Sunset at Jumeirah Beach in Dubai
After checking into my hotel, I went out again and headed to Jumeirah Beach, just in time for sunset. After dark, I walked around the Marina.
Dubai: Jumeirah Beach, Dubai Marina & Jumeirah Lakes Towers
After Burj Khalifa and the Emirates Towers, I took the Metro to the Dubai Marina, then switched to the newly opened tram, in order to get to Jumeirah Beach. There were a lot of people there. I walked along the beach for a while, then on the path bordering the canal of the Dubai Marina. I boarded a waterbus at some point. Finally, I made my way to the Jumeirah Lakes Towers, on the other side of Sheikh Zayed Road from the Marina, then walked to my hotel near Lake Almas West.
Dubai: Dubai Mall, Burj Khalifa & Emirates Towers
In November, I had to be out of Pakistan in order to renew my visa so I decided to go to Dubai and spend a few days there. I had been previously to Dubai Airport but it was my first time actually visiting.
After I got off the plane and passed customs, I took the metro to the area known as Downtown Dubai, which contains the Dubai Mall, Burj Khalifa and a lot of residential and office skyscrapers. At the mall, it was quite early in the morning so no stores were open yet. Then, after almost 2 hours since arriving, I finally emerged to open air near the basin that hosts the Dubai Fountain. I walked around the basin, taking many photos of Burj Khalifa, the highest building in the world. I then made my way to the observatory, just as it opened. I bought my ticket (~40€) and took the elevator to the 124th floor. The view was pretty good, although, unfortunately, there was nothing much interesting to look at while up there… I was surprised by how extended the city was: Even the Burj Al Arab was quite far away. After Burj Khalifa, I walked towards the Emirates Towers. There are pavements and even pedestrian signals but the area is not really designed for walking and it took me a long time under the hot sun to reach the towers. The walk passed next to very modern buildings and yet more were under constructions. After the Emirates Towers, I took the metro to the Dubai Marina, where my hotel was located.
Tomb of Mughal Emperor Jahangir
The Tomb of Jahangir is a mausoleum built for Jahangir, who ruled the Mughal Empire from 1605 to 1627. The mausoleum is located in Shahdara Bagh in Lahore, Pakistan, not far from the mausoleum of Jahangir’s wife Nur Jahan. The site also contains a mausoleum for Nur Jahan’s brother, Asif Khan, but my camera ran out of battery before I visited that part.
Tomb of Nur Jahan
The Tomb of Nur Jahan is a red sandstone mausoleum in Shahdara Bagh, a suburb of Lahore, Pakistan located north of the Ravi river. It was constructed for the Mughal empress Nur Jahan as her final resting place. It is very close to the tomb of her husband Mughal Emperor Jahangir and the tomb of her brother, Asif Khan. Nowadays, the two parts are separated by a railway.
Walk on The Mall, Lahore
The Mall in Lahore, Pakistan is Lahore’s primary and most famous road. It was constructed under the British Raj and was nostalgically named after The Mall in London. The Mall holds significant historical and cultural value, as most of the buildings lining the road are a collection of Mughal and colonial-era architecture, the majority of them built during the Raj era.
Jinnah Garden
Jinnah Garden (Bagh-e-Jinnah in Urdu) is a well-maintained park in Lahore, Pakistan, located on Mall Road next to the Lahore Zoo. It is named after Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the founder of Pakistan. The park has many kinds of plants, walking trails and lawns where to rest. It also houses a number of sports and entertainment facilities, as well as the Quaid-e-Azam Library.
Lahore Zoo
The Lahore Zoo was established in 1872 and is one of the oldest zoos in the world. These days, the zoo houses a collection of about 1380 animals of 136 species, making it one of the largest zoos in South Asia.
Shalimar Gardens
The Shalimar Gardens (sometimes written as Shalamar Gardens) are a Mughal garden complex located in Lahore, Pakistan. It was built by Emperor Shah Jahan (of Taj Mahal fame) in the mid-17th century. The gardens have been laid out from south to north in three levels of terraces. In the terraces, there are basins with 410 fountains in total. Unfortunately, none of them were working while I was there.
Lowering of the flags at Wagah Border
The Wagah border closing ’lowering of the flags’ ceremony, or The Beating Retreat ceremony, is a daily military practice that the security forces of India (Border Security Force) and Pakistan (Pakistan Rangers) have jointly followed since 1959. The Wagah Border is only a short car ride from Lahore and the spectacle of the ceremony attracts many visitors from Pakistan. The other side seemed packed as well.