Blink and you’d have missed it. See these amazing pictures of Dubai and track its dramatic change to the metropolis we love today.
Dubai is known today for its fast cars, towering skyscrapers and luxury but it wasn’t long ago that the city was a small fishing and pearling settlement. Everything changed for Dubai with the discovery of oil in the gulf in the 1960s boosting the economy.
Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum was responsible for the transformation of Dubai from a small cluster of settlements near the Dubai Creek to a modern port city and commercial hub.
In the mid 1980’s Dubai began reinventing itself as a tourist destination and Emirates airline was established.
See below for Dubai’s dramatic and speedy transformation.
Dubai – Then and now
Dubai Aerial View 1970s
Dubai Aerial View 1986
Dubai Aerial View, 2014
The city’s changes are more dramatic when viewed via aerial photographs which truly captures the amount this burgeoning cosmopolitan city has changed over even a few decades. From barely any buildings, gigantic monuments and skyscrapers now rise up out of the sand reaching for the stars.
Before the oil
Sheikh Zayed Road
Sheik Zayed Road from the World Trade Centre, 1995
Just after the Crowne Plaza hotel was built. Everyone thought it was a crazy idea to build a hotel on Sheikh Zayed Road, after all there was nothing there. You’ll also notice that there were no interchanges on the road.
Burj Al Arab
View of the Burj Al Arab from the sea during constuction, 1997
It’s hard to imagine that this will be known as the most luxurious hotel in the world until the sail inspired landmark officially opened in 1999.
Dubai Airport
Dubai Airport 1980s
The airport used to look palatial; everyone was wondering why Dubai needed such a nice airport. In the next few years, Dubai International Airport becomes one of the busiest airports in the world.
What new thing do you think will pop up in Dubai over the next 20 years?