| Page Views: 203 Last Visit to Dubai: March, 2007 | The Las Vegas of the Middle East by maharaja_joe - last update: Mar 24, 2007 |
| Skyline of Dubai during a sandstorm |
Dubai surprised me every single day I was there. From the sand-storms to the thunderstorms, the nightclubs to the pubs, the expensive hotels to the street food ...... it was a great time ! I think Joel, my cousin who works in Dubai, was amused every time my eyes popped.
Dubai is both an Emirate, and a city. As an emirate, it is one of the seven that make up the UAE. As a city, it is the gateway to the Middle East, straddling traditional Arab beliefs and western business practices at the same time. The credit for this Herculean task goes to Sheikh Mohammed, the Emir of Dubai and the Vice President of the UAE, who runs the emirate like a company. Since oil is only about 6% of the GDP, Dubai is strongly diversifying its economy and trying to position itself as the financial capital of the lucrative Middle East market. |
| Driving along Sheikh Zayed road |
No taxes ! How can any business or individual resist that ? One of the omni-present things in Dubai is the construction cranes that dominate the skyline, especially from from Jumeirah to Jebel Ali. Emaar Properties is currently constructing the Burj Dubai. The final height of Burj Dubai is a closely guarded secret, but everyone expects it to be the worlds tallest building. Many of the buildings are offices and hotels, while some of them are apartment complexes. Dubai also allows foreigners to own property, but not land. This is not very common in the Middle East, and is a pretty ballsy move considering that the locals are less than 10% of the population.
Tourism is also booming. There is no limit to the number of entertainment complexes, shopping malls and sports stadiums that are being built. At this rate, Las Vegas is going to look like a village. Other than that, Bur Dubai and Deira are also great places to walk in the winters. Don’t even dare try this during the summer. The Souks, Bastaki and the museum take you to a different world and time. The best part of Dubai in my opninon, is the manner in which they have maintained the eco-system. The water in Dubai creek is still a beautiful bluish-green. A trip on the abra (a 20 person boat used to transport people across the creek) between Bur Dubai and Deira is totally worth the 1 dirham fee. |
| Construstion of Burj Dubai |
Something that has not received enough coverage is the human rights issues concerning the immigrant workforce, most of who come from the Indian subcontinent. The local laws are also heavily biased against the immigrant. Get into an accident, and it is never the fault of the Emirati (a citizen of the Emirates). Ironically, most of the police force is filled other immigrants: Egyptians and Ethiopians. One can see a big difference in the standard of living, as you go away from Jebel Ali toward Sharjah. Gone are the glitzy buildings and the well manicured lawns. I was crashing at my cousin’s pad in Al Nahda, near the Dubai – Sharjah border. The place was 100% residential, with restaurants that served authentic Indian and Pakistani food. No frills residential area, but great place to chill out.
The situation is really bad for blue-collar workers. There are hundreds of unreported incidents where maid servants are abused by their employers. Surprisingly, in many cases, the employers who abuse them are immigrants from their own country. The maids can not just leave and go back home because their passports are in the “safe-keeping” of their employers. Health care for the blue collar workers are almost non-existent.
Even then, the standard of living that the immigrants have in UAE beats the one in their own motherland. This and the opportunity that Dubai offers is what keeps them here. I would imagine that this is the story of any immigrant to any country. I am sure the Italians and the Irish immigrants to the USA went through similar experiences. |
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