Fancy ceiling above Starbuck's at Ibn Battuta mall

Dubai (Arabic: دبيّ‎ Dubeii; IPA: [du'beii]; English pronunciation: /duːˈbaɪ/ doo-BY) is an emirate within the United Arab Emirates (UAE). A city within the emirate is also named Dubai. The emirate is located south of the Persian Gulf on the Arabian Peninsula and has the largest population with the second-largest land territory by area of all the emirates, after Abu Dhabi. Dubai and Abu Dhabi are the only two emirates to have veto power over critical matters of national importance in the country's legislature. Dubai City is located on the emirate's northern coastline.

The earliest mention of Dubai is in 1095, and the earliest settlement known as Dubai town dates from 1799. Dubai was formally established in 1833 by Sheikh Maktoum bin Buti al Maktoum when he persuaded 800 members of the Bani Yas tribe, living in what is now part of Saudi Arabia, to follow him to the Dubai Creek by the Al Abu Falasa clan of Bani Yas. It remained under clan control when the United Kingdom assumed the protection of Dubai in 1892. Its geographical location made it an important trading hub and by the beginning of the 20th century, it was an important port.

The Ibn Battuta Mall is a large shopping mall on the Sheikh Zayed Road in Dubai close to Interchange 6 for Jebel Ali Village. It is named after Berber Moroccan famous traveller and explorer Ibn Battuta. This project was completed by the Nakheel Properties group in early 2005. The names of the six courts of the mall are named after the countries and regions to which Ibn Battuta travelled.

The mall is split into six main courts:

Linking shopping and circulation areas, all the major outlets found in almost all of the shopping malls elsewhere in Dubai and the Middle East are represented. Géant, a large French supermarket chain has a store here. The mall is an example of one of the many ambitious projects by Nakheel Properties in Dubai. Australian retail giant Myer has announced that it will have a store completed by 2010.

Ibn Battuta Mall boasts the only IMAX theatre in the country and also offers a 21-screen Cinema Megaplex, located in the China Court. There are two large food courts, located at both ends (Andalusia and China) of the mall, as well as several coffee shops, scattered throughout the mall.The mall features exhibits of ancient technological inventions, especially from the Middle East.