Muslim Travel Guide UAE: Dubai Halal Flights, Prayer Rooms and Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque
Reposted from the web
Summary: This Muslim travel guide to the UAE starts in Dubai and Abu Dhabi before Umrah, covering halal Emirates flights, visa-free entry, hotel prayer rugs, Dubai Mall, family travel, Abu Dhabi beach resorts, and Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque.
Travels in Three Arab Countries: Traditional and Modern UAE is presented here as a firsthand travel account in clear English, beginning with this scene: Before I made my intention (niyyah) for Umrah, my friends suggested we meet in Dubai to buy supplies. The account keeps its focus on Halal Travel, Yiwu Food, Mosque Travel while preserving the names, places, food, and historical details from the Chinese source.
Before I made my intention (niyyah) for Umrah, my friends suggested we meet in Dubai to buy supplies. I had never been interested in Dubai. I always thought it was too flashy and lacked cultural depth. The Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest building, and the seven-star Burj Al Arab hotel seemed tacky to me. I felt only the nouveau riche would be interested in such things.
However, after spending five days in Dubai and Abu Dhabi preparing for Umrah, my impression of the UAE improved. Especially after comparing it to Saudi Arabia and Egypt later in my trip, the UAE didn't seem so bad compared to those other two Middle Eastern powers.
Dubai is one of the seven emirates and the most populous city in the UAE. Many people think Dubai is the capital, but Abu Dhabi is the actual capital. The famous Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque is also located in Abu Dhabi.
Dubai started its economy with oil, but because reserves are limited, it couldn't rely on it forever. Dubai shifted its focus to tourism, aviation, trade, and finance. Now, oil accounts for less than 5% of Dubai's economy. This sets a great example for other Middle Eastern countries, showing that moving away from oil dependence is the right path.
Emirates is a state-owned pillar of the UAE and a five-star international airline. You don't need to request a halal meal because all meals served are halal and very delicious. On every flight, flight attendants take free photos for children that are ready instantly, and they also give out toys as souvenirs.
The weather in Dubai in December is cool, with daytime temperatures around 20 degrees Celsius and nighttime temperatures around 17 or 18 degrees. It is a great place for a winter vacation, but try to avoid visiting in the summer. Summer temperatures can reach 50 degrees, which is unbearable for outdoor activities.
Chinese passport holders can enter the UAE visa-free for up to 30 days. On your first entry into Dubai, you must use the manual lane to have your fingerprints taken; do not use the automated gates as you won't be able to pass. After your fingerprints are recorded, you can use the automated gates on future visits. At the manual lane, you can get a free Dubai SIM card with 1GB of data, which is enough for a day.
The best way to enjoy Dubai is by staying in a hotel and shopping. You can easily treat this place as a transit stop for two or three days before flying to other countries like nearby Qatar, Bahrain, Jordan, or Lebanon.
If you are transiting in Dubai, you can stay at the Holiday Inn, which is closest to the airport. It is an InterContinental chain brand, the price is reasonable, it offers good value, and the breakfast is rich.
The hotel room provides a prayer rug (sajjadah), and there are prayer rooms on the floor separated by gender where you can perform wudu. This is standard in the UAE; it would be strange if it weren't there.
The prayer room is fully equipped and even has various religious books.
Domino's Pizza fast food restaurant.
There is a Domino's Pizza fast-food shop next to the hotel. It is an American chain, and the pizza is tasty.
Atlantis Hotel
I checked Xiaohongshu and found that the Atlantis Hotel in Dubai is perfect for family trips and ranks number one. It has the world's largest water park, and booking a room includes free tickets. I booked two nights and was very satisfied with the experience. It offers much better value than the Atlantis in Sanya.
There are two Atlantis hotels in Dubai, and they are right next to each other. The newly built one has a more modern style, which is great for couples. The older one feels more like a dream and has more facilities designed for children.
Looking out from the room, you can see a panoramic view of Dubai. It is truly filled with skyscrapers. It reminds me of the signs of the end times, where nomads compete in wealth and build high-rises. The Arabs actually do this on purpose, knowing it helps fulfill the conditions for the end times.
