By Sandra Long Weaver
Thinking of a trip to explore another culture and gain a better understanding of how people live in other parts of the world?
Consider traveling to the United Arab Emirates, specifically Dubai and Abu Dhabi.
According to the Mandela Research agency, Black American travelers are seeking more cultural and heritage experiences and a visit to the UAE is fifth on list of places Black Americans visit each year. Ghana tops the list. And my recent tour group had 22 Black Americans from all over the country.
I wasn’t quite sure what to expect on the eight-day get away to Dubai and Abu Dhabi but I was excited to make the trek. The most difficult part of the trip was a the 14-hour nonstop flight from Newark, N.J. to Abu Dhabi. Our English-speaking guide told our tour group of about 40 people that tourists often come with their own beliefs about the country but we would be learning about Middle East culture through their point of view. Our beliefs would be challenged. And they were.
Nicola Smith and her son Sean Smith had wanted to make the trip in 2023 to celebrate her milestone birthday but sickness made them postpone. “We came to celebrate and vacation,” Ms. Smith said. “I didn’t know what to expect.” Both she and her son said they would come back. “I like learning about cultures and how people live,” he said. Sean even said he would consider living in the UAE.
“The older I get, the more I get out of being with friends. I also want more exposure for my son. I want him to see more than Milwaukee,” Ms. Smith said.
One of our first stops was the Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building. Our tour took us to the 125th floor where we looked down on buildings that are 60 to 80 stories tall. It was amazing to see so many skyscrapers, some with infinity style pools on the rooftops. The building had an extra tour to take you to the 148th floor but I decided 125 floors was high enough. We also stopped by the seven-star hotel constructed in the shape of sailboat and in honor of people who once dived for the pearl industry.
We also learned the country is governed by seven families or tribes. They trace their history back hundreds of years but it was in 1971 the families joined together to run the country. Dubai is known as the financial capital of the country and Abu Dhabi as the cultural capital. Sharjah, the more conservative state in the Sunni Muslim-dominated country, is known as the Islamic capital. The newer buildings were carved out of the desert over the last 10 to 15 years, the guide told us.
Nearby Saudi Arabia is currently constructing a building that will be taller than the Burj Khalifa and the UAE is planning another building that will place visitors even higher in the clouds, our guide told us.
We visited a couple of recently constructed museums that showcased art over the centuries, history of science and technology developments in the country and the history of religion. There was also a museum telling the story of religion in the region, featuring rugs and cloths and other artifacts from ancient mosques.
And we also had lunch at the Sheikh Mohammed Centre for Cultural Understanding. The center opened about 25 years ago to teach visitors about traditions, religion and practices the UAE. We sat on Bedouin-style on carpets and pillows.
We traveled by bus around the area and visited the Al Ain oasis, a camel market, a date farm, Miracle Gardens and an amusement park and an open-air shopping market.
In Abu Dhabi, we visited the Sheik Zayed Grand Mosque where women did have to dress conservatively covering our hair with a scarf and wear a loose-fitting dress (an abaya) that covered our wrists and ankles. The pristine white mosque trimmed in gold is stunning. The mosque has three prayer halls that can accommodate nearly 10,000 worshippers.
On our walk through, we saw three amazing chandeliers, each weighing more than seven tons and the world’s largest hand-knotted carpet. It took over two years to complete and involved over 1,200 artisans.
We also visited the Louvre Abu Dhabi, which opened a few years ago. A Guggenheim museum and a religious museum are under construction next to it and should open sometime in 2026.The Louvre is magnificent. The roof is constructed of a metal design that allows sunlight and moonlight to pass through.The galleries allow people to move through freely. The religious museum will focus on the world’s three dominant religions _ Christianity, Islam and Judaism.
We also had one evening where we rode in enclosed jeeps over the sand dunes. It was an amazing experience.
For Horace and Sholanda Lynch of Florida, the trip to Dubai was a way to “get close to the original culture,” Horace said. They were part of a group of eight friends celebrating a wedding anniversary and a birthday. “I wanted to go to Dubai. I heard the cities here were up and coming cities. It was a great place to vacation and it is a safe environment,” he added.
Visiting Dubai has always been on the bucket list, Sholanda said. She said her mother had converted to Islam and for a while as a teenager, she also lived life as a Muslim woman. She said she has cousins who live in Dubai and have become immersed in the religious life there.
“The tour was very eye opening,” Sholanda said. “I didn’t know what to expect. I didn’t expect to visit so many museums.I enjoyed that about this trip. I liked learning about the history.”
