Dubai—the Emerald City

Day 78 at sea, March 24, 2011

If Mumbai was the image of suffering, Dubai is the image of wealth and prosperity. The United Arab Emirates on the Persian Gulf. It is the most populated City in the UAE next to Abu Dhabi and continues to be one of the fastest growing cities in the world.  The construction and development of Dubai is stunning. Dubai is home to the world’s tallest building.  There is an amazing building that houses a mountain on which people can ski.  The malls here are very high end and it isn’t unusual to see women, who still wear black berkas and cover their hair and face, buying stilettos and fashions right off the runway.

High-rises abound. One resort was built in the shape of a ship’s mast. The architecture here is unique and breathtaking. Most of the city is less than forty years old. Still in this beautiful and clean city, there are touches of the old world. An ancient walled fort, once home to a sheik, is now a museum featuring life as it was centuries ago. There are old-time markets or souks with pushy venders. We visited a gold souk, a spice souk and saw all manner of souvenirs, clothing, fabric and the like.

Most of Dubai’s population is made up of expatriates, the majority immigrants from Asia, who act as the primary workforce.  Nationals are in the minority here.  Dubai is one of seven emirates (kingdoms) still ruled by seven sheiks who are among the wealthiest rulers in the world. They have servants for all of their many palaces and yachts--ready at all times to serve.  They are men who can afford many wives and children.  Oil has made them wealthy as has our dependence on oil, but these sheiks know the oil is finite and are diversified. Tourism, desalinization, commerce, and brokerage also provide an income as well. 

In fact we could learn from their desalinization process.  They have only seawater and desert springs and use desalinization of ocean water for irrigation and even for drinking. Most people, however, use bottled water for drinking as there is still a higher than desirable salt content. 

We took a tour in Dubai and enjoyed visiting the museum and art gallery, the beaches and seeing the buildings. All is not as shiny as it appears on the surface. Dubai is having financial problems and some of their most magnificent projects lay unfinished until such time the developers are once more able to get backing.