29/09/2010
A milestone year in Dubai’s history, Maktoum bin Butti of the BaniYas tribe lead his people to theShindaghaPeninsula at the mouth of Dubai Creek in 1833, settling there and declaring the town’s independence from Abu Dhabi. From then onwards, Dubai was regarded as a fishing village. Today, even with all the massive changes the emirate has undergone, the Al Maktoum dynasty still rules Dubai.
Visitors can imagine the city’s yesteryears with a walk along the banks of Dubai Creek An anchor to the emirate’s heritage, the site is a hub of bustling activity with abras and boats gliding along the historic waterways.
Under the Al Maktoum leadership, Dubai began to thrive. In 1894, trading in the area was given yet another boost as new rules granting tax exemption for expatriates saw a huge influx in the number of foreign workers. Indian and Pakistani traders descended to Dubai, to take advantage of the excellent business conditions.
While this was a reasonably successful period in Dubai’s history, it was still wholly reliant on fishing, trading and pearl diving. And when artificial pearls were invented in Japan in the 1950s, the vulnerability of the region’s economy was exposed. However, the financial downturn did not last long. In 1966, everything suddenly changed for Dubai: it struck oil.
With this newfound resource, Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum began the development of Dubai – from a small cluster of settlements near Dubai Creek to a modern port, city and commercial hub. Rashid Port, Jebel Ali Port, Dubai Drydocks, the widening of the Dubai Creek, and the Dubai World Trade Center were a few of the major projects completed at the time.
