dubai - a pictorial souvenir

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Published with the supportand encouragement of

Dubai A P I C T O R I A L S O U V E N I R


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Published by Motivate Publishing

Dubai: PO Box 2331, Dubai, UAE Tel: (+971) 4 282 4060, fax: (+971) 4 282 0428e-mail: [email protected] www.booksarabia.com

Office 508, Building No 8, Dubai Media City, Dubai, UAE Tel: (+971) 4 390 3550, fax: (+971) 4 390 4845

Abu Dhabi: PO Box 43072, Abu Dhabi, UAE Tel: (+971) 2 627 1666, fax: (+971) 2 627 1566

London: Acre House, 11/15 William Road, London NW1 3ERe-mail: [email protected]

Directors: Obaid Humaid Al Tayer and Ian FairserviceSenior Editor: David SteeleEditor: Pippa SandersonEditorial Assistant: Zelda PintoSenior Designer: Andrea Willmore

Motivate Publishing 2001 and 2005

First published 2001Reprinted 2003Second edition 2005

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any materialform (including photocopying or storing in any medium by electronic means) withoutthe written permission of the copyright holder. Applications for the copyright holders

written permission to reproduce any part of this publication should be addressedto the publishers. In accordance with the International Copyright Act 1956 and the

UAE Federal Copyright Law No 40 of 1992, any person acting in contravention of this will be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.

ISBN: 1 86063 185 1

British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data. A catalogue record for this book isavailable from the British Library.

Printed by Rashid Printers & Stationers LLC, Ajman, United Arab Emirates


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Cover: Dubai is a multicultural society and the differing interests andactivities of its residents bring colour and variety to every aspect of life.Half-title page: The traditional sport of the Emirates, falconry has been

the catalyst for numerous developments in global avian medicine. Title page: One of Dubais most recent developments is Madinat Jumeirah, a stunning tribute to the Arabia of yore. This page: While the nomadic Bedu of yesteryear have settled for asedentary life in the modern city of Dubai, the silence and beauty of the desert which has remained the same for thousands of years nowdraws residents and visitors for day-long excursions into the desert.

Photographic credits Dubai Civil Aviation: 68/69Dubai Duty Free: 50, 51, 52/53Dubai Festival City: 76BDubai Holding: 78Dubai Municipality: 79Emaar Properties: 77Dubai Shopping Festival: 59Emirates airline: 14B, 30, 55Gulf Images: 38

Jumeirah International: 62, 63 Lichfield, Patrick: 66/67

Motivate Publishing: Adiseshan, Shankar: 16, 18/19, 20/21, 26T, 29, 34, 36T, 37, 44, 53 Gwanny, Fadi: 12T, 13, 14T, 40/41 Kita, Karel: 22/23, 45T, 73Nakheel: 76T, 80Sanderson, Pippa: 2, 38/39, 48, 74/75Steele, David: Front cover, 4/5, 8/9, 15, 17, 26/27, 28, 31, 32/33, 35, 36B,

45B, 46/47, 48/49, 54, 56/57, 58, 60/61, 64/65, 65, 72 Willmore, Andrea: 1

T: top; B: bottom


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Introduction from His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum,Deputy Ruler of Dubai, UAE Minister of Finance and Industry,and Chairman of Dubai Municipalityf you are new to Dubai, welcome and I hope this book will serveas a useful introduction. For residents or visitors already familiar

with the emirate, I believe it will present some perspectives of our country and history you may not have seen before.

For those who have recently arrived I suggest that, to get a feel forthe place and to begin to understand how it works, you take a strollalong the Creek. Appropriately, the waterway features dominantly inthis book, simply because its been so dominant in our history. Theactivities there are a microcosm of the whole of this industrious,multicultural, adaptable and tolerant city.

