A journey through Dubai
Archaeological finds link the people of Dubai to the Bronze Age Magan civilization. Trading copper from Oman and pearls from the mouth of Dubai Creek, the Magan had all but disappeared by 2000 BC. Dubai’s instinct for trade remained. Today it is the fastest growing city in the world and for the uninitiated, a crash course in the concepts of ‘big’ and ‘new’.
A good place to start your journey is the Al Maktoum family seat in the Al Shindagah district. Now a museum, it was here that Sheikh Rashid al-Maktoum, the architect of Dubai’s unrivalled financial freedom, would sit cross-legged and receive visitors.
Following the discovery of oil in the 1960s, Sheikh Rashid spent the next thirty years transforming Dubai into a commercial hub, ordering the construction of Dubai International Airport, the Jebel Ali Port, Dubai Dry Docks, the Shindaga Tunnel and the Dubai Trade Centre. He knew that Dubai’s oil was a finite resource and created the infrastructure to survive its depletion.
In 1990 Sheikh Maktoum bin Rashid al-Maktoum succeeded Rashid as ruler of Dubai. Rashid had been interested in the politics of the UAE, Maktoum was only interested in business. Seen as one of the old guard, he preferred to leave his younger brother running the day-to-day affairs of Dubai. This was Mohammed, the brains of the family and the impetus behind business projects that have transformed Dubai from a regional centre into a world capital.
Mohammed officially came to power in January 2006 after his brother suffered a heart attack.
Capitalising on Dubai’s status as a bastion of free trade he has established Dubai as a major contender in the global economy, with business leaders flocking to establish their operations here. And it’s not just construction and infrastructure delivery services that are queuing up but financial services, media, public relations and engineering firms.
To meet the demands of this ever growing international business community Mohammed created Dubai World Central, a commercial, residential and leisure complex within a free economic zone. At its heart will be Dubai World Central International Airport, with a passenger capacity of more than 120 million - almost 30% more than Atlanta, currently the world's busiest passenger airport. Up to four aircraft, including the A380, will be able to land simultaneously, minimising in-air queuing. You won’t have to queue for a car park space either. There’ll be 100,000 of them - the biggest car park in the world.
As vital as infrastructure will be to the future of Dubai, it is still Mohammed’s investment in tourism that has drawn the loudest gasps from the international community. When the renaissance man and poet discovered he was running out of coastline on which to build hotels, he used Dutch dredging technology to create artificial islands. The Palm Jumeirah, Palm Jebel Ali and Palm Deira are the largest land reclamation projects in the world and the Palm Deira will, on completion, become the largest man-made island.
Not content with owning the world’s largest man-made island, Mohammed ordered the creation of an archipelago of 300 islands… in the shape of a world map. Located 4km off the coast of Dubai, ‘The World Islands’ are visible from space. This, unfortunately, may be as close as you get - Hu Bin, a Chinese property developer, recently bought the 40,000 square meter Shanghai Island for US$28 million.
On the subject of world records, construction workers (of which there are more of here than citizens) have completed 140 stories of the Burj Dubai, already the tallest man made structure in the world. It’s not finished yet so if you’d rather enjoy your architectural marvels in air-conditioned comfort try the Burj al Arab, the tallest hotel in the world. The cheapest room is $1000 per night but you could always have a coke at the bar.
If you really do need a place to lay your head, you’ll most likely be pointed in the direction of the Bawadi project. The next major phase of Dubai's tourism and hospitality development, the £15.4 billion development will boast the world's greatest concentration of hotels, including what will be the largest hotel ever built – Asia-Asia.
With all this building going on it’s no surprise to discover that Dubai is home to around a quarter of the world’s cranes. No cranes, however, were harmed in the making of Joachim Hauser’s underwater hotel, Hydropolis. Nearing completion 20m below the surface of the Arabian Gulf, it caters for every imaginable need. Hauser concedes his otherworldly vision could only have become a reality in Dubai: ‘it has a very open minded, international community and that’s what makes it so special’.
Dubai is special and it is also a city of contrasts so extreme that at moments it teeters on the surreal. Look closely and you’ll see, reflected in the tinted glass of the Burj al Arab, the storybook wind-towers of the Batakiya district. Designed to usher cool air through the traditional courtyard houses, these towers stand guard over narrow streets redolent with mint and shisha.
And it’s not only architecture that permits traditional Arab culture to exist side by side with the modern. Try Deira City Centre you will discover a heady mix of traditional souqs, enormous malls and funky boutiques. Or visit the Nad al Sheba racecourse, host to the Dubai World Cup where camels compete by day and thoroughbreds at night. This rich cultural mix is also represented by the myriad places to eat, from simple Indo-Pakistani workers cafes to the haute cuisine of the hotels.
With its unique mix of Eastern and Western culture and an infrastructure geared to hospitality, Dubai is a great place to visit. It’s also a fantastic place to work. With an unprecedented demand for professionals in the construction, healthcare, media, IT, engineering, retail and hospitality industries, skilled expats are welcomed with open arms. If you have expertise in one of these areas, you could be enjoying tax-free wages and one of the best lifestyles in the world.
To find out more: contactmiddleeast@michaelpage.ae
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