladeshi population there is entirely effectively in indentured servitude. The Indian population though is a bit more of a mixed bag:

Per Wikipedia:

Foreigners constitute 99% of the UAE's labour force, of which Indians are a sizable majority. In addition to employment-based migrants from India, many Indian entrepreneurs in the UAE have established successful national franchises such as Landmark Group,Lulu Group, Jashanmal, Jumbo Electronics, Choithram's, the Varkey Group, Alukkas, Lal's and New Medical Center. By 1996, at least 150 Indian companies were operating in the Jebel Ali Free Zone (JAFZ), and even today, more than 50% of work force are Indian only in one of the most successful and role model Free Trade Zone of world. Over 35% of Indian workers in the UAE were engaged in manufacturing, transport and related professions, while 20% were engaged in professional and technical fields. A study conducted in 2004 found the median salary range of Indian migrants to be between Dh 1,001—1,500 (between US$ 270—408) per month (or US$ 3,240—4,896 per year), considerably below the national per capita income of US$ 55,200. Only 9% of those surveyed earned a salary of Dh 5,000 (US$ 1,360) or more per month. However, a 2005 Merrill Lynch report estimated that there were approximately 33,000 Indian millionaires living in the UAE. Indian works typically save most of their earnings through employment benefits on accommodation and transport, and income tax free provisions of the UAE. As a result, a majority of the money is remitted for the maintenance of migrants' households in India. In 2005, an estimated US$ 7 billion was remitted, about half of which was sent through informal hawala channels. About 70% of all remittances from the UAE (or US$ 5 billion) was sent to India, with 60% alone being remitted to Kerala.

Salaries back in 2004 on median were well below the national per capita income. However, I can't find anything more recent. Clearly the living arrangement with certain employers is poor for many based on other reports and documentaries, but I feel like a lot of information we have now is nearing 7 years old. With a boom of 1 million more people, I'm sure conditions have changed to some extent. Anyone living there now want to comment on differences in wealth and the correlation with differences in ethnicity?

On their economy (Wikipedia):

Dubai's gross domestic product as of 2011 was US $83.4 billion. Although Dubai's economy was built on the back of the oil industry, revenues from oil and natural gas currently account for less than 7% of the emirate's revenues. It is estimated that Dubai produces 50,000 to 70,000 barrels (11,000 m3) of oil a day and substantial quantities of gas from offshore fields. The emirate's share in UAE's gas revenues is about 2%. Dubai's oil reserves have diminished significantly and are expected to be exhausted in 20 years.

Dubai doesn't receive enough recognition for realizing it cannot continue to rely on oil. They're not building in an effort to show off their oil wealth. They're building so they can continue to grow their wealth far into the future. Infrastructure construction is key to that goal.

Real estate and construction (22.6%), trade (16%), entrepôt (15%) and financial services (11%) are the largest contributors to Dubai's economy. Dubai's top exporting destinations include India (US$ 5.8 billion), Switzerland (US$ 2.37 billion) and Saudi Arabia (US$ 0.57 billion). Dubai's top re-exporting destinations include India (US$ 6.53 billion), Iran (US$ 5.8 billion) and Iraq (US$ 2.8 billion). The emirate's top import sources are India (US$ 12.55 billion), China (US$ 11.52 billion) and the United States (US$ 7.57 billion). As of 2009 India was Dubai's largest trade partner.

They've already begun a transition off of reliance on oil. Granted, alot of their current boom is a result from construction, and that can't last forever. Many regions in China face a similar problem, but as established earlier, this is not a Chinese ghost city by any means. Proper management will lead to shifting more and more weight of resources towards trade, financial services, tourism, and technology.

The government's decision to diversify from a trade-based, oil-reliant economy to one that is service and tourism-oriented made property more valuable, resulting in the property appreciation from 2004 to 2006. A longer-term assessment of Dubai's property market, however, showed depreciation; some properties lost as much as 64% of their value from 2001 to November 2008. The large scale real estate development projects have led to the construction of some of the tallest skyscrapers and largest projects in the world such as the Emirates Towers, the Burj Khalifa, the Palm Islands and the world's fourth tallest, and most expensive hotel, the Burj Al Arab. The Dubai Financial Market (DFM) was established in March 2000 as a secondary market for trading securities and bonds, both local and foreign. As of fourth quarter 2006, its trading volume stood at about 400 billion shares, worth $95 billion in total. The DFM had a market capitalisation of about $87 billion. The other Dubai-based stock exchange is NASDAQ Dubai, which is the international stock exchange in the Middle East. Its unique market enables a range of companies, including UAE and regional small and medium-sized enterprises, to trade on an exchange with an international brand name, with easy access by both regional and international investors.

