That little place called… Dubai

February 19, 2008 at 2:49 pm · Filed under Arabisms

I found my aunt’s 12th grade geography book when I was 15. It was published when pan-Arabism was still shining some time in the mid 70′s, and I was paging through it, amused at the rather vintage look of the colorful maps.

Then I get to a section entitled “Our Arab World”.  I run my fingers through the map, tracing out Riyadh where we grew up, Bahrain where we spent our holidays, and randomly thinking about the Gulf War as my eyes zoned over Iraq.

My eyes drift a bit lower, and I realize that there’s a very important place missing. I look at my aunt and ask her, “Where’s Dubai on the map?”

She chuckles, “Dubai? I had not heard of Dubai until a few years ago.”

Dubai in 1990 prior to the craziness:

The same street in 2003:

[Link of images]




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  • http://www.iamleet.com m7md

    …why?

  • Gus

    Wow. I think Jordan is moving towards the same way.

  • Talal

    I don’t remember the Dubai of 1990, but I do remember the dubai of 1995. A few more buildings, a couple more trees here and there, but not much different from that top picture you’ve got. I really miss it. I remember driving there from Abu Dhabi and just being fascinated by how ‘cool’ Dubai was…Malls! Foreigners! Cool buildings (even back then)!

    But now….I despise Dubai (and no, this is NOT because I’m a jealous Abu Dhabiite). It’s suffocatingly crowded, ridiculously expensive, and–worst of all–so friggin’ SMUG. I mean, I guess it’s great that it’s growing and what not, but in the process of becoming the world’s next Vegas/Singapore/Hong Kong it lost itself, and now it’s just that–another Vegas/Singapore/Hong Kong. I just hope Abu Dhabi doesn’t go the same way.

  • http://www.jorzine.com ali alhasani

    wow..Money Talks!
    that’s all what i got to say..lol

  • http://hareega.blogspot.com Hareega

    yep, Amman is losing its identity too.

  • Ayyob

    What do u mean Hareega by saying amman is losing its identitytoo?
    this is a good thing… Especially for amman. I mean its a poor country that needs the facelift just so it can take care of its own and now have to beg for money from the US and the Gulf countries. Things arent what they used to be. We used to get most of our oil for free from Saudi while now we pay Market price…were on our own now.

    I think Dubai is doing it the right way…I watched a documentary on the Discovery channel saying that Dubai runs out of oil around 2016. But all this stuff there doing is gona bring them in 3-5 times as much income as oil does now.
    Thats amazing. I mean there doing it without making the mistakes others before them did.

  • http://hareega.blogspot.com Hareega

    Ayyob, I was talking about the artistic side not the economic part.
    Even economically, Jordanians were screwed big time with this war. Just having great towers built up doesn’t mean we’re doing better. The majority of Jordanians are doing worse now than five years ago. We’ll always be begging for money, and you can’t compare Amman to Dubai in any way.

  • http://www.opinionateit.blogspot.co murid_aisha

    Wow, amazing! Money sure does talk. I read recently that they have also expanded their land mass 65% over 10 years. That’s smart investment even if it feels like Vegas. I’d love to visit, because Vegas sucks, and there would be less drinking, gambling and Celine Dion shows. :)
    dubai sponsored website shows growth rate and all of the amenities this bustling city boasts of. 47 malls? are you kidding? Extravagant Extravaganza!!

    current Area according to Wikipedia:
    – emirate 4,114 km² (1,588.4 sq mi)
    – Metro 1,287.4 km² (497.1 sq mi)

    Sweet! here’s a gorgeous pic my father-in-law took there recently. Just spectacular!

  • Rob

    So what if they can put up buildings with their soon-to-dry-up oil money? It does not mean anything!

    That Al Makhtoum guy built a hotel in the ocean? And that will make businesses come to Dubai??

    He needs to build a world class education system that rivals the west, with an emphasis on fundamental research. With a billion dollars he could’ve built a particle accelerator. Or how about research in semiconductors to create a new breed or solar panels. His money could’ve funded research in mathematics or chemistry?

    No wonder the rest of the world looks at the Arabs with a “condescending” eye. They cant do their own work. They want cheap Indian and Pakistani workers to move their dirt. They need western companies like GE and ARAMCO do run their businesses. In the end, “some” of the money goes into their Royal Family’s bank accounts so they can boink around with lotsa of women in their harems. And when they are 60, the same people from the Royal family “renounce” the “western way” and take on titles like “Custodian of the two holy mosques” when they have never been a true Muslim all their life.

    Look at the chinese and what they have done with their Foreign exchange surplus. They buy UAVs from Israel, building dams and nuclear power plants.

    The Arab world needs to realize that tides on the horizon are getting stronger and higher and that their future is very bleak. Unless they transform their economies into a knowledge based power house that churns out ideas in science, math and engineering, the entire middle east will soon face an economic melt down.

  • Sid Vicious

    just stumbled upon a very similar blog entry, amazingly posted on the same day

    http://www.tutztutz.com/2008/02/dubai-what-the-hell-is-going-on-over-there/