6 Best Sights in Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Without the creek, Dubai would not exist. This safe inlet, one of a few in the Gulf area, was the obvious choice for a commercial port for the sea trade that funds the region. Dubai port developed into the natural focus for ocean traffic around the Gulf, to the west, and for boats from India and Africa. The waterfront bears little resemblance to its early years, because it's been dredged and widened several times during the 20th century. On the Deira bank near the creek mouth are a series of low-rise merchant districts that include the major souks. Further inland at Al-Rigga and Garhoud, the Deira creek front is home to the first modernist architecture that transformed the city from local hub into worldwide style icon. Dubai's abras have been transporting people across the creek for as long as anyone can remember. These tiny engine-powered wooden boats provide a perfect outlook of the bustle of the creek, for just one dirham a crossing, and can deliver tourists from one souk to another in just a few minutes.

Take sunglasses when you visit the Gold Souk—no matter what time of day. The window displays shine with precious metals and cut stones that are so reflective they'll nearly blind you. The Gold Souk is one of the world's most important jewelry trading centers, catering to customers from the Gulf region and beyond. Jewelry is a portable method of storing wealth, and gold still makes up part of a woman's wedding dowry in many societies in Africa, the Arabian Gulf, and India. Citizens of these countries flock to Dubai to buy gold because prices are some of the most competitive in the world. There is a high proportion of very yellow gold, a finish popular in the region, but it's also possible to find gleaming metals and gems in almost any shape and color. If you can't find what you want, you can even have something made over a couple of days. Gold is sold by weight, a constantly shifting price that is consistent across the souk, with variations in price based only on workmanship.

Easily accessed via the abra station that delivers tourists from the textile souk across the river, the Spice Souk is one of the most popular destinations in Deira for visitors. It's only a small market, but the rear edges spill toward a more generic market area, which in turn meets the gold and perfume souks. Spices, dried herbs, and flowers and resinous globs of frankincense are displayed in large baskets in traditional alleyways and allow for some excellent photography opportunities. If you want to buy, look for saffron in particular, which comes in various qualities that will happily be displayed by the vendors. Feel free to ask them about everything—there are plenty of unrecognizable and surprising products available. It makes great fodder for the budding chef or simply the curious.

Cooking oil heading for Somalia, refrigerators for Iran, and used cars for countries around the Gulf—all of these goods and more are piled high on wooden dhows at the commercial wharf. A stroll around the wharves highlights Dubai's continued importance as a merchant city and offers insights into the low-tech trade that supplies much of the region, from the east coast of Africa to the west coast of the Indian subcontinent. This is not a primped-up tourist attraction; it's a workaday dock, so be aware of trucks and lifting equipment operating in the area.

Scents play a significant role in Arab traditions. Burning herbs and incense fill a room or tent with fragrance, and natural essential oils are mixed to create perfumes for the body. Traditionally were a luxury for the affluent, perfume oils are still stored in ornate bottles with tops fashioned from cut glass and semiprecious stones. Even with today's international fragrance brands, you can still have your own scent mixed at the Perfume Souk, which is more a dispersion of similarly themed stores along a street rather than a formal market area. Avoid the commercial brands (they may not be genuine anyway), and instead allow the perfumers to advise you on which oils are most suitable for your skin and lifestyle. They'll pack it all up in a unique bottle that doubles as a souvenir of the experience.