Dubai had a bit of an early hype bubble early on purposefully to build recognition worldwide. The decline in prices during the Great Recession shows that their current population density couldn't support the inflated prices, and as a result, prices fell. This is not the same as saying the place is a bunch of empty buildings. Dubai may have overbuilt infrastructure at a pace greater than non-construction based growth, but China is doing the same thing and many areas of the US faced this problem. For the US, ease of credit led to overbuilding. For China, it is the method that regional governments are evaluated that is leading to ghost city construction. For the UAE, my hunch is potential overbuild is due to overemphasis on construction by the government similar to China. That does not mean these assets cannot come of use in the future.

Dubai is also known as City of Gold, a major part of economy based on Gold trades in Dubai, Dubai's total gold trading volumes in H1 2011 reached 580 tonnes (average price US$1,455).

I hadn't known about the gold trade in Dubai. I wonder how much fluctuations in the price of gold impact its economy.

A City Mayors survey rated Dubai as 44th among the world's best financial cities in 2007, while another report by City Mayors indicated that Dubai was the world's 33rd richest city in 2009, in terms of purchasing power parity (PPP). Dubai is also an international financial centre and has been ranked 37th within the top 50 global financial cities as surveyed by the MasterCard Worldwide Centres of Commerce Index (2007), and 1st within the Middle East.

This is where Dubai's future is if the government plays its cards right. If they can establish themselves as the financial market center of the Middle East in the coming decades, then they will stand to benefit.

Tourism is an important part of the Dubai government's strategy to maintain the flow of foreign cash into the emirate. Dubai's lure for tourists is based mainly on shopping, but also on its possession of other ancient and modern attractions. As of 2010, Dubai was the 7th most visited city of the world with 7.6 million visitors a year. Dubai is expected to accommodate over 15 million tourists by 2015. In 2012, inflation in the restaurant and hotel business saw a 16.4% increase. Dubai is the most populous emirate of the seven emirates of United Arab Emirates. It is distinct from other members of the UAE in that a large part of the emirate's revenues are from tourism.

Dubai has been called the "shopping capital of the Middle East". Dubai alone has more than 70 shopping malls, including the world's largest shopping mall, Dubai Mall. The city draws large numbers of shopping tourists from countries within the region and from as far as Eastern Europe, Africa and the Indian Subcontinent. While boutiques, some electronics shops, department stores and supermarkets operate on a fixed-price basis, most other outlets consider friendly negotiation a way of life.

The stories of tourists being raped and put in jail isn't going to help this particular endeavor. Cultural changes will need to occur to accommodate to a world tourism audience, but for now the city can cater to the Middle East primarily.

 

[Black Door]

Nice to see a thread about beautiful buildings being used to push a political or anti-Muslim agenda

 

[sephi22]

Things to do in Dubai. (These are things I or people I know have done)

* Go on a desert safari
* Go on a dhow cruise
* Go on a regular cruise
* Get shitfaced in a bar
* Go watch bellydancing
* Go watch mujras
* Hire prostitutes
* Go to a massage parlor and get a happy ending
* Smoke shisha
* Visit one of the billion malls
* Watch a movie on the largest IMAX screen in ME+Asia
* Visit a nightclub
* Get a girlfriend. Take her to the mall. Hug her in public (Nothing happens)
* Go skydiving
* Go indoor skydiving
* Go skiing in a mall
* Buy video games a week before release date
* Drive at 90 MPH at 3 AM on Sheikh Zayed Road, with windows down
* Eat great food at expensive restaurants
* Eat cheap food at street vendors in Bur Dubai
* Buy gold. Lots of it
* Take part in fighting game tournaments and midnight releases of games
* Eat burger king at 4 AM.
* Visit Jumeirah beach. Get a tan
* Roam Jumeirah/Barsha/Sheikh Zayed Road at 3 AM alone with complete sense of security.

But no. Restrictive, backwards Islamic country and all that. Boo hoo.
After living 5 years in Dubai and getting hyped about living in the USA, what I've seen so far in Los Angeles pales in front of Dubai.

 

[Karma Kramer]

So much ignorance up in here. Just go to Dubai...You'll find the majority of women are not only not wearing Hijabs etc, but many are wearing short shorts, tank tops or tight t-shirts etc. And yes, you can talk with girls etc as you would any other country. Just don't do anything too obscene, and if you do want to, save it for the clubs, your home, hotel or apartment lol.

Just yesterday:

Sharia in action in modern, moderate Dubai: couple gets year in jail for sex outside of marriage

Dubai: A couple has been sentenced to a year in jail for sex outside of marriage, after the man’s wife reported them to police.

