How Dubai was made | History of Dubai (2020)
Summary
TLDRDubai's transformation from a small fishing village to a global business hub is a modern urban marvel. Its strategic location at the Persian Gulf facilitated early trade, but it was Sheikh Rashid's vision, post-oil discovery, to build a city not reliant on oil. His successors continued this ambition, creating iconic architecture like the Burj Khalifa and fostering an international, tax-free environment. Despite cultural criticisms and energy concerns, Dubai stands as an inspiration for urban development worldwide.
Takeaways
- 🏙️ Dubai's transformation from a small fishing village to a modern city is considered an urban miracle, showcasing rapid development in a desert environment.
- 🌍 Located at a strategic crossroads between the East and West on the Persian Gulf, Dubai's geographic position was crucial for its growth as a trading hub.
- 🤝 The British Empire's influence through agreements with the Al Maktoum family helped secure peace but initially did not focus on developing Dubai as a city.
- 💼 In 1900, Dubai became a significant trading center by attracting merchants with a tax-free policy and the convenience of Dubai Creek for trade.
- 📈 The pearl diving industry boomed in the early 20th century, further enhancing Dubai's status as a trading hub in the Persian Gulf.
- 🛠️ Urban development in Dubai accelerated under Sheikh Rashid, who was inspired by European cities and aimed to create an international city.
- 🚢 The deepening of Dubai Creek and the construction of an international airport were part of Sheikh Rashid's vision for Dubai's urban development.
- 💡 The discovery of oil in 1966, although modest compared to other Middle Eastern countries, provided funding for further urban projects and development.
- 🏢 The construction of the Dubai World Trade Center in 1979 marked a significant step towards attracting international attention and business to Dubai.
- 🏙️ The completion of Burj Khalifa in 2010, the world's tallest skyscraper, exemplified Dubai's ambition to be a city of superlatives.
- 🌐 Sheikh Mohammed's vision for Dubai included making it a world financial center, creating a special economic zone that attracted international banking giants.
- 🌆 The rapid development and foreign ownership of land turned Dubai into a real estate hotspot, attracting investors and leading to a construction boom.
- 🌍 The diverse population of Dubai, with foreigners making up 95% of the residents, has created a unique international city with minimal cultural dominance.
- 🔋 Despite criticism and high energy consumption, Dubai's urban development serves as an inspiration for many other developing cities around the world.
Q & A
What is the historical significance of Dubai's location at the Persian Gulf?
-Dubai's location at the Persian Gulf was historically significant as it was a natural crossing point between the East and West, making it a strategic route for trade and military purposes, especially during the time of the British Empire.
Why was urban development in Dubai slow for centuries?
-Urban development in Dubai was slow due to the harsh climate, with summer temperatures reaching up to 50 degrees Celsius, which made it an inhospitable environment for rapid growth and construction.
What role did the Al Maktoum family play in early agreements with the British Empire?
-The Al Maktoum family, the ruling dynasty of Abu Dhabi and Dubai, signed agreements with the British East India Company in the 19th century to secure peace in the area and protect the strategic route from pirates.
How did Dubai become a significant trading hub in the early 20th century?
-Dubai became a significant trading hub due to the ruler's announcement of no taxes for traders, the convenience provided by Dubai Creek for trading ships, and its emergence as a major center for pearl diving.
What inspired Sheikh Rashid's vision for transforming Dubai into an international city?
-Sheikh Rashid's vision was inspired by his travels around Europe, particularly by the urban design, transport system, and overall comfort and convenience he observed in London.
What was the impact of the discovery of oil on Dubai's development in 1966?
-Although the oil reserves discovered in 1966 were modest by Middle Eastern standards, they provided a financial boost that Sheikh Rashid used to invest in urban development, with a vision to build a city not solely dependent on oil revenue.
How did Sheikh Rashid's policies make Dubai attractive for people of different nationalities and beliefs?
-Sheikh Rashid ensured that people of different religions and beliefs could feel comfortable living in Dubai by making it a tolerant and inclusive city, despite being a Muslim-majority city.
What was the significance of the Dubai World Trade Center building in 1979?
