Back to the Past

Believe it or not, but Dubai does have a past.

And the best place to rush through what made Dubai the place it is is Dubai Museum, located in the city's old fort close to the Creek - and often packed with tourists being dumped there in bus loads.

The following is a short version of the official history line you can follow there - illustrated, of course, by some of the omnipresent dioramas.

The first archeological findings in the area date back to 3,000 BC. In 1580, then, an Italian explorer mentioned Dubai, saying it's a prosperous community in which many make a living from pearl diving.

Some time after 1833, Dubai looked about like the small village in the photo - this is the area of Bur Dubai today. That year, the first 800 or so members of a local tribe settled there and built a wall around their homes - of which you can still find a few pieces in the reconstructed area, Bastakia. About ten years later, people began to settle in what is today Deira, on the other side of the Creek.

Part of Dubai's economic development is due to offering foreigners tax-free areas - in fact, giving tax exemption to traders from other countries is what is seen as sparking the economic development after 1894. Pearls, shells and dried fish from Dubai were traded for goods such as rice, sugar and pepper from India, or wood and cane from East Africa.

Government and low taxes encouraged more development from 1900 onwards, with two contracts with the British (who were a major influence in the region at that time) being signed which allowed planes to land in the Emirates and the search for oil. At the time of the Second World War, about 20,000 people lived in Dubai, and had to face a shortage of food supplies and deal with the emergence of cultured pearls.

In the 1950s, gold trade become important and helped Dubai prosper. At the same time, officials started to build infrastructure and public services including police, courts, electricity, water, the airport and road network planning.

In the 60s, oil was discovered and, by 1969, exports started. The decade also saw the finalization of many infrastructure projects. Bridges were built, Port Rashid as well. In 1968, Abu Dhabi and Dubai decided to unite - the first step towards the UAE. At this time, Dubai had 59,000 citizens.

The UAE were then formed in 1971, with Dubai aiming for becoming the commercial capital of the Emirates. (By the way, according to a colleague, the main currency used in the Emirates up to then was the Indian rupee - as there was no indigenous currency before the Dirham).

It was in the 70s that, driven by high oil prices and ensuing wealth, the development accelerated to what some call "the miracle of modern Dubai". The bigger Jebel Ali Port was opened as well as other key facilities such as the Dry Dock, the World Trade Center, and more infrastructure such as another bridge across the Creek, a tunnel below it, an Aluminium company and a water desalination plant.

By 1977, the population had increased to 207,000 - which continued to grow, reaching 550,000 in the early 1990s. In the 1980s and 1990s, service industries expanded, housing projects were initiated, the airport was expanded to accomodate the new Emirates Airlines. A new focus on tourism sparked the building of recreational and sport facilities. Oil and gas were found in the desert. Foreign trade crossed $16 billion.

And then came the developments that really got people's attention internationally, with the self-proclaimed 7 star hotel Burj Al Arab being one of the first high-profile extravaganzas.

Today, the Emirate of Dubai has a population of more than 2 million people, generating $ 35 billion (2005), mainly from tourism, trade, real estate and financial services. Oil and gas revenues made for less than six percent of that in 2006. The current crisis, of course, slows down the city's boom, with many developments not yet sold or being on hold.

Welcome to the present - with all its achievements and issues. Let's see how the future looks like. In my view, one great current thing is Masdaar City, a big-scale development focusing on sustainability.

Now, that would be a great area to set some records in!