The Creek curves through Dubai, its waters reflecting ancient wind-towers and neon advertisements, its skyline alternately punctuatedby slender minarets and high-rise offices. Moored at its wharves orchurning its surface are trading dhows and fishing boats, pleasurecraft and oil-service vessels. Hotels and gardens line its banks, whilethe walls of the merchants houses in the old quarter are still lappedby its tides. Busy along its shores are the people of many nations who

live and work here, bringing a cultural variety that enriches every aspect of life.Geography, of course, has helped. Dubai, positioned midway

between Europe and the Far Fast, is at the hub of the wealthy MiddleEast and of a greater market that stretches from the Levant to theIndian subcontinent and from the newly emerging states of the CIS to

Africa. But then, throughout the world, strategic locations, especially seaports, have historically been centres of trading activity although

not all have taken full advantage of their position by developingtrading skills and supporting services, nor have they all attractedcommerce and industry.

Here in Dubai while we have the necessary controls andlegislation to secure a fair and just commercial environment theauthorities prefer to leave companies to get on with what they do best:running their businesses.

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Dubai has always been ready to trade, and to invest in an infrastructurethats already attracted so much commerce and industry to the emirate ports and cargo facilities, accommodation and telecommunications,modern road systems and an award-winning airline.

In addition to the benefits offered by the city itself, its free zonessuch as at Jebel Ali (which has been chosen by more than 1,500companies as their Gulf base) and at Dubai Media City, DubaiInternet City and Dubai International Airport among others, havebeen designed to provide a congenial business environment. Thepeople who live and work here are catered for by a host of ancillary services ranging from education to entertainment, sports and leisurefacilities, hospitals and clinics, high-quality housing and ease of accessfor travellers and goods.

While Dubais history can be traced back some 6,000 years, therehas probably been more change in the last three decades than in thepreceding six millennia. Even as recently as the early 1950s Dubai wasstill a small entrept trading port, the occupants of which, since thedecline of the pearl trade a generation earlier, had returned to earninga modest living from the import and re-export of goods.

Then, the regular P&O steamships from Bombay would anchor amile offshore, their cargoes and passengers being brought to land by small boats of sufficiently shallow draught to enter the Creek. At the

desert airstrip, the occasional DC3, Heron and Dove would whisk upthe sand on the unpaved runways. Few people could anticipate theimmense changes that would take place in the years ahead.

But one man could. His Highness Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum, whose son Sheikh Maktoum so ably continues our latefathers policies, combined the shrewdness and trading skills of amerchant with the foresight of a visionary. If you would like to seehis monument, stand at any vantage point in Dubai and look around

not just at the buildings themselves, impressive as they are, but alsoat the people, the activity and the way of life: together, they form aunique and still-developing testament.

Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum


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ubai is a city divided by a waterway, a salt- water inlet known as the Creek. The Creek is the reason for Dubais existence the first

settlement was established on its banks and its still

the main artery of the city, separating Bur Dubai on oneside from Deira on the other. A stroll along its banksevokes the citys centuries-old trading traditions andthe colour and bustle of the loading and unloading of dhows, which still ply ancient trade routes to India and

Africa, easily captivates the imagination. The best way to see the Creek is from the water, and

picturesque water-taxis known as abrat putter back andforth cross the Creek at a very affordable dirham a head a great experience for independent-minded visitors.

The abr at provide a leisurely, old-fashioned way to journey about in the very heart of a fast-paced, moderncommercial centre.

Theres plenty to do along the Creek banks too. Nearthe Creek mouth, in the Shindagha district, a heritage

village and the replica of an old pearl-diving villageprovide fascinating insights into Dubais traditionalculture. Also in Shindagha, former ruler Sheikh Saeed

Al Maktoums home has been turned into a museumand contains displays of historical photographs andnumerous mementoes.

Head further up the Creek and youll find the TextileSouk, close to Bur Dubais main abra stand. With its

blaze of colourful raw silks and cottons hanging inprofusion from the numerous shop windows, it capturesexquisitely the atmosphere and essence of Arabias souksfrom a bygone age.