-The Dubai World Trade Center, a 39-storey building, was significant as it was an unprecedented urban project for Dubai, marking the city's ambition to be recognized internationally, despite initial ridicule from the international media.
Who inspired Sheikh Mohammed's approach to urban development, and how?
-Sheikh Mohammed was inspired by Daniel Burnham, an American architect known for designing modern Chicago. Burnham believed in planning big to make a city notable, an approach Sheikh Mohammed adopted to make Dubai a city of the biggest and tallest structures.
What was the role of aviation in Sheikh Mohammed's vision for Dubai?
-Aviation played a key role in Sheikh Mohammed's vision as he saw it as a gateway to Dubai for tourists, entrepreneurs, and investors. This led to the development of Dubai International Airport and the establishment of Emirates, the international airline of Dubai.
How did allowing foreigners to own land in Dubai impact its real estate market and urban development?
-Allowing foreigners to own land turned Dubai into one of the biggest real estate markets, attracting billionaires and leading to a construction boom, with architects and firms from around the world bringing their most ambitious projects to the city.
What was the cultural impact of Dubai's rapid development and high percentage of foreign population?
-The rapid development and high percentage of foreigners led to Dubai becoming a truly international city with a unique cultural landscape, where local citizens make up only 3-5% of the population, and everyone else is a guest, making it a cultural no-man's land where all can feel at home.
Outlines
🏙️ Dubai's Transformation into a Modern Metropolis
This paragraph delves into the remarkable evolution of Dubai from a small fishing village to a global business and financial hub. It highlights the city's strategic location at the Persian Gulf and its historical significance during the British Empire era. The lack of development interest from the British, coupled with the city's harsh climate, initially hindered growth. However, the declaration of no taxes by the ruler in 1900 attracted merchants, and the pearl diving industry further boosted the economy. The urban development accelerated under Sheikh Rashid's reign, who was inspired by European capitals, particularly London, and initiated projects like deepening Dubai Creek and building an international airport. The discovery of oil in 1966, though modest, was invested wisely to lay the foundation for a city not reliant on oil revenues, inviting talent and fostering an inclusive environment for diverse nationalities.
🌐 Sheikh Mohammed's Vision for Dubai's Global Prominence
The second paragraph focuses on Sheikh Mohammed's ambitious vision to transform Dubai into a modern, international city, taking inspiration from American architect Daniel Burnham. It details the construction of iconic structures like the Emirates Towers and the Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest skyscraper. Sheikh Mohammed's hands-on approach and focus on aviation led to the establishment of Emirates Airlines and the expansion of Dubai International Airport. The allowance for foreigners to own land in 2002 sparked a real estate boom, attracting global investors and turning Dubai into a construction hotspot. The creation of the Dubai International Financial Center aimed to make the city a major financial player, attracting international banks. The rapid growth led to a demographic shift with foreigners comprising 95% of the population, creating a unique international city with minimal local cultural dominance. Despite criticisms and energy consumption concerns, Dubai's urban development serves as an inspiration for other cities worldwide.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Dubai
💡Eurasian continent
💡British Empire
💡Al Maktoum dynasty
💡Dubai Creek
💡Pearl diving
💡Sheikh Rashid
💡Oil
💡Dubai World Trade Center
💡Burj Khalifa
💡Emirates
💡Dubai International Financial Center
Highlights
Dubai's transformation from a small fishing village to a futuristic city is a modern urban miracle.
Dubai's strategic location at the Persian Gulf made it a natural crossing point between east and west.
The harsh desert climate initially hindered Dubai's urban development.
British Empire's interest in the Persian Gulf for trade routes led to agreements with local sheiks, including the Al Maktoum family.
Dubai's tax-free policy in 1900 attracted Persian and Indian merchants, establishing it as a trading hub.
The pearl diving industry significantly contributed to Dubai's economy in the early 20th century.
Sheikh Rashid's vision for Dubai as an international city began with urban development projects inspired by European capitals.
The discovery of oil in 1966, though modest, provided funds for further urban development.
Sheikh Rashid's investment in urban projects, rather than relying solely on oil, set the stage for Dubai's future growth.
Dubai World Trade Center, opened in 1979, was a significant step towards international recognition despite initial skepticism.