The man’s wife was in the couple’s marital home in Discovery Gardens on November 29 at the time of the incident. She was in the living room while the pair were in the bedroom.

The hotel manager and his partner pleaded not guilty when they appeared before the Dubai Misdemeanour Court. They said they got married in Ukraine on August 1, 2012 and provided the judge with a copy of their marriage contract.

“It is true that we were having consensual sex… but I was not on good terms with my wife and we had marital problems that were leading us to divorce,” the manager said in court.

Records said the manager provided the judge with Sharia court papers certifying that he divorced his wife in December 2012.

“My husband is a Hindu and he is not allowed to have two wives at the same time. We had agreed to divorce but he was supposed to provide me with housing, which he didn’t. I was staying in the house temporarily until we settled things. When he brought his lover with him, I asked him to kick her out. He didn’t,” the man’s ex-wife said.

The Ukrainian woman is believed to be seven months’ pregnant.

Records said the 35-year-old Indian manager started having sex outside of marriage with his 22-year-old Ukrainian girlfriend in March 2012 while still married to his 32-year-old countrywoman.

The manager said that he was not satisfied with his marriage and he asked for a divorce when his Ukrainian girlfriend got pregnant.

The couple claimed that they had consensual sex nearly 60 times since they first met. The defendants asked the court to acquit them because they were married and didn’t have sex outside of marriage.

According to Tuesday’s judgement, the court decided the pair had sex outside marriage as they confessed their relationship blossomed in April 2012, while the manager got divorced in December.

The pair will be deported following the completion of their jail terms, said presiding judge Mohammad Shawqi....

http://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/uae/crime/couple-jailed-for-sex-outside-marriage-in-dubai-1.1185082

 

[Phat Michael]

Some snippets from

Dude - are you really posting some 2005 figures? A lot of your data is REALLY out. The census data i posted is from 2012 which is a better representative and the tourism and Hospitality data is from 2012/13 reports. I see a lot of your stuff is also from 2010/11 which isnt very recent to be drawing data from TBH.

 

[Phat Michael]

Just yesterday:

Sharia in action in modern, moderate Dubai: couple gets year in jail for sex outside of marriage



http://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/uae/crime/couple-jailed-for-sex-outside-marriage-in-dubai-1.1185082

what was the point of posting this?

 

[Karma Kramer]

what was the point of posting this?

Dubai has crazy laws?

Anyone thinking about visiting should be made aware so that they don't end up in prison?

 

[Artemisia]

Things to do in Dubai. (These are things I or people I know have done)

* Go on a desert safari
* Go on a dhow cruise
* Go on a regular cruise
* Get shitfaced in a bar
* Go watch bellydancing
* Go watch mujras
* Hire prostitutes
* Go to a massage parlor and get a happy ending
* Smoke shisha
* Visit one of the billion malls
* Watch a movie on the largest IMAX screen in ME+Asia
* Visit a nightclub
* Get a girlfriend. Take her to the mall. Hug her in public (Nothing happens)
* Go skydiving
* Go indoor skydiving
* Go skiing in a mall
* Buy video games a week before release date
* Drive at 90 MPH at 3 AM on Sheikh Zayed Road, with windows down
* Eat great food at expensive restaurants
* Eat cheap food at street vendors in Bur Dubai
* Buy gold. Lots of it
* Take part in fighting game tournaments and midnight releases of games
* Eat burger king at 4 AM.
* Visit Jumeirah beach. Get a tan
* Roam Jumeirah/Barsha/Sheikh Zayed Road at 3 AM alone with complete sense of security.

But no. Restrictive, backwards Islamic country and all that. Boo hoo.
After living 5 years in Dubai and getting hyped about living in the USA, what I've seen so far in Los Angeles pales in front of Dubai.

Yeah, I lived there for 3 years myself and I don't get where people get the idea that there's nothing to do aside from visiting malls.

Most people who bitch about the place haven't even visited it.

 

[Phat Michael]

Dubai has crazy laws

And how does that effect the skyline of Dubai or photography or are you just content to post troll posts?

Many countries have archaic laws.

Singapore - Death penalty for drugs. Huge fines for chewing gum (Which is banned)
America- you are allowed to own guns and walk around with them on the street.

There is probably more to that story than is initially apparent - its not like you cant fuck anyone here just dont get caught doing it unless its your wife - pretty simple.

