When you think of the Middle East, you think of oil but oil is only a small fraction of t
he prosperity of Dubai. Abu Dhabi the capitol of the United Arab Emirates is actually a larger oil producer. Dubai started out as a fishing village known for trading, fishing, and pearling.
In 1830, they were taken over by a branch of the Bani Yas tribe from the Liwa oasis led by the Maktoum family who still rule today. Dubai became a part of the United Arab Emirates when it formed in 1971. The UAE is a union of seven different sheikdoms that have now become one nation.
Dubai, the second largest emirate of the seven, is actually two towns divided by a creek--Deira on the northeast and Dubai on the southwest. By the turn of the 20th century, Dubai was a sufficiently prosporous port and attracted a lot of foreign settlers mostly from other areas of the Middle East and India.
International trade increased even as their pearling industry decreased due to competition from the Japanese cultured pearl market. Their skillful trading began to bring them much prosperity even before the beginning of oil production in the 1960s.
In 2003, Dubai was recognized as by the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank as a financial hub.
Thanks to the foresight of its leaders, Dubai has now become a world reknowned tourist area with over 300 hotels and ever growing tourist attractions--the world's tallest hotel, an indoor ski area at a mall, a community built on a man-made penninsula, and of course its gold and spice markets.
he prosperity of Dubai. Abu Dhabi the capitol of the United Arab Emirates is actually a larger oil producer. Dubai started out as a fishing village known for trading, fishing, and pearling.In 1830, they were taken over by a branch of the Bani Yas tribe from the Liwa oasis led by the Maktoum family who still rule today. Dubai became a part of the United Arab Emirates when it formed in 1971. The UAE is a union of seven different sheikdoms that have now become one nation.
Dubai, the second largest emirate of the seven, is actually two towns divided by a creek--Deira on the northeast and Dubai on the southwest. By the turn of the 20th century, Dubai was a sufficiently prosporous port and attracted a lot of foreign settlers mostly from other areas of the Middle East and India.
International trade increased even as their pearling industry decreased due to competition from the Japanese cultured pearl market. Their skillful trading began to bring them much prosperity even before the beginning of oil production in the 1960s.
In 2003, Dubai was recognized as by the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank as a financial hub.
Thanks to the foresight of its leaders, Dubai has now become a world reknowned tourist area with over 300 hotels and ever growing tourist attractions--the world's tallest hotel, an indoor ski area at a mall, a community built on a man-made penninsula, and of course its gold and spice markets.
A city certainly worth exploration.
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