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DUBAI - A Picture Story |
| Where
the World Comes Together |
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Very
few international cities have taken root and grown
as fast or to a degree as great as Dubai has.
Within a mere half century, this fishing village
has transformed itself into the commercial capital
of the entire Middle East. In 1880 during the
regime of Sheikh Maktoum Bin Hasher Al Maktoum,
this visionary leader initiated a policy aimed
at attracting trade and enterprise to Dubai; his
tax concessions encouraged several merchants to
set up base in the emirate rather than elsewhere
in the region. Dubai soon started emerging as
a port of international prominence, thanks to
British and other European vessels stopping by
quite regularly. The foundations of a commercial
powerhouse were thus taking shape, though very
few at that time could have visualised Dubai as
the cosmopolitan city it now is.
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On
2 December 1971, the United Arab Emirates was
formed. Abu Dhabi's ruler, H.H. Sheikh Zayed Bin
Sultan Al Nahyan, was elected President of the
UAE by the six other emirs. Meanwhile, the late
ruler of Dubai, H.H. Sheikh Rashid Bin Saeed Al
Maktoum, embarked upon an intensive modernisation
drive to build solid infrastructural foundations:
port facilities, international airport, industrial
zones, business and conference centres, communications,
excellent residential and commercial complexes,
etc.
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During
this period, the need for skilled and unskilled
manpower led to an influx of expatriates from
various countries, India in particular. Sheikh
Rashid's vision and initiative also led to great
strides in social welfare, administration, education,
health and other vital areas. His son and successor,
the present ruler H.H. Sheikh Maktoum Bin Rashid
Al Maktoum, has followed in his footsteps. Today
Dubai has also become a capital for information
technology development in the Middle East with
the foundation of the Dubai Internet City. The
opening of the Dubai Media City has given a whole
new meaning to the term "freedom of expression"
in a society that is usually considered very restrictive.
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"In
times of drastic change, it is the learners who inherit
the future. The learned usually find themselves beautifully
equipped to live in a world that no longer exists."
- Eric Hoffer: Reflections on the Human Condition, p.32
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