Trail of the Ancient Caravan: Mission in the Heart of Dubai

1. question
Starting address: Dubai Mall, 3 Mohammed Bin Rashid Boulevard / 100 Financial Center Street. G floor. Grand Atrium. Walk left along the Cartier store. Continue to Souk Atrium and walk straight a few more meters. Directly opposite Galeries Lafayette (right next to the store), turn right. At the escalators, turn right again. Stop at the skeleton. We are in the heart of Dubai Mall. Before us, the "Dubai Dino" — a dinosaur skeleton — rises majestically, like a portal between eras. Suddenly, among the crowd of tourists, a stranger from the past appears: the artifact brought him to the future, then shattered. Our mission is to find the shards hidden behind puzzles. Time is running out: the "sands of time" threaten to erase him from reality. Standing opposite the majestic dinosaur skeleton, the merchant recalled he had never seen such a large animal, but sensed that part of the artifact was nearby. He said that in his time, the weight of large goods was measured by camels or elephants. We decided we needed to find out how much this dinosaur weighed. Examine the dinosaur skeleton and look for information about its weight near the installation. Write the number of elephants in your answer.

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2. question
This dinosaur is truly very heavy. The merchant stepped back — this could be a dangerous and fierce beast — but then looked at its bones and realized it was not. Walk around the dinosaur skeleton in a full circle. We were very surprised by the wise caravan leader, but immediately wondered: how did he figure out that the dinosaur posed no threat to its own kind? Pay attention to the structure of the front and tail sections of the skeleton. What object did caravan drivers use to defend themselves against predatory animals in the desert — just as this dinosaur did in the distant past?

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3. question
The merchant spent a long time examining the dinosaur — no such animals had ever existed in their region. Suddenly he said he could see the gleam of the ancient artifact. To retrieve it, we need to find out where the skeleton of this ancient animal came from. The merchant recognized his native Arabic script on the information plaque, but could not make out the text next to it. He needs our help. Find the name of the country from which the dinosaur skeleton was brought.

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4. question
We retrieved the first part of the artifact right at the base of the dinosaur skeleton. Among hundreds of tourists clicking their phone cameras, only we seemed to hear that quiet chime — as if someone had dropped a coin on the marble floor. A small, uneven metal shard, dark, almost black with age — right at the massive foot of the ancient reptile. But it was only part of the medallion. Time is running out — we must move on. The whisper of the artifact calls us toward coolness in the scorching climate. Walk along the skeleton toward its head. Take the escalator up to the 1st floor. Continue straight. The ice rink will be on the right below. Walk straight to the waterfall. In front of us is "The Divers" — one of the most impressive indoor waterfalls in the world. The merchant froze in amazement: for Arabs, water is the greatest treasure, a symbol of Dubai's culture. Nearby stand palm trees, like an oasis — a symbol of prosperity. But right away he recalled how hard-won that prosperity was. Look at the diver figures in the waterfall. What were they harvesting in the waters of the Persian Gulf?

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5. question
The merchant studied each pearl diver figure with interest, remembering how many young men had perished in this hard trade. But at the same time, looking at modern Dubai, he understood that none of it had been in vain. Walk along the waterfall and take the escalator down to the LG floor. Observe the waterfall from below. As we descended to the very base of the waterfall, we told the merchant it was built not very long ago. It spans all 4 floors of the shopping center, with a total height of about 24 meters — like stacking roughly 10 camels on top of each other. The merchant was amazed by this structure and suddenly heard the whisper of lost souls who, according to local legend, dwell inside the diver figures. And we realized the next task and a new fragment of the ancient artifact awaited us. Take the escalator up from the base of the waterfall to the 1st floor and count how many pearl divers are depicted in this art installation. Write your answer in numerical format.

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6. question
The city changes with every step. Among the neon and glass, old facades come to life — echoes of the past. The wind from the alleyways of the old market seemed to echo the merchant's voice: "Guardians of the Wind." It fell silent. And we understood: a new riddle lies ahead. We are at the waterfall on the 1st floor. Turn your back to the waterfall and walk to the first escalator; go down to the G floor. Continue in the same direction to the next escalator; go down to the LG floor. Walk to Star Atrium and turn left. Continue to Waterfront Atrium. Exit to the street. Cross the bridge and enter the "Souk Al Bahar" building (entrance directly opposite the bridge). We move through modern Dubai and notice strange patterns on the facades — ancient devices for surviving in the desert. The words of the elders surfaced in the merchant's memory: "He who knows how to read the wind holds wealth." Enter the market building and walk to the central alley. Pay attention to the interior architecture. What design solution helped merchants stay cool on hot days?