The room also provides a prayer mat. I asked customer service, and they said it is a gift for guests to keep after checking out, so I brought it home with me.
I have seen this facility in bathrooms at hotels in the UAE and Saudi Arabia. The one on the left is a bidet for wudu (ablution). Please do not mistake it for a toilet and use it to relieve yourself.
The pool downstairs has a comfortable water temperature. People are made of water, and what child doesn't love playing in it?
There is a huge aquarium inside the hotel. When I was a child, I loved watching the underwater world; I found the deep sea mysterious and a bit scary.
I saw this manta ray in the wild while snorkeling in Indonesia. I have traveled through most of Southeast Asia and have many memories. Those countries aren't wealthy either and rely on tourism for a living, but they aren't as annoying as Egypt.
There is a Michelin-starred French restaurant on the first floor. I asked about it, and it requires a reservation. The meal takes over three hours, you cannot order off a menu, you just eat what they serve, and it costs about 3,000 RMB per person. My first thought was that Fahim wouldn't be able to sit still, and I also didn't want to feel like a sucker, so I chose the Lebanese restaurant in the picture below instead.
This restaurant is very comfortable. It has a great atmosphere, and sitting in the courtyard at night to watch the light show is lovely, plus the service is excellent.
The waiter brought Fahim some brushes and a writing pad to keep him quiet for a while so we could enjoy our meal.
The fruit juice at the restaurant was excellent, with a thick texture that tasted like it had not a single drop of water added.
The whole meal cost us about 1,000 RMB. A small incident happened when we mentioned to the waiter that the vegetable salad was too salty. They brought the manager over to apologize and made us a fresh one.
Breakfast at Atlantis is very rich, and there are two breakfast halls. I visited both. They serve food from all over the world, including Middle Eastern specialties, Southeast Asian flavors, and Chinese food. It runs from 7:00 to 11:30, so you can eat early and then go back at 11:00 to skip lunch. People here usually eat two meals a day: a brunch and a late dinner.
Hotel guests get free tickets to the water park, and Atlantis currently has the largest water park in the world.
The park has a play area for toddlers, but Fahim is only a year old, so he could not do many of the activities.
He was most interested in the sand under the trees by the road, where he could play for an hour.
THE QASAB Turkish Restaurant
We found this Turkish restaurant by the sea on Palm Jumeirah and had a very authentic Turkish meal.
Restaurants on Palm Jumeirah are not expensive, with an average cost of about 150 RMB per person.
Dubai Desert Day Tour
I had no interest in a desert trip, but my travel companions really wanted to experience it. We bought a day tour package on Trip.com for 350 RMB per person, which included round-trip transportation, camel riding, dune bashing, a dance performance, and a dinner buffet.
There is a prayer room where you rent motorcycles, which you can find everywhere in the UAE.
A quick heads-up about dune bashing: the drivers use Toyota Land Cruisers. Everyone in the car must buckle their seatbelts as the vehicle speeds up and down the desert dunes. It lasts about half an hour and is very exciting, but it can be tough if you get motion sickness, as you might feel nauseous or vomit.
The vehicles used for dune bashing are all Toyota Land Cruisers.
After dune bashing, we arrived at this tent camp to wait for dinner and the show.
I asked the staff where the prayer room was. After looking for a while, I realized this was it. This style of prayer room is based on the earliest prototypes of the mosque.
There are two types of buffets. One is free, where you line up at the bottom to get your food. The other is a VIP option that costs extra; you sit on a viewing platform, don't have to wait in line, and have a better view.
There is a variety of Arabic grilled meats, including chicken, beef, and lamb, for you to choose from.
The viewing platform is mostly filled with tourists from Europe and America. They wear Arabic headscarves and look just like the locals.
There are three performances: a belly dance, a Turkish whirling dance, and a firework show.
Fahim caught the eye of an Arab gentleman who kept taking photos of his face, while another man behind them was performing namaz.
Hurricane's Grill steakhouse.
