Dubai’s phenomenal rise from a simple fishing community to a distinguished global metropolis is nothing short of astonishing.
As the UAE prepares to celebrate fifty years since its inception, it seems unfathomable that what was then an emerging port has become one of the world’s leading financial, business and tourism hubs in just half a century.
And with a record AED196bn (£39.78bn) three-year government spending plan announced in 2020, it’s clear the ambition and vision that the emirate’s leaders possess will continue to propel Dubai’s boundless progress for decades to come.
Modest beginnings
The foresight of Dubai’s leader Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum was clearly shared by his ancestors, who created a settlement in what is now Dubai Creek in 1833.
Throughout the 19th Century, the creek was Dubai’s commercial heart, injecting life into the fishing, pearling and maritime industries that came to dominate Dubai.
Fast-forward to the 1950s, and Sheikh Mohammed’s father, Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum who then led the country, sought financial assistance from the Emir of Kuwait to dredge the creek.
This project would help Dubai accommodate increasing amounts of cargo traffic, culminating in Port Rashid, which opened in 1972, the year that the remainder of the seven emirates joined its neighbours to form the UAE.
Just a few years before the emergence of this new nation, Dubai had struck oil and began producing it by the end of the 1960s.
Beyond oil
Although the discovery quickly generated wealth for the emirate, Sheikh Rashid’s concerns about its longevity meant he was proactive in directing the newfound income towards developing Dubai’s economy.
He established Jebel Ali Port in 1979 and the Jebel Ali Free Zone around it in 1985, the same year that Emirates Airline began operating to help open up the travel corridor between Dubai and the world.
Within a decade, Dubai welcomed a million tourists per year, and the city’s Dubai International Airport became the busiest in the world by 2016.
In 1990, Sheikh Maktoum bin Rashid Al Maktoum became leader and maintained the dynamic rise of Dubai’s development, with the creation of the Dubai Investment Park, Dubai Airport Free Zone, Dubai Airport’s second terminal and the iconic sail-shaped hotel Burj Al Arab being just some of the major projects completed in his first decade in charge.
Dubai’s increasingly global appeal continued to flourish under Sheikh Maktoum, who implemented the foreign ownership decree in 2002, allowing expats to own residential and commercial property in designated locations.
Limitless progression
Dubai’s rapid progression under Sheikh Maktoum has been continued by his brother, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, who has cemented its financial, business and tourism credentials, and utilised its proximity to more than 30 of the world’s leading cities within an eight-hour flight.
Landmark projects such as the Dubai Metro, the longest driverless metro line in the world, the record-breaking Burj Khalifa skyscraper, and the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre, which is set to orchestrate the first Arab mission to the moon, express the ambition of Dubai’s leaders to ensure the city is the embodiment of endeavour and progression.
The UAE’s celebration of its 50th anniversary will coincide with yet more remarkable achievements, notably the extension of the Al Maktoum International Airport that will enable it to handle 120m passengers, rising to a potential 200m by 2050.
And with ongoing moves to improve the ease of doing business by implementing a new law that allows 100% onshore foreign business ownership for 122 activities across 13 sectors, and relaxed visa regulations for high-net-worth individuals over 55, the emirate continues to become a world-leading and welcoming destination.
Whatever comes next, it’s likely Dubai will be at the forefront of the next major global development, forging a historic path just as its ancestors did when exploring a little-known creek less than 200 years ago.
Happy 50th Anniversary to the UAE
With an expansive global footprint across 51 international territories we wanted to showcase some of our impressive worldwide language capabilities to mark the UAE’s 50th anniversary. View our video below as we congratulate the UAE on it’s remarkable 50 year milestone birthday in multiple global languages!