DUBAI, United Arab Emirates - Between sampling the world's tallest all-suite hotel, touring soon-to-open Atlantis on a man-made palm-shaped island and shaking our heads over snow skiing indoors, we ran into someone from home.

Not just any someone, but a religious man compelled to spread the word that despite the craziness that forever changed the world on Sept. 11, 2001, Muslims aren't so different: They love their God; they love their families; they love life.

In fact, Nasif Kayed loves his American-born wife and children so much that he moved them from Raleigh to Dubai last year in search of "more tolerance," leaving behind businesses and a faith center he helped build.

He is not just another expatriate (85 percent of the population of Dubai is, by the way) but a leader in the Sheikh Mohammed Centre for Cultural Understanding at the Jumeirah Mosque, one of 1,200 in this city of nearly 1.5 million. He aims to help non-Muslims understand Islamic culture and faith -- the washing, the five daily prayers, the required pilgrimage to Mecca.

It's an active job in a tourist hub that delights and surprises visitors. Last year, 7 million people visited Dubai, the second largest of the seven emirates. Ten million are expected by 2010, though Americans tourists are still a minority, in part because a direct flight from New York takes about 14 hours.

Dubai is a city of high-rises, glitz and glamour, high fashion, shiny cars -- Las Vegas meets Lawrence of Arabia. It is on the southern shore of the Persian Gulf and the eastern edge of the Arabian Peninsula, between Saudi Arabia and Oman, across the gulf from Iran.

Everyone we met emphasized the same points: Visiting Dubai is safe, and the dazzling wave of development will be finished in 2010. But we got the feeling Dubai will never be "finished."

In every direction we saw cranes and construction. Crews work around the clock to build not only a new aboveground metro, but also the world's tallest building, Burj Dubai, with 160 floors and a $4.1 billion price tag, plus the world's biggest mall.

"This is a really easy place to adjust to," said Grady Walker, a 1982 N.C. State University graduate who moved to Dubai last fall for his job as vice president of an energy company.

"I use 'over-the-top' [to describe it], but it's a livable place. I feel safe. It's very energetic. It's very captivating. It's quite innovative, pretty special about what they've accomplished here."

Looks great from a yacht

One of the best examples is the Burj Al Arab, the world's tallest all-suite hotel and a city icon. Shaped like a huge sail, this architectural marvel rises 1,053 feet from its over-water perch on its own small island.

Maria Basziszta, Park Hyatt's marketing communications manager, declared, "The best way to see the Burj is from a yacht at sea." Which sounds like a very Dubai thing to do.

You must book a room or a meal to get a glimpse inside, but the hotel is a Dubai must-see.

Like all guests, we were greeted by a lineup of employees ready to meet our every need, welcoming us with incense, dates and Arabian coffee (the fruit cuts the bitterness of the coffee). On the 16th floor, we entered our two-story, 1,830-square-foot suite and were greeted by Gary, our butler.

Everything was at hand: a laptop and printer for our use, a dock for the iPod, a 42-inch plasma TV that can show who is outside the door, full-size Hermes toiletries and 13 pillow choices.

Just in case we could think of anything we needed, there was a 24-hour guest services desk on each floor.

From there, we were escorted to dinner at the award-winning Al Mahara Restaurant, where we could barely eat for the fascination of watching the fish, sharks and eels swim by in the huge tank in the lobby above us.

That lobby is an eyepopper, too, sporting the world's tallest atrium (590 feet). And all that glitters there is gold, real gold. Its centerpiece is a geometric fountain where computers generate a water show and even a fire show.

Wait, there's more

Visible from the Burj was a land project for which most of the world knows Dubai: The Palm Jumeirah, a man-made island shaped like a palm tree. Actually, there are two, this one smaller, plus the another man-made island project called The World because of its shape. You must be invited to purchase land here.

Atlantis, almost a clone of its Bahamas counterpart (sans casino in this Islamic country), is to open on Palm Jumeirah in September.

The other buzz is over the recent opening of Raffles, with its hot-spot champagne bar in the hotel's glass pyramid top and its new gourmet restaurants.

Time Out Dubai magazine reports that chef Gordon Ramsay of "Hell's Kitchen" fame is contemplating a new restaurant on The Palm (he already heads Verre at the Hilton Dubai Creek).

If so, his neighbors would include, along with Atlantis, a Trump Tower and Cirque du Soleil theater, more examples of over-the-top.

Next on the drawing board is Dubailand, which at 3 million square feet is to include theme parks, rides, cultural adventures and more, such as Universal City, Six Flags, Sports City, City of Arabia, Motor City and two golf courses.

Biggest, highest, best, newest, most expensive -- yes, superlatives matter in Dubai. And experiencing the city gives you a grown-up-in-Disneyland feeling.

Over the top? Not really, since the bar just keeps rising in Dubai.

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