The Palm Jumeirah is a bit far from the city center, so for dinner, we went to Dubai Mall, the largest shopping center in Dubai, and ate at a delicious American-style steakhouse.
This shop is on the first floor of the mall, near the fountain. If you sit outside the restaurant at night, you can enjoy the musical fountain show.
American-style steak is known for its large portions. This serving is enough for four people, and the steak is grilled to be very tender.
There is a Din Tai Fung chain on the first floor of the mall. It is a Taiwanese Cantonese restaurant that is quite famous in Southeast Asia.
There is an Arabian-style street in the mall. We bought robes at this SENSO clothing store. They have a complete selection of styles and reasonable prices, with one robe costing about 1,000 RMB.
Abu Dhabi
It takes about an hour to drive from Dubai to Abu Dhabi. Public transport is more troublesome and takes two to three hours. Since there were seven of us, it was more cost-effective to use Uber. We just hailed a business van, and it turned out to be a Mercedes.
The Ritz-Carlton, Abu Dhabi
We stayed at The Ritz-Carlton in Abu Dhabi. It is the closest hotel to the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque. The main entrance faces the mosque, offering a beautiful view. Although it is very close, it is still a two-kilometer walk.
Many people visit Abu Dhabi as a day trip from Dubai. After experiencing it ourselves, we felt that staying one night in Abu Dhabi is more comfortable. The hotels here offer better value than in Dubai and the environment is cleaner, while Dubai has some air pollution.
When guests enter the lobby, staff hand them local specialty drinks and dates. These dates are chocolate-flavored and extremely sweet.
A bellhop from Uganda drove a luggage cart to help us take our bags to our room. He could carry five pieces of luggage by himself and was very capable. I wanted to give him a tip on the spot, but we didn't have any cash on us. I kept thinking about it, planning to give him the tip when I saw him again.
The Ritz-Carlton backs onto a canal. At night, there are band performances by the canal. Sitting on the windowsill drinking black tea, eating steak, and listening to music is relaxing and pleasant.
You can ask the staff to bring your meal to your room. Dining in a hotel room here costs about 200 RMB per meal.
Breakfast at the Ritz-Carlton in Abu Dhabi is even more refined than at the Atlantis in Dubai. Just looking at how the food is plated is a treat. When staying at hotels in China, I have fewer breakfast options because the food is not halal, but in the UAE, I can enjoy it to my heart's content.
After breakfast, we took the kids for a walk in the hotel garden.
The beach and the water are definitely what Fahim likes most. You hardly see anyone on the Ritz-Carlton's private beach during the day. The staff brought us sand toys, and I think staying at the hotel to play with the kids without going out is the most comfortable way to travel.
This children's water play area has a sensor switch. Press it once, and it will spray water for about 10 minutes.
After that, we prepared to go to the Grand Mosque. You need to book your visit to the Grand Mosque online at szgmc.gov.ae.
The mosque is free to visit. I suggest arriving during prayer time so you can join the congregational prayer inside. Since the mosque is for flowing tours, you cannot stay long if you are not there for prayer.
There are many shops on the bottom floor of the Grand Mosque where you can choose to eat and shop.
Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque
Tourists can only walk around the square. The main hall is usually not open, so you can only pray in the side hall next to it. It is nearly a 1-kilometer walk from the entrance to the inside of the mosque, but they have free shuttle buses and escalators, which is very thoughtful.
The side hall is also large. When it is time for prayer, two people in brown robes come to lead the service: one to recite the adhan and one imam.
The main hall only opens for Friday prayers (Jumu'ah), or during Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha. Tourists can take photos from the doorway.
The ablution room (wudu room) contains a circular water basin.
The Grand Mosque is a palace of art and is truly magnificent, but there are so many tourists that it is hard to find peace for namaz inside.
Fahim cannot appreciate the beauty of the Grand Mosque yet; he is only interested in the stones by the side of the road.
Louvre Abu Dhabi
To boost the cultural depth of the UAE, Abu Dhabi partnered with the Louvre in France to build a new branch in Abu Dhabi. Most of the collection inside is rented from France.