Sheikh Mohammed continued his father's vision, aiming to make Dubai a city of superlatives with the tallest and largest projects.
The construction of Burj Khalifa in 2010 marked Dubai's ambition to have the world's tallest building.
Sheikh Mohammed's focus on aviation, including the development of Emirates Airlines, made Dubai a global gateway.
Allowing foreigners to own land in 2002 turned Dubai into a major real estate market, attracting international investors.
Dubai's rapid construction attracted global architects, turning it into a hub for ambitious projects.
The creation of the Dubai International Financial Center aimed to make Dubai a major player in the global financial market.
Dubai's demographic shift to a majority foreign population created a unique international city with no dominating local culture.
Criticisms of Dubai's rapid development include loss of Arabic features and high energy consumption.
Dubai's urban phenomenon serves as an inspiration for other developing cities worldwide.
Transcripts
dubai is known to be one of the urban
miracles of the modern world a
futuristic city rising in the middle of
a desert is something our ancestors 100
years ago could only imagine in a sci-fi
film it's hard to imagine that this
fascinating location used to be just a
tiny fishing village it seems almost a
logical that a small town in a very
inconvenient climate zone could become
one of the world's biggest business and
financial hubs how did this happen to
answer this question let's have a look
at the history of Dubai located at the
Persian Gulf right in the middle of the
Eurasian continent Dubai was destined to
be a crossing point between east and
west
at the same time the climate here is
almost inhumane the temperature in
summer reaches 50 degrees Celsius and
that is the reason why for centuries the
urban development here was quite slow
the Persian Gulf however was still an
important area for the British Empire
being a strategic route connecting
London to Bombay royal fleet needed to
secure this area from Pirates in the
19th century the British East India
Company signed an agreement with local
sheiks particularly with the Al Maktoum
family the ruling dynasty of Abu Dhabi
and Dubai to secure peace in the area Al
Maktoum dynasty rules Dubai until the
present day despite these agreements the
British Empire never really tried to
develop the area while the crown was
heavily investing in developing Bombay
the southern capital of the Empire by
building infrastructures railway and a
university there was hardly any interest
in developing Dubai as a city for the
British Empire Dubai was just a junior
partner a crossing point for the Royal
Fleet nothing more despite the lack of
interest from the Empire Dubai was
becoming more and more significant for
the region in 1900 the current ruler
announced that no taxes will be charged
from the traders and soon Persian and
Indian merchants started moving in the
city was convenient for trading also
thanks to Dubai Creek a saltwater canal
that was allowing trading ships to sail
from the Gulf right into the city
shortly Dubai became the biggest trading
hub on the Persian Gulf in
early 20th century the city also became
a big center of pearl diving which
attracted even more merchants every year
the pearl industry became so big that
soon nose forming 95% of the Persian
Gulf economy Dubai however was still a
big village rather than a city the urban
development started with the reign of
sheikh rashid in 1959 he went touring
around europe and was greatly inspired
by european capitals particularly london
walking around the city and travelling
on the tube he was fascinated by the
urban design transport system and
overall comfort and convenience that
London had to offer after his trip
sheikh rashid started implementing his
great plan of turning to buy into an
international city in 1961 he instructed
to artificially deepen the dubai creek
so that bigger trading ships could sail
in under his guidance the city was being
rebuilt with stone and cement having a
dream of a great city in his mind sheikh
rashid started building an international
airport although his investors thought
he is being too romantic and these urban
projects are simply unnecessary and it
was becoming challenging to fund all
these ambitious projects sheikh rashid
x' plans of creating an international
capital would probably stall at this
stage but in 1966 they found oil and
dubai despite the common belief that
dubai became the city that it is today
mainly thanks to oil the oil reserves
found in 1966 were quite modest by
middle-eastern standards for reference
neighbouring abu dhabi had ten times
more oil than dubai however the limited
resource was a blessing for the city
instead of considering oil as a
limitless source of wealth sheikh rashid
started investing the generated profit
in urban development his vision was to
build a city that wouldn't depend on oil
money he was inviting the most talented
architects engineers and entrepreneurs
to Dubai
since Sheik Rashid biggest inspiration
was London
he hired a team of British experts who
were consulting him on further steps one
of Sheik Rashid's main goals was to make