 

[Polari]

Things to do in Dubai. (These are things I or people I know have done)

* Go on a desert safari
* Go on a dhow cruise
* Go on a regular cruise
* Get shitfaced in a bar
* Go watch bellydancing
* Go watch mujras
* Hire prostitutes
* Go to a massage parlor and get a happy ending
* Smoke shisha
* Visit one of the billion malls
* Watch a movie on the largest IMAX screen in ME+Asia
* Visit a nightclub
* Get a girlfriend. Take her to the mall. Hug her in public (Nothing happens)
* Go skydiving
* Go indoor skydiving
* Go skiing in a mall
* Buy video games a week before release date
* Drive at 90 MPH at 3 AM on Sheikh Zayed Road, with windows down
* Eat great food at expensive restaurants
* Eat cheap food at street vendors in Bur Dubai
* Buy gold. Lots of it
* Take part in fighting game tournaments and midnight releases of games
* Eat burger king at 4 AM.
* Visit Jumeirah beach. Get a tan
* Roam Jumeirah/Barsha/Sheikh Zayed Road at 3 AM alone with complete sense of security.

But no. Restrictive, backwards Islamic country and all that. Boo hoo.
After living 5 years in Dubai and getting hyped about living in the USA, what I've seen so far in Los Angeles pales in front of Dubai.

* Go to prison for pre-marital sex
* Go to prison for swearing or insulting someone
* Go to prison for criticising Islam

 

[sephi22]

* Go to prison for pre-marital sex

My friends have sex all the time. But they do it in their houses, and they use protection. Life's good.

* Go to prison for swearing or insulting someone

Never happened to any of us. Have thrown and received insults from bad drivers. Have got into fistfights. Don't see why it should be in my list.

* Go to prison for criticising Islam

In a country where the locals are the minority, where Arabs are only 1 in 10 people, and where you enjoy the liberties that you don't in the rest of the middle east, and even most of the world (No tax), where you're only reminded that its an Islamic country because every mall has a prayer room and restaurants are closed during daytime in Ramadan, criticizing their religion isn't the brightest idea. There are other countries where you can be fucking stupid and get away with it. But if criticizing the least Islamic Islamic city for being Islamic is your idea of fun, Dubai is not for you.

 

[Karma Kramer]

And how does that effect the skyline of Dubai or photography or are you just content to post troll posts?

Many countries have archaic laws.

Singapore - Death penalty for drugs. Huge fines for chewing gum (Which is banned)
America- you are allowed to own guns and walk around with them on the street.

There is probably more to that story than is initially apparent - its not like you cant fuck anyone here just dont get caught doing it unless its your wife - pretty simple.

It doesn't effect the skyline, but the discussion shifted to tourism, in which case my post is relevant.

I agree that most countries have crazy laws.

And I dig the skyline! Its very sci-fi and unlike most city skylines. I also dig their fireworks style. I would take up the opportunity to travel to Dubai if it was in the cards. But I don't travel much because its pretty expensive.

 

[sephi22]

In just took this where I am right now. it's not so bad.

Sick. I live(d) right next to the Jumeirah Emirates towers. My house is about 5 minutes from where you're standing. (By Car)

 

[waypoetic]

Dubai to me just comes off as total overkill and completely uneccesary.

 

[Phat Michael]

My friends have sex all the time. But they do it in their houses, and they use protection. Life's good.


Never happened to any of us. Have thrown and received insults from bad drivers. Have got into fistfights. Don't see why it should be in my list.


In a country where the locals are the minority, where Arabs are only 1 in 10 people, and where you enjoy the liberties that you don't in the rest of the middle east, and even most of the world (No tax), where you're only reminded that its an Islamic country because every mall has a prayer room and restaurants are closed during daytime in Ramadan, criticizing their religion isn't the brightest idea. There are other countries where you can be fucking stupid and get away with it. But if criticizing the least Islamic Islamic city for being Islamic is your idea of fun, Dubai is not for you.

LOL! its like he wants to come here specifically to criticise Islam. That's fantastic.

Also - Go to prison for insulting someone and swearing - was he just making this up? Another one of these baseless accusations and posts which hold no merit because he "overheard something once on the bus"

Polari - have you been to any GCC country before?

 

[bunbun777]

Try walking around the streets with your loaded gun in America and see what happens to you. Not all states are the same. If you live in a state with concealed weapons laws then you can have one once the local law enforcement agency clears you.

What goes on in most of those buildings? Is it residence or commercial?

 

[Parakeetman]

And how does that effect the skyline of Dubai or photography or are you just content to post troll posts?

Many countries have archaic laws.

Singapore - Death penalty for drugs. Huge fines for chewing gum (Which is banned)
America- you are allowed to own guns and walk around with them on the street.

There is probably more to that story than is initially apparent - its not like you cant fuck anyone here just dont get caught doing it unless its your wife - pretty simple.

Though the major difference between crazy laws is the fact if they are enforced or not. That makes the difference.

Not a statement on the UAE or any other country for that matter, just stating a fact to put things into perspective.