Summary: This Muslim travel guide to the UAE starts in Dubai and Abu Dhabi before Umrah, covering halal Emirates flights, visa-free entry, hotel prayer rugs, Dubai Mall, family travel, Abu Dhabi beach resorts, and Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque.
Travels in Three Arab Countries: Traditional and Modern UAE is presented here as a firsthand travel account in clear English, beginning with this scene: Before I made my intention (niyyah) for Umrah, my friends suggested we meet in Dubai to buy supplies. The account keeps its focus on Halal Travel, Yiwu Food, Mosque Travel while preserving the names, places, food, and historical details from the Chinese source.
Before I made my intention (niyyah) for Umrah, my friends suggested we meet in Dubai to buy supplies. I had never been interested in Dubai. I always thought it was too flashy and lacked cultural depth. The Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest building, and the seven-star Burj Al Arab hotel seemed tacky to me. I felt only the nouveau riche would be interested in such things.
However, after spending five days in Dubai and Abu Dhabi preparing for Umrah, my impression of the UAE improved. Especially after comparing it to Saudi Arabia and Egypt later in my trip, the UAE didn't seem so bad compared to those other two Middle Eastern powers.
Dubai is one of the seven emirates and the most populous city in the UAE. Many people think Dubai is the capital, but Abu Dhabi is the actual capital. The famous Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque is also located in Abu Dhabi.
Dubai started its economy with oil, but because reserves are limited, it couldn't rely on it forever. Dubai shifted its focus to tourism, aviation, trade, and finance. Now, oil accounts for less than 5% of Dubai's economy. This sets a great example for other Middle Eastern countries, showing that moving away from oil dependence is the right path.
Emirates is a state-owned pillar of the UAE and a five-star international airline. You don't need to request a halal meal because all meals served are halal and very delicious. On every flight, flight attendants take free photos for children that are ready instantly, and they also give out toys as souvenirs.
The weather in Dubai in December is cool, with daytime temperatures around 20 degrees Celsius and nighttime temperatures around 17 or 18 degrees. It is a great place for a winter vacation, but try to avoid visiting in the summer. Summer temperatures can reach 50 degrees, which is unbearable for outdoor activities.
Chinese passport holders can enter the UAE visa-free for up to 30 days. On your first entry into Dubai, you must use the manual lane to have your fingerprints taken; do not use the automated gates as you won't be able to pass. After your fingerprints are recorded, you can use the automated gates on future visits. At the manual lane, you can get a free Dubai SIM card with 1GB of data, which is enough for a day.
The best way to enjoy Dubai is by staying in a hotel and shopping. You can easily treat this place as a transit stop for two or three days before flying to other countries like nearby Qatar, Bahrain, Jordan, or Lebanon.
If you are transiting in Dubai, you can stay at the Holiday Inn, which is closest to the airport. It is an InterContinental chain brand, the price is reasonable, it offers good value, and the breakfast is rich.
The hotel room provides a prayer rug (sajjadah), and there are prayer rooms on the floor separated by gender where you can perform wudu. This is standard in the UAE; it would be strange if it weren't there.
The prayer room is fully equipped and even has various religious books.
Domino's Pizza fast food restaurant.
There is a Domino's Pizza fast-food shop next to the hotel. It is an American chain, and the pizza is tasty.
Atlantis Hotel
I checked Xiaohongshu and found that the Atlantis Hotel in Dubai is perfect for family trips and ranks number one. It has the world's largest water park, and booking a room includes free tickets. I booked two nights and was very satisfied with the experience. It offers much better value than the Atlantis in Sanya.
There are two Atlantis hotels in Dubai, and they are right next to each other. The newly built one has a more modern style, which is great for couples. The older one feels more like a dream and has more facilities designed for children.
Looking out from the room, you can see a panoramic view of Dubai. It is truly filled with skyscrapers. It reminds me of the signs of the end times, where nomads compete in wealth and build high-rises. The Arabs actually do this on purpose, knowing it helps fulfill the conditions for the end times.
