Property To Buy In Dubai Sources of property to buy in dubai resources from the Web

There are an increasing number of "freehold" villas and flats which come with a guaranteed residence visa renewable every three years for a around US$1350 per person. The Jumeira Palm, an artificial island in the shape of a palm tree, is one of these. It is illegal to seek employment on this visa though, and a separate job visa must be obtained from an employer. It is common practice among Dubai employers to hold on to employees' passports for the duration of the employment contract. This is done to prevent expatriate employees from moving to higher paying jobs. On termination of an employment contract, expatriates and their families are usually banned from the country for six months.

Islam is the official religion of all the emirates. A vast majority of the people are Sunnis. There are foreign minority Hindus and Christians as well. Dubai is the only Emirate to house a Hindu temple.

The International Media Production Zone is a project targeted at creating a hub for printers, publishers, media production companies, and related industry segments. This project was launched in 2003 and is estimated to be completed by 2006.

Dubai is the second largest emirate in the federation after Abu Dhabi. The emirate is located on the Persian Gulf, southwest of Sharjah and northeast of Abu Dhabi, and reaches into the interior. The town of Hatta is a segregated portion of the emirate of Dubai and borders Wajajah, Oman.

Apart from donated land for the construction of churches and other religious facilities, including cemeteries, non-Muslim groups are not supported financially or subsidized by the Government. However, they are permitted to raise money from among their congregants and to receive financial support from abroad. Christian churches are permitted to openly advertise certain church functions, such as memorial services, in the press.

Emaar properties is on course to construct the world's tallest building, Burj Dubai. The corporation claims: "Burj Dubai's height is a closely guarded secret but it will beat all records and on a scale that will be a dramatic testament to Dubai's faith in the future."

Dubai International Airport is a fortress hub for Emirates airlines and has a vast Duty Free shopping centre. It is also considered to be among the world's best and finest airports. Dubai airport has won many awards for its excellence in design and services.

A post office of British India was opened August 19, 1909. It used the stamps of India on mail, with postmark "Dubai Persian Gulf", until India's independence in 1947, then stamps of Pakistan until March 31, 1948. Pakistan also becoming independent, the British government set up a postal administration for Eastern Arabia and used overprinted British stamps until January 7, 1961, when Dubai issued its own stamps inscribed "Trucial States". (Despite the name, these were only on sale in Dubai's post office.)

Non-Muslims in the country are free to practice their religion but may not proselytize publicly or distribute religious literature. The Government follows a policy of tolerance towards non-Muslim religions and, in practice, interferes very little in the religious activities of non-Muslims.

Dubai is fairly unique in that its population consists mainly of expatriates, with UAE Nationals (Emiratis) constituting the minority. The vast majority of these expatriates come from the Indian subcontinent and the Philippines. The UAE government does not allow any form of naturalization or permanent residence to expatriates. Even children born in the country are not granted citizenship, unless a parent is a UAE national. Discrimination against Asian expatriates is common. Salaries for lesser qualified citizens are usually several times that of a much higher qualified expatriate. Reports of Emirati employers defaulting on several months salaries are quite common. Expatriates from Western countries however, do not face such discrimination.

The ruler of Dubai is H.H. Sheikh Maktoum bin Rashid Al Maktoum, who is also the Prime Minister of the federation of the United Arab Emirates. The crown prince is H.H. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, one of the emir's younger brothers.

The horse race known as the Dubai World Cup is held annually, and is the world's richest horse race with over US$15,000,000 worth of prize money.