Dhows and fishing boats can be chartered for trips to deserted coves and snorkelling spots.

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The interiors were designed by Belinda, who sourced her treasures--salvaged dhows, massive carved doors--all over Africa.

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The dhows are stacked with pasta, rice, sugar, flour and cooking oil.

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"We have dhows starting from 200 tons up to 2, 000 tons, " says Asmar, whose company handles up to 80, 000 tons of dates every year.

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Beyond Chole Mjini is Chole village, where boatmakers craft traditional dhows as they have done for centuries, and there are 13th-century ruins to explore on adjacent islands.

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At Al Hamriya, box after box of dates is unloaded from the dhows onto metal shipping containers which are taken by truck to Dubai's main shipping hub, Jebel Ali Port.

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Once the heat of the sun has dissipated a little, head back for a stroll of the Bateen shipyard (open daily except Friday), close to the Intercontinental hotel, where traditional teak dhows are still assembled, and techniques date back centuries, though dhows for racing or pleasure are today more common than the trading boats of the past.

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