Dubai attractive for all nationalities
despite being a Muslim city he made sure
people of other religions and beliefs
could feel comfortable living there
like most of the other newly developing
cities Dubai needed a grand project that
could attract international attention so
Sheikh Rashid instructed to build a
skyscraper in 1979 the 39 storey
building named Dubai World Trade Center
was officially open for business being
an unprecedented urban project for Dubai
it was insignificant for the world where
100 storey buildings already existed in
fact international media was ridiculing
the city's grand investments but Sheikh
Rashid was convinced that Dubai will
soon be taken seriously by the
international community unfortunately he
never saw the city reach its full glory
tragically dying in 1981 at a relatively
young age but he managed to lay the
foundation of a city that he had
envisioned after Sheik Rashid died in
1981 his work was continued by one of
his son's 31 year old Muhammad just like
his father he was obsessed with the idea
of turning Dubai into a modern
international city his main inspiration
was Daniel Burnham an American architect
and urban designer that is known for
planning and designing modern Chicago in
the early 20th century Daniel Burnham
was convinced that a city architect has
to plan big if you want your city to be
spoken about small and mediocre projects
won't get you anywhere Sheikh Muhammad
adopted this approach and decided to
make Dubai a city of the biggest and the
tallest in 2000 he introduced Emirates
Towers which were higher than any
building in Europe at the time but that
wasn't big enough for Dubai Sheikh
Mohammed wanted to build the tallest
building in the world
in 2010 they completed the construction
of Burj Khalifa the highest skyscraper
in the world being a very hands-on
manager himself Sheikh Mohammed was
spending most of his time on
construction sites he was circling the
city in his white Mercedes which
registration plates said Dubai one this
plate was reflecting his overall
philosophy and life mission for Daniel
Burnham railway was the key asset of
building a new great city like Chicago
for Sheikh Mohammed that key asset was
aviation in 1974 he was already curating
the construction of Dubai International
Airport in 1980 he employs sir Maurice
Flanagan of British Airways to build
emirates the
new international airlines of Dubai soon
Emirates was flying to most of the
biggest international airports becoming
a gateway to Dubai for thousands of
tourists entrepreneurs and investors who
were curious to visit the new marvel of
the Middle East in 2002 Sheikh Mohammed
allowed foreigners to own land in Dubai
which quickly turned the city into one
of the biggest real estate markets
billionaires around the world jumped on
this new opportunity of owning property
in a city free of taxes and restrictions
Dubai became a gigantic construction
site every architect firm big or small
was rushing to Dubai bringing as many
architects and engineers as they
physically could it was a construction
Gold Rush in the middle of a desert the
biggest architects from around the world
brought their most ambitious projects to
Dubai Sheikh Mohammed had another
ambitious project in mind he wanted to
turn Dubai into a world financial center
competing with major financial capitals
like New York and London soon Dubai
international financial center was
created it's a special economic zone
covering 110 hectares with its laws and
regulations it was basically a separate
state within a city like the Vatican in
Rome the hub shortly became home to the
Giants of the international banking
system including Citibank HSBC and
Standard Chartered Dubai was growing
rapidly soon 95% of the population were
foreigners from around the world this of
course had a great impact on the local
culture a new truly international city
was born which was a unique phenomenon
in the world many capitals around the
world claimed to be international in
multinational cities but the reality is
that there is always a dominating local
culture or culture of the majority for
example London which served as an
inspiration for Sheik Rashid when he
started developing Dubai although being
a diverse city and home to numerous
ethnicities and cultures is still a
British City Dubai however became a
cultural no-man's land of a sort
everyone here is a guest so everyone can
feel at home
local citizens are only three to five
percent of the population this aspect of
the city earned a lot of criticism as
well for example the Washington Post
once stated that Dubai in this attempt
to be a successful Arabic city had to
sacrifice all its Arabic features
another negative aspect of this rapid
development became the fact that the
United Arab Emirates became the only
country that spends more energy than the
USA despite all this divides an urban
phenomenon that serves as an inspiration
for many other developing cities around
the world today let us know in the
comments if you have ever been to Dubai
and what you like or dislike about the
city if you enjoyed this video and would
like to see more videos on our channel
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