29 shameless photos of Dubai that will amaze you

Dubai has perfected the art of combining religious customs and traditions with modern leisure activities like water sports. Living in the desert landscape and yet jumping fully clothed into the refreshing water – that's a vibrant representation of Muslim culture!

Stand-up paddleboarding on a surfboard is becoming a popular pastime for both tourists and locals looking to cool off in the sweltering heat. This image takes us back in time to a time before technological marvels created beaches and islands from nothing. Despite the city's fame for its groundbreaking achievements, the people proudly cling to their traditions – and this is precisely what gives this emirate its incomparable charm.

Everything built in Dubai is either the best or the biggest in the world. This also applies to this artificial island, completed in 2007: Palm Jumeirah.

It is the largest artificial island ever created by man and extends Dubai's coastline by an impressive 520 km. Hotels, resorts, apartments, amusement parks—you name it, Palm Jumeirah has it all.

Normally, you wouldn't find the words "skiing" and "desert" in the same sentence. But in Dubai, nothing is impossible – here, skiers and snowboarders surf down the slopes in the middle of the desert! We owe this icy masterpiece to the creative minds of the Majid Al Futtaim Group, who are also responsible for the famous Mall of Emirates.

Welcome to "Ski Dubai" – an icy dream covering 22,500 square meters, inviting you to snowy fun on five slopes. Isn't it amazing how much this facility resembles an authentic ski lodge? The icing on the cake: This icy paradise is open year-round, so you can glide down the slopes even in the middle of a heatwave!

If someone is serious about losing weight, Dubai is an extremely tempting option. It might sound a bit strange at first, right? The government of Dubai is surprising everyone with an extraordinary idea: It's opening its gold vault and giving every citizen a whopping 2 grams of the shining metal as a reward once they bravely lose 2 kilograms of body weight.

This is serious business – every single calorie counts, and everything is weighed on the most precious scale, the gold scale!