General information

About Dubai

Dubai is without doubt the most dynamic and high-profile of the seven United Arab Emirates (UAE), a federation of states on the eastern coast of the oil-rich Arabian Peninsula.

It’s grown in fame over the past few years for its offshore property developments, especially the Palms - three man-made, palm-shaped islands that are visible from space. While it does not have much in the way of a historic centre - you are likely to be older than most of the buildings - the city has boosted its status as a tourist and shopping magnet for visitors by embarking on ever more grandiose projects.

If you're coming in to land, especially at night, then it's difficult not to be impressed by the skyscrapers along Sheikh Zayed Road, which now include the tallest building in the world - the Burj Dubai.

Visitors are often surprised to learn that Dubai's breakneck growth is not fuelled entirely by oil. Most of the UAE's oil wealth is concentrated in neighbouring Abu Dhabi, the country's capital. Dubai has largely built its fortunes on liberal trade rules, driven by the dynamism and foresight of the ruling al-Maktoum family, who have nurtured its growth from a sleepy fishing village little over a century ago, to the capital of the Gulf.

Established as an independent settlement in 1833, Dubai, like much of the Gulf coast at that time, relied primarily on pearling and fishing for its income. During the summer months, the men would go out on boats to the pearling banks to dive for prized pearl oysters. At the end of the pearling season, the boats would return and the pearls would be sold to traders, ending up in jewellery from India to Europe.

Many local people lived in barasti huts and fish and dates were staple foods. Wealthy merchants, many originating from the Persian coast, lived in masonry houses that can still be seen in the creekside Bastakiya area of Bur Dubai as well as in Shindagha, the site of the original settlement of Dubai. These houses are built around a central courtyard and include windtowers at their corners, which trapped and funnelled the breeze to cool the rooms below in the days before electricity.

The pearling industry declined in the 1920s and 1930s, but Dubai remained a magnet for merchants fleeing higher tariffs on the Persian coast, and continued to grow into the trading hub it is today. The port that grew up around Dubai's sheltered creek was dredged and expanded, oil was discovered and the airport was built. Now, Jebel Ali Port, at the other end of the emirate, is the busiest in the Gulf.

Dubai is ruled by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum, who succeeded his late brother in January 2006 and is also the Prime Minister and Vice President of the UAE. He has long been a driving force behind the expansion and modernisation of Dubai, whose population is growing as people arrive from around the world seeking employment in this booming economy.

Indeed, one of the first things that will strike the visitor is the cultural diversity of the place, home to myriad nationalities. Also striking is the number of cranes that mark the city-scape in the newer parts of town where work on new sky-scrapers, marinas and man-made islands goes on around the clock.

Unfortunately, the infrastructure has not been able to keep up with the population growth, causing nightmarish traffic and expensive property prices.

About the airport 

Dubai's airport is a bit like the city itself: modern, glitzy, overcrowded and having to expand at a furious pace. Golden palms, a futuristic oval design and renowned duty-free shopping are the main hallmarks that you’ll see when passing through DXB, which has grown by a remarkable 15% every year since 2000 and is expected to top the 30 million passengers in 2007. It’s the busiest airport in the Middle East and Africa region, and in terms of international traffic is on the verge of appearing in the world top 10.

All of this has been largely due to the massive worldwide expansion of Emirates, Dubai’s own airline, which now brings in passengers from all four corners of the globe. Around 50% of passenger traffic in Dubai is  estimated to be transit, which ties in with Emirates' business model of using city's geographical location as a hub between different continents.

Thanks to this growth, Dubai's airport can often require some patience from travellers. Check-in and passport control queues are often long, whilst the road traffic when leaving or arrving at the airport is heavy at most times of the day. 

There are two terminals in Dubai, with Terminal 1 by far the largest and most-used. Terminal 2 is mainly served by short-haul flights within the region or some longer-distance charter flights. Unlike many airports in Europe, Dubai works around the clock and planes are queueing up to land or take off at all times of day, with peak hours falling between 11pm and 2am, when a lot of European flights depart or arrive. Bear in mind that queues for passport control are likely to be longest at these points.

A new terminal dedicated exclusively to Emirates was due to open at the end of 2007, but has reportedly now been given a completion date of May 2008. Meanwhile, at the other end of the city, the Al Maktoum International Airport is under construction: when completed, it will be the largest airport in the world.

DUBAI AIRPORT GUIDE
Arriving and departing
Inside the airport
3-5 hour stopovers
5-7 hour stopovers
Exploring the city
Transport options