2 Best Sights in Dubai, United Arab Emirates

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.

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.