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Summer in Dubai is intense with relentless humidity and temperatures soaring close to 50°C (122°F). How did people stay cool before air conditioning? We had heard about barjeels – traditional wind towers – but we didn’t quite know how they worked, or if they were still used today ...  Show more

What’s a forest of ghaf trees called?Are ghaf leaves and pods edible?What do ghaf trees have to do with tree huggers?What might you find if you dig around ghaf trees?This episode is dedicated to the ghaf tree, the national tree of the UAE and a symbol of tolerance. This amazingly ...  Show more

For hundreds, maybe thousands of years, pearls and the sea were a very big part of people’s lives in the Gulf region. The pearl shaped the economy and the identity of the people. Language, songs, clothing and travel were all part of the culture of diving for pearls. Some people g ...  Show more

As summer approaches in Dubai, all we can think about is staying indoors and having fun. So, during this episode we look at Sindbad’s Wonderland—an indoor arcade paradise at Al Ghurair Centre for Dubai kids in the 1980s and 1990s. Spatika and Liz never had the chance to visit Sin ...  Show more

Dubai’s First Skyscraper Our first episode looks at Dubai’s first skyscraper -- Dubai World Trade Center. This 33-story building might seem tiny today compared to the more than 160-story Burj Khalifa and other super tall buildings. But, when DWTC opened in 1979, it was the talles ...  Show more