DUBAI THEN & NOW

Four thousand years ago, fishermen lived along the Gulf coast where Dubai stands today. By 1830s AD, still a fishing village, the place came to be inhabited by the Bani Yas tribe, whose vocation was also fishing. Its chief family called Maktoum still rules the emirate today. Fishing and pearl-diving were the traditional occupations of the coast, but in the interior, nomads had a hard life roaming with their camels in the desert. Though there existed ancient trade routes, by the turn of the 19th century, Dubai was emerging as a world class coastal port and trading centre.

The 20th century oil boom pitch-forked the emirate onto the front rank of developing nations. It was no more a British protectorate. Dubai joined six other emirates in 1971 to form a federation called United Arab Emirates. The six others are Abu Dhabi, the Capital city, Sharjah, Ajman, Umm Al Quwaim, Ras Al Khaimah and Fujeirah.

Located on the southern shore of the Gulf, the cosmopolitan Dubai leads the Middle-East today. It has earned in course of time a reputation of being a world famous centre for sports, games, conferences, exhibitions and tourism. It is a shopper's paradise too.