Dubai, United Arab Emirites

Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Romantics, lovers and history buffs all seem to crave stories of wealth and a zeal for life and all of it's 'fruit'. The far East has always played court to some of these real life adventures as well as some of the most lavishly written tales about Kings, Sheiks and countless riches. Rolling sand dunes and an area that was very infertile, was the paltry beginnings for Dubai, which in all intent and purpose was no different than any other nation in it's infancy. It had it's fair share of monetary struggles, just like any new country would. The one factor that helped Dubai was it's location, south of the Persian Gulf on the Arabian Peninsula. It was like a sentinel, a gate keeper for the promised lands beyond. In the years that would come, Dubai would eventually be burgeoning with golden riches and opulence worthy of any king.

The name Dubai, is said to have derived from the combination of the Farsi words for two brothers, Deira and Bur Dubai.

Of the seven emirates of the United Arab Emirates (or UAE), Dubai has the largest population and the second largest land mass of the emirates. There is recorded historic mention of Dubai in 1095 a.d. but this time frame seems to be undocumented. A pearl merchant by the name of Gaspero Balbi, made mention of Dubai in 1580, about it's wealth of pearls. The Portuguese arrived in the area in the early 17th century, followed by the French and the Dutch throughout the late 17th and early 18th century. It wasn't until 1799 until the earliest known settlement and town existed.

Dubai was a small fishing and trading village in the 18th century, when a group of about 800 people seceded from Abu Dhabi and settled in Dubai.

Dubai was a dependent of Abu Dhabi until 1833, when it was incorporated as a town on June 9 of that year.

Into the 20th century Dubai became a well established and prosperous port, establishing trade and settlers from Iran, India and Baluchistan. Along with fishing and sea trade, pearl hunting became very popular in this area. An East Indian population increased in East Arabia during the early part of the 20th century.

A Trucial council is established with the seven emirates in 1952.

The British established a political agency in 1954.

When his father died in 1958 H H Sheikh Rashid Bin Saeed al-Maktoum took over power, which he kept until 1980 when illness forced him to relinquish the majority of his power to his four sons.

Oil was discovered in 1966, changing Dubai's fortunes forever. Also that year Dubai joined Qatar and set up a new monetary unit. In 1969 Dubai began exporting oil for the first time.

When the UK left the area in 1971, the modern emirate of Dubai was created in what was previously called the Trucial States.

A free trade zone was established in 1979, but in 1990, The Gulf War had a very negative effect on Dubai and the surrounding areas.

The current day recession hit Dubai in 2008 and 2009, but the economic future for the area is hoping to be even richer than before, reflecting the opulence and ornateness of some of the palaces and resorts that exist there today. Travel in the middle east had been increasing dramatically, just prior to the recession. Many of the projects have been put on hold because of the tough economic times. His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum is currently en powered over the area today. With his ideologies and vision Dubai will be a most formidable area that will only increase in it's attraction.

The present and future bodes well for Dubai. If Dubai stands for anything, it's innovation. The Palm islands consists of three islands. Diera is the largest of these three islands and is a stunning achievement and symmetry for a man made creation. The area is a showpiece of hotels, shopping, apartments and attractions for the future and for those who want a more opulent, and more expensive holiday experience. Dubai also has plans for a project called The World, comprised of an archipelago of islands that form the image of the world. The Dubai waterfront is said to become the largest waterfront and largest man-made development in the world.

Temperatures in Dubai are, very warm, to say the least. Most of the year's precipitation is between December and March (between 1.15 cm and 1.85 cm per month), otherwise rain is fairly rare for the rest of the year.

The temperatures in Dubai can range from 75 degrees F (24 C) in January to 106 degrees F (41 C) in August.



I will continue talking more about the theme parks and attractions in this area in a latter blog entry.

Dubai Links:
http://www.atlantisthepalm.com/default.aspx Atlantis, The Palm, Dubai
http://www.burjkhalifa.ae/ The mighty building and tallest in the world as of May 2010.
http://www.dubai.com/ Dubai's official website.
http://www.dubaitourism.ae/Home/tabid/36/language/en-US/Default.aspx Dubai department of Tourism and Commerce.
http://www.jumeirah.com/en/Hotels-and-Resorts/Wild-Wadi/ Wild-Wadi Water Park
http://www.mongabay.com/reference/country_profiles/2004-2005/UAE.html A well detailed United Arab Emirates profile.
http://www.mydubaistay.com/en/default.aspx Dubai furnished apartments for your holiday stay.