Burj Al Arab

On 7 October 1990, Sheikh Rashid passed away. You would think the ambition to put Dubai on the map would die too and that would be an end of an era like Saddam Hussein’s death in Iraq but you would be wrong if you thought this. Sheikh Maktoum bin Rashid Al Maktoum would become the new ruler and continue the legacy left by his father. His focus would be the creation of world class properties that would put Dubai firmly on the globe.

Everyone knows when they see Burj Al Arab, meaning Tower of the Arabs, it reminds them of Dubai and this was the exact purpose behind the design of the only seven star hotel in the world. It didn’t take long for the building to open in 1999 to become the tallest hotel in the world at the time. 

The cost is rumoured to be so high to build and run that it will never make a profit. One night alone will set you back £12,000. When I arrived at this iconic structure in 2010, I realised it would cost me $55 just to get a tour, hence the only picture you see is me standing outside the hotel! At first I thought the idea of having to pay in for a tour was not right but then I quickly realised, if you did spend £12,000 a night, would you really want curious tourists walking around freely and having a picture of your Ferrari posted all over Facebook!

Anyway, thanks to technology these days, I can show you what you can expect to see with your money via this video! 

Father of Dubai

I was watching football the other day and was reminded about the success of the English football team in 1966 when they won the World Cup. On the same year, Dubai had struck gold too as oil was discovered off its coast which helped fuel its rapid development.


Sheikh Rashid  had a famous saying 

“My grandfather rode a camel, my father rode a camel, I drive a Mercedes, my son drives a Land Rover, his son will drive a Land Rover, but his son will ride a camel”. 

He was aware its oil reserves would run out in about 50 years and Dubai would have to rely on other sectors of the economy for income. This inspired the development of several infrastructure projects to make Dubai a vital trading hub in the Middle East.

With the help of rising oil prices in the 1970s, one of the first man-made projects was Port Rashid, named after the Ruler of Dubai himself, was opened in 1973 where the biggest ships at the time could use its five berth container terminals. An additional port was also built at Jebal Ali with 66 berths completed by 1983. Not only is this the largest port in the Middle East but to this day it is the largest man-made port ever built! During the same period, Dubai Dry Docks were being constructed which opened in 1979 with a capacity of 1 million ton. Additionally in 1978, the Dubai World Trade Centre was under construction.

Not only were the creation of the ports very successful as they allowed a link between the Far East and the Western hemisphere, they were also very ambitious. To make us understand how ambitious the Sheikh was, the cost of Palm Jumeirah or Palm Island, which is a man-made, residential, palm shaped island, is evaluated at $12 billion. The cost of the Jebel Ali port is estimated at $9 billion if it was built today.

History of Dubai

Dubai today is known for its sun, unimaginable buildings, glamour and a tax haven for the rich which has attracted the attention of everyone from all corners of the world, including me hence why I have chosen to blog about this emirate. However, its ambition to stand out from the world was no different when we look into its history which took me by surprise.

Dubai quickly used its demographic advantageous location to exploit its trade flows by initially exporting pearls to China and importing silk and porcelain which would be traded in the Middle Eastern and European markets. The pearl industry took off which the economy became strongly dependent on. Soon other countries took notice of Dubai having a strong presence as a major trading hub and in the 16^th century, Portugal made an attempt to gain control of the local economy. Its attempt was foiled as they faced resistance from the bigger nations of France, Holland and the United Kingdom. It wasn’t until 1766 did the British eventually gain control of Dubai’s ports.  Although Dubai was unable to control its waterways, it was still able to prosper from its pearl trade.

In 1894, Dubai attracted traders from around the world once again by signing a trade deal with the British which allowed free trade for foreign traders. In 1903, Sheikh Maktoum bin Hasher Al Maktoum signed a deal with a British steamship company to use its port which started 25 more prosperous years. However, in 1929, the Great Depression had arrived and problems were made worse as artificial pearls had reached the market which would bring an end to Dubai dependence on the exports of its pearls. However, due to its duty-free port, Dubai become a trading hub as a re-export business port as goods were cheaply imported which were then immediately exported into other markets.