Heritage Sites of Dubai

Once the inspiration for the 'Pieces of Me' project was complete, I made a mind map of all the memorable things that compose my life and how they have influenced me. Of course growing up in the Middle East played a large role in that, and as a result on a trip to Dubai I visited all the old heritage sites and while driving down the 12-lane motorways was able to really understand the huge shift from traditional Dubai, which was originally a small fishing village surrounding the Creek, to the metropolis it is at present.

I had the chance to go to a reconstructed Oasis, which is a small date palm forest in the desert, with traditional style Arabic buildings which had intricate designs on the walls, which I later found out were used to hide the defenses of forts! The wind tunnels are used to catch wind drafts and send them through the building much like an early form of AC, and were useful in determining the correct composition of the pieces. The most well-known animal of the Middle East is of course the camel, so I couldn't resist the opportunity to photograph the resident camel whom I nicknamed 'Khaled'.

It was 12 noon on a Friday, when we arrived at an old heritage site in Dubai called 'Bastakia' and so all the male Muslims in the area were walking for noon prayers. I stood a respectable distance away and tried not to disturb anyone as I captured their traditions of prayers. It was quite moving to watch the whole scenario as I had never been that close to the mosques during prayer time before.

While driving along the Sheikh Zayeed Road, the main motor way in Dubai, its hard to miss the tallest tower in the world; the Burj Khalifa. It really is awe-inspiring as you crane your neck to try and see the top of the tower above the cloud line. At over 828 metres (2,716.5 feet) and more than 160 stories, Burj Khalifa holds the following records:

•  Tallest building in the world

•  Tallest free-standing structure in the world

•  Highest number of stories in the world

•  Highest outdoor observation deck in the world

•  Elevator with the longest travel distance in the world

•  Tallest service elevator in the world 

The penultimate image has been manipulated, but I love the underlining serendipity of this photo, catching the light just as it bursts from cloud cover, silhouetting the wind towers.

 

 

This was the view from a friends bedroom, looking over the Dubai Marina skyline, casting light on the surrounding lakes, almost hiding the hustle & bustle of this fast moving city with the serenity of the fountain.

 Photo © Sarah Ashworth Photography -All Rights Reserved