Dubai Mall & Burj Khalifa, UAE

Dubai Mall and Burj Khalifa are the two most visited sites in Dubai, UAE, and they are next to each other.

The Dubai Mall is one of the largest shopping malls in the world in terms of total area. Located in Downtown Dubai, adjacent to the iconic Burj Khalifa, it offers an extensive range of shopping, dining, and entertainment options.

In addition to its vast array of shops, the Dubai Mall features attractions such as an indoor ice skating rink, an indoor theme park called KidZania, an aquarium and underwater zoo called Dubai Aquarium & Underwater Zoo, and the Dubai Fountain, which is the world’s largest choreographed fountain system.

During the flight from Luxor to Dubai, the plane followed the Nile River until it reached Cairo. As you can see in the images below, only a narrow strip of green land is on either side of the river, and the rest of the surrounding area is composed of deserts.

Not entirely certain, but it seems to be the Bent and Red Pyramids near Cairo.

The plane flew over Cairo, which is a large city.

The next morning, I had a buffet breakfast at my hotel.

I took the metro train to the Dubai Mall. The train is crowded, and usually, no seats are available. It is better to buy the gold pass, which allows a dedicated train carriage with fewer people but costs double.

I took the Metro train and arrived at the Burj Khalifa/Dubai Mall Metro Station. This long walkway connects the mall to the metro station.

Arrived at the mall

A large book store has many English books

It is a spacious mall with large areas for people to hang out.

Unlike other malls, this mall has many areas with seats so people can sit down and rest.

A food court

Outside the food court area is the water fountain where the water shows happen.

Another panoramic view closer to the fountain

I wanted to get into Burj Khalifa, so I walked to find the entrance

Turned around and looked back

I came to the other side of Burj Khalifa but found that the only entrance for the tourist was through the mall with the ticket to the observatory.

So I walked back to the mall

Came back to the mall

I went back to the mall with the intention of buying a ticket to visit the Burj Khalifa observatory. However, the price at the ticket counter was around $170. The staff informed me that it would be more affordable if I bought the ticket online. As a result, I decided to visit the observatory on another day.

For the remainder of the day, I walked around the mall

I came back to the water fountain area for the water show.

Many people were waiting for the show

The water show.  I was too close to the water to get the whole picture of the show.

I had to select a future date as the tickets for the same day were sold out for the observatory.

I purchased an online ticket for $65 and came back to Burj Khalifa,

The walkway from the mall to the Burj Khalifa,

At the observatory, 125 floors.  There are higher observatories, but more expensive.

I followed the view from the observatory, scanning from right to left.

I came back to the vicinity of my hotel. In Dubai, almost 90% of the population consists of foreign workers who come from countries like India, Pakistan, and South East Asia. These workers are usually employed as low-cost laborers, and the area they live in is more affordable.

Dubai is known for its luxury and expensive lifestyle, but it also has areas that are more modest and affordable. The society in Dubai operates on a two-tier system.

I was told that this is Iranian food