20 Amazing Aerial Shots of Dubai

There's something about snapping a photo from thousands of feet in the air that draws a belly-aching nostalgia, whether you're familiar with the subject or not. Maybe it's the physical disconnection—or the dollhouse scale any metropolitan hub adopts when viewed from the seat of an airplane. Tiny, model-sized buildings and parks are just so much more digestible than exploring on foot. Dubai is no exception. The 1,500-square-mile area houses more than 2 million people, complete with enough luxury shopping stops to knock any wallet into a knee-buckling remission. But once you set yourself up hundreds of feet from the ground, the noise dissipates.

Dubai is a bucket list destination, ready to wow any traveler with its cloud-reaching skyscrapers—most of which are known around the world as feats of architecture in height or just eye-catching aesthetic. From above, it's hard to imagine that the space that now holds a wealth of business and enterprise that's around every corner was once a modest fishing village. The city hub has made leaps and bounds—but take a trip a couple of miles out of town into the Arabian Desert, and you'll be greeted with an entirely new (and age-old) scene: Earth-toned sand dunes stretched across the horizon and heavy-footed camels trekking toward the Western Hajar Mountains, which signals entry to Oman. Head south of Dubai and you'll find a topaz paradise, more commonly known as the Persian Gulf. There aren't many places in the world where you can take in such a range of environments in one camera frame.

The sad realization is that not all of us have seen the United Arab Emirates' most populous city from above—whether it's the view from an airplane or from a seat at one of the city's tallest buildings. While we can't possibly share all of Dubai's best angles in one set of photos, this can serve as motivation to get up there and take it in for yourself. Hey, just add it to the bucket list. You won't regret it.

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Dubai Emerging from the Fog

Bjoern Lauen

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Burj Al Arab Jumeirah

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Downtown Dubai During Sunrise

Bjoern Lauen

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Dubai at Dusk

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Aerial View of Dubai Traffic

Getty Images

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Gyrocopters Over Dubai

Getty Images

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Jumeirah Palm Archipelago

Chris Ratcliffe

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Palace Downtown Hotel of Dubai

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Aerial View of World Islands, Dubai

Getty Images

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Burj Dubai

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Aerial View Over Moored Boats in a Marina

Getty Images

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The World Islands

MARWAN NAAMANI

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Dubai Fountain

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Dubai Highway Interchange

Getty Images

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Cityscape

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Dubai Marina As Seen From the Princess Tower

Duncan Chard

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Palm Jumeirah From Above

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Burj Khalifa Lake

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The Palm Islands

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Burj Al Arab

Bloomberg via Getty Images

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20 Photos That Prove Dubai is the Most Beautiful City to Admire From Above

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Dubai Emerging from the Fog

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Burj Al Arab Jumeirah

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Downtown Dubai During Sunrise

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Dubai at Dusk

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Aerial View of Dubai Traffic

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Gyrocopters Over Dubai

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Jumeirah Palm Archipelago

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Palace Downtown Hotel of Dubai

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Aerial View of World Islands, Dubai

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Burj Dubai

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Aerial View Over Moored Boats in a Marina

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The World Islands

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Dubai Fountain

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Dubai Highway Interchange

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Cityscape

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Dubai Marina As Seen From the Princess Tower

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Palm Jumeirah From Above

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Burj Khalifa Lake

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The Palm Islands

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Burj Al Arab

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