Dubai

💡 About Dubai

Dubai is one of the most astonishing stories of urban transformation in human history: in 1960, it was a small trading port of perhaps 40,000 people living in coral and mud-brick houses along a tidal creek; today it is a gleaming megalopolis of over 3.5 million people, a global hub for finance, trade, aviation, tourism and luxury that has built some of the most audacious architecture ever conceived. The Burj Khalifa, completed in 2010 at a height of 828 metres, is the tallest structure ever built by human hands; its observation deck on the 148th floor offers views stretching up to 95 kilometres on a clear day, and the building sways up to 1.5 metres in high winds — a movement that must be factored into every design decision. Palm Jumeirah, an artificial archipelago constructed from 94 million cubic metres of sand dredged from the seabed of the Arabian Gulf, is shaped like a palm tree and its fronds are visible from space; it added 78 kilometres to Dubai's coastline and is home to some of the world's most exclusive hotels, including the Atlantis and the One&Only.

The Dubai Mall, at 502,000 square metres the largest mall in the world by total area, receives over 80 million visitors per year — more than the annual visitor count of New York City — and contains within its walls a full-sized indoor ice rink, a 10-million-litre aquarium housing 33,000 aquatic animals, a dinosaur skeleton and 1,200 retail outlets. Dubai's economy has evolved dramatically from its origins in pearl diving and fishing: oil revenues that began flowing in 1966 funded the initial development, but the government's deliberate diversification strategy means that oil now accounts for less than 1% of Dubai's GDP, with the economy driven instead by real estate, finance, tourism and trade. The city's airline, Emirates, founded in 1985 with just two aircraft, has grown into the world's largest international airline by passengers carried, operating a fleet of over 250 aircraft including the Airbus A380 superjumbo and connecting Dubai to over 150 destinations worldwide.

Roughly 88% of Dubai's population are foreign nationals — one of the highest ratios of any city on Earth — representing over 200 nationalities working across every sector of the economy; the Indian community alone numbers over one million people. The desert surrounding Dubai is more than a backdrop — dune bashing in 4x4 vehicles, camel treks at sunset, falconry displays and nights in Bedouin camps offer visitors a window into the ancient culture of the Arabian Peninsula that predates the city's skyscrapers by thousands of years.

⭐ Known For