Worried about your travel
carbon footprint? Then stop
booking flights and consider a few hours at the I
bn Battuta Mall, which is a homage to the journeys of its 14th century namesake and legend. Imagine the 75,000 miles (121,000 km) of travel Ibn Battuta endured as you wander through this
Dubai mall. Wander through Tunisia, Egypt, Andalusia,
India,
Persia and
China, while mingling at fashion and food bazaars including
H&M, The Gap,
Nike and
Starbucks. Interactive displays that cover Ibn Battuta’s journeys throughout the
Middle East and beyond, jaunts that were far more impressive than those of Marco Polo offer a sense of history amongst all the commerce.
Ibn Battuta Mall is like Epcot Center in the United Arab Emirates, with even more imported foreign workers but no rides. An easy hop on and off from the futuristic Dubai Metro, the decor inside is certainly impressive. And the people watching is certainly highly entertaining! Your version of
The Rihla will have plenty of great stories and observations after an hour or two here. Enjoy the pictures.
The entrance to Egypt, Ibn Battuta Mall
The Daiso store in Andalusia
The entrance to Egypt, Ibn Battuta Mall
Starbucks in the Persian Court
Tunisia at daybreak or dawn with Cinnabon
Elephant ride anyone? India
[...] One Picture: Desalination’s Results in Dubai Winter Jan 26, 2012 No Comments by Leon Kaye Shopping malls in Dubai are certainly entertaining, and the Mall of the Emirates is no exception. A coffee meeting [...]
[...] a futuristic touch to this beloved pastime in the Middle East. Whether you watch a camel race in Dubai or watch them practice in the Al Sawan area of Ras al-Khaimah (RAK), robot jockeys decked out in [...]
[...] could very well think you are in New York, or more accurately, Las Vegas. High end restaurants and food courts offer cuisine from around the world, from Greek to Mexican to Thai to of course, Indian. Numbers [...]
[...] port's growth and transformation, another may blanche at what he or she feels is a city full of the garish and artificial. The truth about this Middle East hub is somewhere in between. I prefer my [...]
[...] Past and Future Feb 18, 2012 No Comments by Leon Kaye When you are exhausted from Dubai's malls and high end hotels, take the Metro to old Dubai, specifically Bur Dubai, and walk around the [...]
[...] Malls that may be obnoxious to some are actually fascinating places to people watch and enjoy the diversity in Dubai that diminish San Francisco and Hong Kong to podunk provincial villages.But the overall [...]