The room also provides a prayer mat. I asked customer service, and they said it is a gift for guests to keep after checking out, so I brought it home with me.
I have seen this facility in bathrooms at hotels in the UAE and Saudi Arabia. The one on the left is a bidet for wudu (ablution). Please do not mistake it for a toilet and use it to relieve yourself.
The pool downstairs has a comfortable water temperature. People are made of water, and what child doesn't love playing in it?
There is a huge aquarium inside the hotel. When I was a child, I loved watching the underwater world; I found the deep sea mysterious and a bit scary.
I saw this manta ray in the wild while snorkeling in Indonesia. I have traveled through most of Southeast Asia and have many memories. Those countries aren't wealthy either and rely on tourism for a living, but they aren't as annoying as Egypt.
There is a Michelin-starred French restaurant on the first floor. I asked about it, and it requires a reservation. The meal takes over three hours, you cannot order off a menu, you just eat what they serve, and it costs about 3,000 RMB per person. My first thought was that Fahim wouldn't be able to sit still, and I also didn't want to feel like a sucker, so I chose the Lebanese restaurant in the picture below instead.
This restaurant is very comfortable. It has a great atmosphere, and sitting in the courtyard at night to watch the light show is lovely, plus the service is excellent.
The waiter brought Fahim some brushes and a writing pad to keep him quiet for a while so we could enjoy our meal.
The fruit juice at the restaurant was excellent, with a thick texture that tasted like it had not a single drop of water added.
The whole meal cost us about 1,000 RMB. A small incident happened when we mentioned to the waiter that the vegetable salad was too salty. They brought the manager over to apologize and made us a fresh one.
Breakfast at Atlantis is very rich, and there are two breakfast halls. I visited both. They serve food from all over the world, including Middle Eastern specialties, Southeast Asian flavors, and Chinese food. It runs from 7:00 to 11:30, so you can eat early and then go back at 11:00 to skip lunch. People here usually eat two meals a day: a brunch and a late dinner.
Hotel guests get free tickets to the water park, and Atlantis currently has the largest water park in the world.
The park has a play area for toddlers, but Fahim is only a year old, so he could not do many of the activities.
He was most interested in the sand under the trees by the road, where he could play for an hour.
THE QASAB Turkish Restaurant
We found this Turkish restaurant by the sea on Palm Jumeirah and had a very authentic Turkish meal.
Restaurants on Palm Jumeirah are not expensive, with an average cost of about 150 RMB per person.
Dubai Desert Day Tour
I had no interest in a desert trip, but my travel companions really wanted to experience it. We bought a day tour package on Trip.com for 350 RMB per person, which included round-trip transportation, camel riding, dune bashing, a dance performance, and a dinner buffet.
There is a prayer room where you rent motorcycles, which you can find everywhere in the UAE.
A quick heads-up about dune bashing: the drivers use Toyota Land Cruisers. Everyone in the car must buckle their seatbelts as the vehicle speeds up and down the desert dunes. It lasts about half an hour and is very exciting, but it can be tough if you get motion sickness, as you might feel nauseous or vomit.
The vehicles used for dune bashing are all Toyota Land Cruisers.
After dune bashing, we arrived at this tent camp to wait for dinner and the show.
I asked the staff where the prayer room was. After looking for a while, I realized this was it. This style of prayer room is based on the earliest prototypes of the mosque.
There are two types of buffets. One is free, where you line up at the bottom to get your food. The other is a VIP option that costs extra; you sit on a viewing platform, don't have to wait in line, and have a better view.
There is a variety of Arabic grilled meats, including chicken, beef, and lamb, for you to choose from.
The viewing platform is mostly filled with tourists from Europe and America. They wear Arabic headscarves and look just like the locals.
There are three performances: a belly dance, a Turkish whirling dance, and a firework show.
Fahim caught the eye of an Arab gentleman who kept taking photos of his face, while another man behind them was performing namaz.
Hurricane's Grill steakhouse.
