There is very little knowledge about the pre-Islamic culture in the south eastern part of the Arabian Peninsula. The only thing known is that many of the ancient towns in the situated nearby were created as trading centres connecting the Western and Eastern Worlds.

A Discovery

During the construction of new sewer lines in Dubai Internet City, the remains of a Mangrove Swamp, dating 7,000 years back, was discovered. The area had been consumed in sand for more than 5,000 years, as the coastline drew back towards the inland becoming part of the present City’s coastline.

Religious Beginnings

The people worshipped Bajir, prior to Islam, in this region. The empires of Sassanian and Byzantine make up the super powers of the ancient era, with Sassanians holding control over much of the region. After Islam spread throughout the region, Umayyad Caliph of the east Islamic World, occupied south east Arabia and drove the Sassanians out. The Dubai Museum has undertaken excavations in the Al-Jumayra region and has uncovered many artefacts from the Umayyad period.

An Overview

The earliest mention of Dubai that was recorded was found in the 1095 book “Book of Geography”. This was made by Abu Abdullah al-Bakri, a Spanish-Arab geographer. In 1580, Gaspero Balbi, a Venetian Pearl merchant, visited region and mentioned Dubai as a pearling industry. Records show that Dubai had not existed until after 1799.

The Al Abu Falasa clan of the Bani Yas clan created Dubai in the early 19th Century. It remained dependent on Abu Dhabi until 1883. The Sheikh of Dubai, as well as others among the region, signed the “General Maritime Peace Treaty” with the British on January 8, 1820. But the Al Maktoum dynasty of the Bani Yas tribe left Abu Dhabi and took Dubai from the Abu Fasala clan in 1883. Dubai was then under the United Kingdom’s protection by the “Exclusive Agreement” in 1892. The United Kingdom agreed to protect the City against the attack by the Ottoman Empire. The city suffered two catastrophes in the 1800’s.

Keeping Hopes Up

In 1841, smallpox broke out in the locality of Bur Dubai, forcing the residents to move to Deira in the East. In 1894, a great fire swept through Deira destroying most of the homes there. Still, due to the town’s geological location, they were still able to attract many merchants and traders form all over the region. Dubai’s Emir was enthusiastic on attracting foreign traders, so he lowered the trade tax brackets and took traders away from Bandar Lengeh and Sharjah which were the main trade hubs in the region at the time.

Dubai became an important location with its geographical immediacy to India. Dubai was a vital port for foreign traders, usually from India, most of which chose to settle in the town. Dubai was famous for its pearls until the 1930’s. However their pearl industry was irreparably damaged by the incident of World War I and damaged further by the great depression in the 1920’s. The city witnessed a large migration of people to other parts of the Persian Gulf.

Since time immemorial, Abu Dhabi and Dubai were always tense with each other. Abu Dhabi and Dubai went to war over a border dispute in the northern part of their common border. The British held negotiations and created a buffer frontier that runs towards the south east from the Ras Hasian coast, resulting in a cease of hostilities. The border dispute between the two still continued even after the formation of the United Arab Emirates. A compromise was finally reached in 1979 to end the hostilities and border dispute between the two.

In the 1950’s, airport, telephone and electrical services were launched in Dubai when the British moved their local offices from Sharjah to Dubai. In 1966, the newly independent country of Qatar joined Dubai to create a new monetary unit. The Qatar/Dubai Riyal, after the Gulf Rupee deflated. In the same year, oil was discovered in Dubai. The town then approved a concession to international oil companies.  This led to a colossal arrival of foreign workers, mostly Pakistanis and Indians. The City’s population from 1968 to 1975 estimated a growth of 300%.

After Britain left, Abu Dhabi and Dubai, together with other five Emirates, created the United Arab Emirates in December 2, 1971. Dubai and the United Arab Emirates created a new currency in 1973, the Dirham. Dubai continued its growth in the 1970’s with revenues from oil and trading, even when they were flooded with Lebanese who immigrated escaping the Lebanon Civil War.

The Jebel Ali Free Zone covering the Jebel Ali port; the world’s largest man made port was founded in 1979, it gave foreign companies unhindered import of labour and export capital. The Persian Gulf War of had a large blow on the city. The banks in Dubai had a massive withdrawal of money due to unstable political conditions in the region. However, during the 90’s, foreign trading communities like Kuwait during the Gulf War and Bahrain during the Shia unrest, relocated their businesses to Dubai. They provided Jebel Ali free zone as a base for refuelling for the allied forces during the Gulf War and once again in the 2003 Invasion of Iraq. With oil Prices increasing in the aftermath of the Gulf War, Dubai continued to focus on tourism and free trade.

The Jebel Ali free zone was such a success that it allowed them to replicate it to make clusters of new free zones along with Dubai Media City, Maritime City and Dubai Internet City. The Burj Al Arab’s construction, the world’s tallest freestanding hotel, was marketed as a purpose of tourism.

In2002, in recreating Dubai’s skyline, the city has increased investments in private real estate with projects such as the World’s Islands, the Palm Islands and Burj Dubai. Due to inflation in the recent years and their robust economic growth, the commercial and residential rental costs have nearly doubled. This has resulted in an ample increase for the resident’s cost of living. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum is the current ruler of Dubai as well as the Prime Minister and Vice President if the United Arab Emirates.