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7. question
Head toward the exit of the building. In this place, time seems to have stopped. Among the glass and marble, we find ourselves inside a true Eastern bazaar. Every stall radiates calm, the scent of bakhoor and spices drifting through the air. How many treasures the Eastern markets have held in their narrow alleyways since ancient times! Long caravans transported countless goods, year after year, to and from the East. But then the merchant recalled that on long desert journeys there was always an indispensable companion — one whom caravan drivers called the "living treasure of the desert." And it was this companion who taught them how to endure sandstorms and scorching heat. It seems we have already seen it today. Who was the irreplaceable companion of caravan traders on long desert crossings?

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8. question
Pass the "Camels" installation and exit the building (the exit is to the left). Cross the small bridge over the canal. Climb the stairs to the left of the bridge. Follow the signs for Palace Downtown to the right. Pass through the large arch and walk straight to the "Horse 2007" monument (landmark: entrance to Palace Downtown hotel). Turn your back to the horse and walk straight to Mohammed Bin Rashid Boulevard. Standing facing the road, look for marble plaques underfoot. We are approaching the Walk of Fame, known as "Stars of Dubai" — it looks almost exactly like the Hollywood Walk of Fame. His gaze showed intense concentration: he felt that a new key to returning home was hidden here. We started reading the names of the stars on the Walk of Fame. Suddenly the merchant was drawn to a familiar name. He said that he had heard it before. Among these names a connection between eras and cities is hidden. Where could the traveling merchant have heard the name of a star who became famous in our time, so distant from his own? Who is it? Write the first name and last name exactly as shown on the plaque.

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9. question
We have found almost all the parts of the artifact and received valuable clues — just a little more and the merchant will find his way home. And we will help him follow the trail of ancient caravans, even if they lie buried beneath asphalt and neon light. Stay on this side of the boulevard and walk toward the Burj Khalifa / The Palace Hotel bus stop. Landmark: Burj Khalifa should be on your right. Walk along the pavement from the stop to the traffic lights (no need to cross at the lights). The merchant spent a long time gazing at the unfamiliar structures, marveling at how the sands of ancient Dubai had transformed into the fire of skyscrapers and shops that shine eternally even in the darkest hour of night. Suddenly the already-found shards of the medallion began to flicker with a barely perceptible blue light, and through the noise of the modern city we unexpectedly heard the whisper of the artifact: "Seek where the past looks into the future through glass eyes." Look around (stay along the boulevard). Find the answer to the artifact's riddle.

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10. question
The feeling that we will soon solve all the mysteries of the past does not leave us for a single second. The merchant is in a hurry — if we fail to find all the pieces of the medallion, he will not be able to return home, and there is no place for him in this new world. We are afraid of missing something, as that could mean all our efforts to return the ancient wanderer home will have been in vain. Continue walking along the pavement. After the "Wings of Mexico" art installation, turn right. Walk facing Burj Khalifa along the Dubai Fountain. Cross the bridge. Stop opposite the large glass building on the fountain embankment. The merchant's eyes, accustomed to sand dunes and caravan silhouettes, stopped in amazement at the magnificent structure. The building reminded him of the sail of a dhow — the traditional Arabian sailing vessel on which he had once crossed the Persian Gulf — and of a mysterious palace from his dreams. What do this modern structure and the sailing vessels that once sailed the Persian Gulf have in common? Walk all the way around the building. Write in your answer what this building is.

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11. question
And here is the home stretch. All pieces of the medallion have been collected. But why is the merchant still not home? What did we miss? Time is catching up: the edge of the caravan trader's robe turns to sand, which instantly, scattered by the wind, disappears in the streets of modern Dubai. But we feel the answer is somewhere close by. Let's find out whether we can help the merchant return to his caravans. Turn your back to the entrance of the opera house and walk straight toward the road. On our left stands an unusual art installation. To some it resembles a pine cone; to others, a huge dome lying on its side. The merchant felt that this very place holds the secret of his return home. We read the name "Khalvat." The merchant said that in Farsi this means "hidden sanctuary." What does it conceal? What mystery does this unusual object hold? Look carefully at the figure and write which element symbolizes infinity, or as the creator of this work described it, "another universe."

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