Old Dubai – old souk, spice souk, gold
souk, the creek, fishing village, trading port
New Dubai – burj al arab, burj khalifa, dubai mall, dubai fountain, jumeirah lake towers, jumeirah beach residences, the palm, the earth
The future of Dubai –
Dubai appoints a minister of happiness, a minister of tolerance, and a minister of youth affairs; "national development based on core values, led by youth and focused on a future in which everyone achieves happiness."
* * *
I must confess that I used to think that Dubai is a ‘showy’
city. It has the tallest tower, highest
dancing fountain, biggest mall, artificial islands etc. But of course, it has
oil, it has the money!
Then I was
enlightened during the tours. I was educated that the leaders of Dubai were
very visionary. Before oil was
discovered in the late 1950s, they decided to create a creek so that by the
time oil was found in 1966, Dubai remains a trading port.
The leaders also knew that oil is not limitless. One day the oil will run out. But what is limitless is its people’s
imaginations. So they built Dubai into a financial centre, and a retail and family-friendly tourism destination. They built the tallest, highest, biggest, to
show its people to dream big, and that nothing is impossible.
So now I look at Dubai as a city of possibilities. Not because it can afford to, but because it can.
So now I look at Dubai as a city of possibilities. Not because it can afford to, but because it can.
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| old dubai - abra |
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| new dubai - burj al arab |
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