Holy Grail of the Gulf… A Business center, a Transportation hub and a Tourist destination… Al Maktoum slogan is “to be number one in the world”.
When I first visited Dubai it was in the late 1970s, the desert then was overwhelming, humidity and heat and lots and lots of sand and empty spaces.
I came back from Dubai few months ago and I visit Dubai on regular basis, every few months I drop by and every visit I pay to this dream land I feel the challenge and the competition from the moment I land at its airport to the moment I depart.
Burj Khalifa, Burj al Arab, Emirates Mall, Dubai Mall, the Palm City and many other projects are but a humble example of the transformation of Dubai from a desert to the Holy Grail of the Gulf.
The difficulty one faces when attempting to write an article about Dubai is bewildering challenge, be it to find appropriate wordings or to know where to start from, I guess documenting Dubai is going to be a hefty challenge for all of us.
One can only describe how one feels when his airplane approaches Dubai Air Port, I for one; whenever I am landing would ask myself what next will I discover to surprise me this time, and there is no shortage of new ambitious projects, there is always something new capable of surprising anyone.
Dubai has become an international hub and center for the elite from all over the world, it absorbs the weakling in a gentle way, those who are not prone to success and driven my sustainable achievement will not linger long enough in Dubai, they will come and go while retaining the want to come back and the urge to try again some other time, like the seasonal desert storm it goes away leaving you with a sense of feeling that it will eventually and inevitably visit you again…
One may fathom how Dubai became a Hub and an international business exchange center but a Tourist destination that was farfetched if you ask me…
How did they manage this trick, well they did and now millions of tourists from all over the globe and from all walks of life visit Dubai every year!
The House of Al Maktoum finger print is all over Dubai in every single infrastructure, in every project and every plan you find Al Maktoum spirit and sense of challenge as a driving force behind it…
If one watches and observes the body language of his Excellency Sheikh Muhammad bin Rashid Al Maktoum one cannot help but wonder what drives this man to do so much at such a short time and his creed to do even more, he is known to be a workaholic who does not take no for an answer, when I watch him on television I see a Falcon diving from the clear blue sky of Dubai on his pray which is in this case an new idea or a new project which he always has in his app store…
How does he do it, how does he manage to follow up his ambitious dream which is surely a nightmarish dream to whoever works with him, there is certainly no place for the faint hearted within his executive team.
The first human settlement in Dubai’s history dates back to 3000 BC. It became a separate Sheikhdom in 1833 under the rule of the Al-Maktoum dynasty of Bani Yas clan.
After 1966 oil discovery Dubai became one of the leading re export hub in the world and a business destination for whoever desires to penetrate the Middle Eastern and African markets from China to USA and Russia, Dubai is the key for those interested in spreading and expanding their brands and it’s a must for dumping and re exporting duty free center for all sorts of products and goods one could think of, if it is produced somewhere, it is found in Dubai, ironically, if not available I would guess Al maktoum will make sure to bring it regardless of price.
Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum the driving force of Dubai who initiated its expansion became ruler of Dubai in 1958 with massive improvement he transformed Dubai Creek into world class docking facility initiating a huge reconstruction for the infrastructure of Dubai.
Present day Jabal Ali is a witness to the influx of global businesses that operates from Dubai.
Sheikh Muhammad bin Rashid al Maktoum officially took over in 2006 after the death of his brother Maktoum Al Maktoum, running Dubai affairs long before that Sheikh Muhammad succeeded in making Dubai the Hong Kong of the Middle East, the Beverly Hills of Hollywood and the Manhattan of New York and now his is into making Dubai a very vibrant Tourist destination that competes with the top of any international list in Tourism.
Many would argue that Dubai needs to modify its international policies and refocus on its domestic affairs in implementing dire measures to cater for its local citizen’s employments and needs, I for one would not agree with this plan, I think the foreign employment and labor force are the fuel that keeps Dubai’s beat in motion.
The cosmopolitan nature of Dubai is a must to preserve its international status and sustainable success.
Without foreign labor there is no foreign business and there is no consumer market in Dubai or in the whole of the UAE.
Sheikh Muhammad bin Rashid al Maktoum born 15 July 1949, the Prime Minister and Vice president of the United Arab Emirates, the Monarch of Dubai and a pilot but above all he is a fierce horse thorough breeder who takes pride in having in his possession some of the finest and most expensive race horses in the world.
Al Maktoum proved to be an inspiration to the Emirati nation and neighboring Arabs around him
Next times you visit Dubai do not forget to set a plan for your comeback…
Enjoy
Adam El Masri