Dubai hotel offers bargains for upcoming religious holiday

Dubai’s upmarket AVANI Deira hotel is offering special rates for the upcoming Islamic holiday of Eid al-Adha.

A five-star hotel located four kilometers from Dubai International Airport (DXB), the AVANI Deira is offering room rates starting at AED 499, or about US$136 at current exchange rates. In addition, guests will receive a daily credit of AED 115, or about US$31, good toward food and beverages.

Exterior of AVANI Deira hotel, Dubai, UAW
Exterior of AVANI Deira hotel
The hotel is inviting guests to spend, “A traditional holiday … rediscovering the historical part of the city: a stroll along Deira Creek and a bargain at the souks. After shopping and sightseeing, a well-deserved dip into the pool or a quick workout,” the property said in a news release announcing the special rates.

Located at the corner of Abu Baker Al Siddique and Sallahudin Road, the AVANI Deira is just steps from the Abu Baker Al Siddique Metro Station, four kilometers from the city’s historic Gold Souk and Spice Souk, nine km from the Dubai World Trade Centre and 13 km from the Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building.

Eid al-Adha, or the Festival of the Sacrifice, is the second of two Muslim holidays celebrated worldwide each year and considered the most important feast of the religion's calendar. The other is Eid al-Fitr, which is celebrated at the end of Ramadan.

The holiday honors the willingness of Ibrahim, or Abraham, to sacrifice his son as an act of submission to God's command. Before Ibrahim was able to complete the act, God intervened through his angel Jibra'il, or Gabriel, and informed Ibrahim that his sacrifice has already been accepted.

Pool at the AVANI Deira hotel, Dubai, UAE
Pool at the AVANI Deira hotel
The Christian and Jewish faiths also highly revere Abraham and the story of his obedience, which is found in Genesis 22. In the Judeo-Christian account, Abraham’s son is identified as Isaac while according to Islamic tradition, the son to be sacrificed was Ishmael. In the Judeo-Christian account, the angel of God is not named.

Despite those minor differences, all three religions hold Abraham in high regard. To Muslims, “[He] was also the first to come to the realization of the One True God,” according to the website IslamReligion.com.  “He is seen as the father of the chosen race, the father of prophets due to which God started his series of revelations.”

Jews consider him the epitome of virtue as he fulfilled all the commandments, even before they were delivered to Moses on Mt. Sinai as recounted in the book of Exodus. Christians see Abraham as the father of all believers, as stated in Romans 4:11. His trust in God as manifested through his sacrifice is taken as a model for later saints, as outlined in Hebrews 11.

This year, Eid al-Adha begins at sundown Sept. 12 and officially ends at sundown Sept. 13 but many jurisdictions celebrate the occasion for an extended period of time. For example, the national holiday period in the UAE this year begins with the celebration of Arafat (Haj) Day Sept. 10 and continues through Sept. 14.

As with many holidays, the ways of observing the occasion are as varied as those observing it. For those who choose to observe Eid al-Adha in Dubai, there is much to see and do, and the AVANI Deira hotel would make an excellent home base.

Spices for sale at the Spice Souk, Dubai, UAE
Spices for sale at the Spice Souk
In addition to the aforementioned souks and the Burj Khalifa, Dubai offers shopping at two of the world’s largest malls, the Mall of the Emirates and Dubai Mall. High-end shopping is available at some of the world’s best-known retail names including Fortnum & Mason, Bloomingdale’s, Galeries Lafayette, Debenhams, Marks & Spencer and Paris Galeries, among many others. A variety of indoor activities are available ranging from ice skating to snow skiing.

The Persian Gulf and its beaches beckon, though water temperatures average about 32 degrees Celsius, or 90 degrees Fahrenheit in September. Daily high temperartures on land decrease from 40 degrees C or 103 degrees F, to 37 degrees C, or 98 degrees F over the course of the month, according to WeatherSpark.com.

For an overview of this interesting city, read the article, “Making the most of Dubai.”

Visit my main page at TheTravelPro.us for more news, reviews, and personal observations on the world of upmarket travel.



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