The Palm Jumeirah is a bit far from the city center, so for dinner, we went to Dubai Mall, the largest shopping center in Dubai, and ate at a delicious American-style steakhouse.
This shop is on the first floor of the mall, near the fountain. If you sit outside the restaurant at night, you can enjoy the musical fountain show.
American-style steak is known for its large portions. This serving is enough for four people, and the steak is grilled to be very tender.
There is a Din Tai Fung chain on the first floor of the mall. It is a Taiwanese Cantonese restaurant that is quite famous in Southeast Asia.
There is an Arabian-style street in the mall. We bought robes at this SENSO clothing store. They have a complete selection of styles and reasonable prices, with one robe costing about 1,000 RMB.
Abu Dhabi
It takes about an hour to drive from Dubai to Abu Dhabi. Public transport is more troublesome and takes two to three hours. Since there were seven of us, it was more cost-effective to use Uber. We just hailed a business van, and it turned out to be a Mercedes.
The Ritz-Carlton, Abu Dhabi
We stayed at The Ritz-Carlton in Abu Dhabi. It is the closest hotel to the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque. The main entrance faces the mosque, offering a beautiful view. Although it is very close, it is still a two-kilometer walk.
Many people visit Abu Dhabi as a day trip from Dubai. After experiencing it ourselves, we felt that staying one night in Abu Dhabi is more comfortable. The hotels here offer better value than in Dubai and the environment is cleaner, while Dubai has some air pollution.
When guests enter the lobby, staff hand them local specialty drinks and dates. These dates are chocolate-flavored and extremely sweet.
A bellhop from Uganda drove a luggage cart to help us take our bags to our room. He could carry five pieces of luggage by himself and was very capable. I wanted to give him a tip on the spot, but we didn't have any cash on us. I kept thinking about it, planning to give him the tip when I saw him again.
The Ritz-Carlton backs onto a canal. At night, there are band performances by the canal. Sitting on the windowsill drinking black tea, eating steak, and listening to music is relaxing and pleasant.
You can ask the staff to bring your meal to your room. Dining in a hotel room here costs about 200 RMB per meal.
Breakfast at the Ritz-Carlton in Abu Dhabi is even more refined than at the Atlantis in Dubai. Just looking at how the food is plated is a treat. When staying at hotels in China, I have fewer breakfast options because the food is not halal, but in the UAE, I can enjoy it to my heart's content.
After breakfast, we took the kids for a walk in the hotel garden.
The beach and the water are definitely what Fahim likes most. You hardly see anyone on the Ritz-Carlton's private beach during the day. The staff brought us sand toys, and I think staying at the hotel to play with the kids without going out is the most comfortable way to travel.
This children's water play area has a sensor switch. Press it once, and it will spray water for about 10 minutes.
After that, we prepared to go to the Grand Mosque. You need to book your visit to the Grand Mosque online at szgmc.gov.ae.
The mosque is free to visit. I suggest arriving during prayer time so you can join the congregational prayer inside. Since the mosque is for flowing tours, you cannot stay long if you are not there for prayer.
There are many shops on the bottom floor of the Grand Mosque where you can choose to eat and shop.
Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque
Tourists can only walk around the square. The main hall is usually not open, so you can only pray in the side hall next to it. It is nearly a 1-kilometer walk from the entrance to the inside of the mosque, but they have free shuttle buses and escalators, which is very thoughtful.
The side hall is also large. When it is time for prayer, two people in brown robes come to lead the service: one to recite the adhan and one imam.
The main hall only opens for Friday prayers (Jumu'ah), or during Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha. Tourists can take photos from the doorway.
The ablution room (wudu room) contains a circular water basin.
The Grand Mosque is a palace of art and is truly magnificent, but there are so many tourists that it is hard to find peace for namaz inside.
Fahim cannot appreciate the beauty of the Grand Mosque yet; he is only interested in the stones by the side of the road.
Louvre Abu Dhabi
To boost the cultural depth of the UAE, Abu Dhabi partnered with the Louvre in France to build a new branch in Abu Dhabi. Most of the collection inside is rented from France.
