Little Dubai has more tourist visitors than the whole of India!
National Geographic writes about the tax-free emirate and how it went from a fishing village to a world class business investment zone.
In their Did you know? section you can read about the making of the Dubai Palm Islands.
6 comments:
Dubai was a much better place in the pre-tourism era. Back then, people had less money but big hearts. Today unfortunately money has replaced Islam as the main religion of the people. May Allah guide us to His right path.
I love Sharjah although I was born in Dubai. The growth in Sharjah is more natural, the focus is on the building of better human beings instead of tallest towers. On almost every roundabout you see a mosque, and each mosque is a masterpiece of Islamic architecture. You have 24 museums, the largest book fair in the region, an impressive University City. May Allah reward the ruler of Sharjah for his efforts in both worlds.
I like the feel of Sharjah and Abu Dhabi more than Dubai too.
Dubai has no soul which you can feel in other parts of the country and the world. Maybe because it's all too new and there's very little left of the old city.
I like the image on top of the NG article - the fishpots to the Burj - it really says it all.
Otherwise the words read just like another gushy PR piece about how wonderful it all is and what great visionaries we have in Dubai.
To be honest, if you start with lots of oil, plenty of money, cheap labour from your neighbours and a big sandpit, a lot of boys and girls can have the same imagination!
I haven't been to either place so it wold be very inetresting to make that cmparison you are all talking about. I do get the impression that Dubai is a place that perhaps is going at such a fast pace it doesn't have time to define what exactly it is.
DG thanks for all teh links, I am sure when I make my visit they will be useful :)
NZM, it was one of those types of article like you said, but the picture in it was so fabulous it was worth posting. And I have to confess I had no idea Dubai had more visitors than India alone. Very interesting!
Have a blessed Christmas :)
SS: thanks for the Christmas wishes! It's the most un-Christmas feeling that I've ever had at Christmas - even being in Germany where there are Christmas markets, lights and decorations everywhere.
I guess it has something to do with the situation we're facing right now, with all the uncertainty over jobs, living, and money!
We'll celebrate when it all comes right for us, I'm sure, and in the meantime, give thanks for what we have!
BTW - if you do go to Sharjah, it's a lot more conservative than Dubai, meaning that it pays to dress more respectfully. Unfortunately though, the last time we were there it appeared that the underdressed tourist had also invaded Sharjah. They just don't know that they could be arrested for it over there!
Tax free? Ha! There are little fees, big fees for everything and anything when you step into any government office! And they keep increasing it every 2 months! Technically, it's tax free, but the fees kill you!!
I wonder if anyone out there is listening... no-one likes Dubai anymore... I LOVE Sharjah mostly for reasons dg has already elaborated on, and some more of my own...
But given a choice, send me back to my place of birth Al-Ain anyday...except ofcourse on the public holidays when the whole country comes swarming...that is a great time to be in the northern emirates...
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