Just outside the souk is the Rulers Diwan, orgovernment office. Then comes the historical andrenovated Bastikiya district with its narrow lanes and tall

wind-towers giving another tantalising glimpse of the

Dubai of yesteryear. A scenic stroll along the promenade here can be

particularly beautiful at sunset, when youll see goldenreflections of the water and dhows in the high-rise build-ings that line the Creek; the striking National Bank of Dubai building, with its curved faade of polished steeland glass, was in fact custom-designed for this purpose.

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The ultra-modern architecture of this building, as well as the other glass and concrete towers nearby, suchas the Twin Towers and the eye-catching Chamberof Commerce and Industry, stand in an intriguing

juxtaposition to the dhows below. However, theres apleasing sense of continuity in the commercial buildingshaving the trading dhows at their feet.

There are two bridges over the Creek: Al MaktoumBridge and Al Garhoud Bridge. The third, Dubaislargest-ever road-construction project located at Rasal-Khor, will have five lanes in either direction.

Between the two bridges, on the Bur Dubai side, isCreek Park, a popular recreational area with its cableway,barbecue sites and acres of landscaped gardens. Alsosituated in Creek Park is Childrens City, a uniqueinfotainment facility for the young. Beyond Al GarhoudBridge the upper reaches of the Creek are used for watersports such as rowing and jet-skiing.

At the top, inland, end of the Creek is a shallowlagoon which has been turned into a bird and mangrovesanctuary; greater flamingos are the most conspicuousbut there are vast numbers of other birds, particularly during the migration, when up to 27,000 birds havebeen counted at any one time.

Returning along the Creek on the Deira side, thefirst noteworthy sight is the huge development justbefore Al Garhoud Bridge: Dubai Festival City. A water-

front destination that stretches for some four kilometres,it comes replete with a marina, restaurants, shops,entertainment facilities, golf course, hotels and offices.

Across the bridge is the Dubai Creek Golf and YachtClub the clubhouse, resembling a dhow under fullsail, is a landmark in itself. It was redeveloped during2004 and 2005 with assistance from Thomas Bjorn, theDubai-based former Ryder Cup player and past Dubai

Desert Classic champion. The complex incorporatesa hotel, a 115-berth marina and, besides the world-class sporting facilities, it houses several interestingrestaurants with stunning views.

Across the next (Al Maktoum) bridge is the dhow wharfage. Today, the trading dhows use engines ratherthan sails, but are still traditional in shape. A fascinating

area to explore with a camera, the wharfage extends pasta waterfront development with upmarket hotels andluxury cabin cruisers to the abra station, which marks thegateway to the souks of Deira, a maze of narrow alleys

containing little shops brimming with merchandise, andtiny, very affordable pavement caf-style eateries. The Creek (and the road that borders it) makes a

sharp turn before it flows into the Gulf, creating a fingerof land which projects into the water. In this area youllfind the famous Gold Souk and nearer the mouth (closeto where the Shindagha Tunnel passes under the Creek)the Deira fish, meat and vegetable market which alsomarks the end of the round trip.

Previous spread: Although much of this scene has remained the same for hundreds of years, the 21st century is very much inevidence, with modern motor vehicles along the banks of theCreek and in the advertisement on the far right.


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Left: While dhows are now propelled by engines rather than the lateen sails of yesteryear, they are

still built in the traditional way, by craftsmen whoseexpertise renders the use of blueprints unnecessary.

Above: The Creek is the centre of Dubais re-export activities. These dhows, moored three and four abreast, still ply trading routes to India, Pakistan,

East Asia and within the Gulf, re-distributing goods throughout the region.

Right: An early evening stroll along the creek- side will reveal much domestic activity onboard the dhows, with meals being prepared and shishas being sampled by the tightly knit crews.

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dubai - a pictorial souvenir

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