Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Dubai can trace its history back 5,000 years to the time when it was one of the original seven sheikhdoms that presently forms the United Arab Emirates.
Settlements sprang up along the waterway that is now known as the Dubai Creek, thanks to the area’s ample freshwater supply and its easy access to the Persian Gulf and Arabian Sea, which made it a historical hub and pivotal stop in overland and maritime trade routes both regionally as well as internationally.
Pearl-diving, too, became a thriving industry, as surrounding the fertile gulf waters yielded some of the world’s finest specimens of pearls. However, in the 1920s, the Great Depression, coupled with a growing demand for cultured pearls stifled the local pearl-diving industry until it died out and Dubai was on it's way down.
Always the survivor, Dubai's astute rulers turned the city-state around and aided it's recovery by promoting its duty-free trade zone and becoming one of the Middle East’s economic goliaths.
Today, jetsetting travellers from around the world arrive daily in Dubai, residing the city’s fabulous resort hotels like the fabulous six star Burq al Arab, and enjoying its cosmopolitan dining, nightlife, and shopping scenes.
Dubai is more than just another Western-style resort, though, and curious travellers looking to explore the city will find "souqs" (traditional open-air markets), where shoppers can find great deals on jewelry and fabrics; enjoy the view of architectural ruins at Jumeirah Beach; a quaint Old Town where ornate wind towers loom over narrow lanes; and an enviable park system featuring exquisite Creekside Park and Jumeirah Beach Park.
Indeed, the city celebrates its past while still managing to keep an eye on the future, a mentality reflected in many of Dubai’s ultra-modern business skyscrapers and shopping malls, which bear distinctively Middle Eastern-themed architecture and designs.
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