Ibn Battuta Mall, DUbai
The mall is not too far from the Jebel Ali Village. This port town is situated about 35 kilometers from the city of Dubai. The Jebel Ali village housed the workers who built the port which is the largest man made harbor in the world and is also the largest port in this part of the world. Now there are over 5,500 companies at this village from more than 120 different countries. A Dubai tour would include a visit to this magnificent man made port.
The mall consists of six courts named after the countries which Ibn Battuta visited. These are China, India, Persia, Egypt, Tunisia and Andalusia. The major outlets from all over the malls in Dubai are all found in this mall too. This creates a link in the shopping in different areas and visitors can shop at any one of these malls and get products which are developed by these supermarket chains. Many of the giants in the industry have their outlets in these malls and Geant is one such French connection. Those who visit Dubai are also ardent shoppers and people from all over the world enjoy this pass time here in fact some only come to Dubai to shop. The mall is a very ambitious project by the builders in Dubai called Nakheel properties.
China court has a mega 21 screen cinema in the Megaplex which is the only IMAX theatre in UAE. There are two of the largest food courts which are located at two ends of the mall in the China Court and the Andalusia Court. Apart from these two food courts there are several outlets where people could enjoy coffee and refreshments right through the mall.
Apart from the modern shops with the designer wear and electronic equipment the mall also exhibits a lot of technological inventions which are ancient. A Dubai tour always includes a visit to the mall just to see all these wonderful artifacts. One of these pieces is the life size reproduction of the elephant clock which is an Islamic invention and is a water powered clock shaped like an elephant which works.
The courts which are named after the countries which Ibn Battuta visited are done up with a décor resembling each of these countries with displays, sculptures, ceilings and boats depicting life and art in these countries. Every court has food courts and restaurants and shops which belong to the upper market cadre and has stuff which is unique to it. However, these shops do have outlets in other malls and you might get some of this stuff in them too. The mall seems never ending when you look at it from the outside and to add to its vastness are the ten parking areas which you would have to get back to after you finish your tour of the mall. However, there are so many shops and things of interest that you do not really feel the distance that you have walked while you were in the mall. When you visit Dubai ensure that you have all the Dubai attractions listed so that you do not miss out on one of the important ones.