Dubai has captured the attention of people around the world. It seemingly grew from a small desert village to a tourism hub overnight. Its clusters of skyscrapers, man-made islands, opulent malls, palatial hotels and flashy lifestyle seem unreal. I was born in Dubai and lived there for 23 years before moving to the States in 2011 to pursue my Masters. Link to my Patreon page: https://www.patreon.com/Belinda_Carr Chapters: 0:00 Introduction 0:47 History of Dubai 1:24 Heart of Dubai 1:45 Growing up in Dubai 3:17 Changing 2000s 4:01 Growth along Sheikh Zayed Road 4:29 Decade of change 5:20 Things to improve 6:28 Reminiscing Dubai is one of the seven emirates in the United Arab Emirates or UAE which was formed on the 2nd of December 1971. In the 1700s, it was primarily a fishing village. In the 1800s, it became a port city and an important trade location because of its proximity to Iran. In the early 1900s, it was an important pearl exporter. Oil was eventually found off the shores of Dubai in the 1970s which brought a massive influx of foreign workers. In the 1980s, the city grew on either side of the Dubai Creek, Deira in the East and Bur Dubai and Karama in the West where I was born. These areas are still the heart of Dubai in my opinion. The gold and spice souks, the abra that ferries people back and forth across the creek, the forts made of coral rock and mortar, the wind towers, and of course, the heavy Indian subcontinent influence. There were some British expatriates but they lived in a different area. The wealth disparity among the Westerners like Americans and Britishers and the Easteners was significant. I remember racial tensions being pretty high and every nationality being very territorial. Another important difference was that Dubai was seen as a stop over in the search for a better life. Immigrants saved every dirham and fil they could, while making plans to move to Canada or Australia. Frivolous spending on luxury goods wasn't the norm. In the 2000s, you could feel a big change coming. There was a construction frenzy, I remember seeing at least a dozen cranes from my apartment in Karama. Dubai suddenly became very multicultural. The boom attracted people from all over the world, especially South East Asia. Everything was changing so fast, we had to learn to get along and to be more tolerant. In 2006, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum became the ruler of Dubai and the Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE. He is truly a visionary. He knew that Dubai had a relatively small reserve of oil and natural gas that would eventually run out by 2030. He led the transformation of Dubai from an oil-reliant, trade-based economy to a service and tourism oriented economy. Dubai grew westward along a single highway called Sheikh Zayed Road, named after the founding father of the UAE. Everything was built off this highway: hundreds of new skyscrapers, the Burj Khalifa which is the tallest building in the world, the Dubai Mall which is the world’s biggest mall, the Mall of the Emirates with its famous sky slope, The Burj al Arab and the man-made Palm Island. The way Dubai transformed in those 10 years, from 2000 to 2010 was incredible. It was tough to wrap your head around how fast things were moving. Of course, with such rapid growth, things fall through the cracks. Dubai diluted its culture and identity, because it was trying to appeal to a Western audience. The economic and social bubble became very obvious. Human rights is another. Dubai was built on the backs of immigrant laborers, many of them Indians. In Dubai’s defense, it isn’t fair to judge all their laws with more established countries. It is still such a new city, in a new country. It’s trying to figure out its identity and what role it plays in the world. I’ve been in the States for almost 10 years, but I still call Dubai home because I spent my formative years there, my parents still live there, it holds a special place in my heart. I miss Dubai, I miss home. -------------------- SOURCES https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VySuvT6uG1w Visit Dubai https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rjf5BFxiOKA Visit Dubai https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A13MLRa86qk Emirates https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DHRmoEbWV8U HH Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum -------------------- Fluffy by Smith The Mister https://smiththemister.bandcamp.com/ Smith The Mister https://bit.ly/Smith-The-Mister-YT Free Download / Stream: https://bit.ly/stm-fluffy Music promoted by Audio Library https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OM9G3nyLT_w --------------------- Disclaimer: This video was created for educational/informational purposes and qualifies as Fair Use. If you are the creator or own the footage featured in this video and have reservations please notify me via Youtube comments or email and I will accommodate you #dubai #burjkhalifa #oil #personal #construction #architecture #burjalarab #uae