Discover the Past, Present and Future in Dubai

Dubai  is one of the seven emirates and the most populous state of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). It is located along the southern coast of the Persian Gulf on the Arabian Peninsula. The Dubai Municipality is sometimes called Dubai state to distinguish it from the emirate.

Written accounts document the existence of the city for at least 150 years prior to the formation of the UAE. Legal, political, military and economic functions with the other emirates within a federal framework, although each emirate has jurisdiction over some functions such as civic law enforcement and provision and upkeep of local facilities. Dubai has the largest population and is the second largest emirate by area, after Abu Dhabi. Dubai and Abu Dhabi are the only two emirates to possess veto power over critical matters of national importance in the country's legislature. Dubai has been ruled by the Al Maktoum dynasty since 1833. Dubai's current ruler, Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, is also the Prime Minister and Vice President of the UAE.

1-the Past

Steeped in tradition

A man selling dried herbs and lemon pauses to smoke a shisha pipe: By 1892 foreign traders had begun to flock to Dubai after the emirate declared they would be exempt from tax, a move which doubled its population

Pictured (right) are women at a wedding, wearing traditional veils

 

A Bedouin man poses with his falcon (left). For centuries, the birds have been used as a hunting tool among the Bedouin communities in the Gulf.

A camel caravan ambles through Dubai: It was not until the mid-1980s that Dubai reinvented itself as a tourist destination

Men reciting prayers for the Muslim festival of Eid in Dubai

The Clocktower roundabout in the neighbourhood of Deira stands surrounded by sandy, undeveloped lots. Today (below) the clocktower is ringed by towering hotels but, for a time after it was built in 1964, the area was considered remote from the city centre – avec Ahmad Choudhary, Lidya Austen, Sunny Uxman et Innocent Maria.

2 - Present 

Burj Khalifa, Beacon of Light
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Copyright © Alisdair Miller

The Address Downtown Dubai, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Copyright © Yousif Al-Homoudi

Burj Al Arab

Bridge the Light, Dubai
Copyright © Alisdair Miller

Downtown Dubai, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Copyright © Yousif Al-Homoudi

Atlantis, The Palm 

3 - The Future

The Dh6 billion Bluewaters Island is set to be one of the largest tourist hotspots in the world. It will feature a demarcated retail, residential, hospitality and entertainment zones and will house Dubai Eye, the world’s largest Ferris wheel. Emirates 24|7 reported earlier that the reclamation work has already started.

The project is being built near Jumeirah Beach Residence with Meraas Holdings being the developer.

Dubai Holding and Emaar Properties will jointly develop The Lagoons, a waterfront city within the multi-billion-dollar Mohammed Bin Rashid (MBR) City.

A master development, which will be over three times the size of Downtown Dubai, will cover an area of six million square metres (over 1,482 acres).

The centerpiece of the development will be the Dubai Twin Towers, a mixed-use development, which is envisaged to join the rank of the world’s most prestigious skyscrapers.

Dubai announced development of multi-billion-dollar Mohammad Bin Rashid (MBR) City in November 2012. Comprising four key components, the new city will focus on family tourism, retail, arts and entrepreneurship. The first component focuses on family tourism, and will include a park equipped to receive 35 million visitors and a family centre for leisure and entertainment set up in collaboration with Universal Studios. There will be over 100 hotel facilities to meet the needs of visitors. The second component, focusing on retail, will feature the largest shopping mall in the world, “Mall of the World.” The third component will include the largest area for arts galleries in Mena. The fourth component will see the development of a unique area that will provide an integrated environment for entrepreneurship and innovation in the region.

Taj Arabia, a replica of India's Taj Mahal, will be a 350-room hotel and serviced apartments. It will be part of Mughal Gardens development being developed by Link Global Group in Falcon City of Wonders in Dubailand. Taj Arabia will a 350-room hotel and serviced apartments and it will be an all-glass structure. India’s The Leela Palaces, Hotels and Resorts will be managing the hotel.

The Dh7.34 billion Dubai Water Canal will connect the Business Bay with the Arabian Gulf passing through the heart of Dubai.

The waterway will stretch 3 kilometers in length and width ranging from 80 to 120 meters. All construction works of the project’s infrastructure including drilling and building bridges is set for completion in 2017.

The canal will add six kilometers to Dubai’s waterfront, while the project will provide an area of over 80 thousand square meters dedicated to public places and vital facilities equipped with many outstanding facilities that meet the expectations and requirements of visitors of all segments of society.

The emirate's main revenues are from tourism, real estate and financial services. Although Dubai's economy was originally built on the back of the oil industry,revenues from petroleum and natural gas currently contribute less than 6% (2006) of the emirate's US$ 37 billion economy (2005).Real estate and construction, on the other hand, contributed 22.6% to the economy in 2005, before the current large-scale construction boom.Dubai has attracted attention through its real estate projects and sports events. This increased attention, coinciding with its emergence as a Global City and business hub, has highlighted labour and human rights issues concerning its largely South Asian workforce. Established in 2004, the Dubai International Finance Centre was intended as a landmark project to turn Dubai into a major international hub for banks and finance to rival New York, London and Hong Kong