Exploration of Dubai, Essay Example

Introduction

Dubai is undoubtedly one of the most fascinating cities in the modern world map. It is one of the seven emirates in the UAE and represents a cosmopolitan area with more than 1 million residents (Dubai World). It is the most dynamically developing huge business center in the world, thus winning enormous investments and being the subject of continuous innovation and change. What is very interesting about the population composition in Dubai is that only about 25% thereof are native-born Emiratis – the city is inhabited by over 75% of expatriates representing over 185 nationalities (Dubai World).

The beneficial position of Dubai and its extreme popularity in terms of business, trade and commerce of all possible types is the city’s unique location on the crossroads of transportation lines between the East and the West, its comfortable geographical proximity to such strategically important regions as North Africa, Indian Subcontinent, Middle East and CIS, and the universal time zone allowing to conduct business with such distant parts of the world as the USA and Far East (Dubai World). However, all these favorable conditions would be nothing if business and commerce alongside with all types of service and entertainment industries were not supported on the governmental level. Dubai has a stable, pro-business government that takes every possible measure to promote the development of the city and to encourage its further extension and improvement nationally and internationally (Dubai World).

The exquisite facilities offered by the modern Dubai have rendered the city a wonderful opportunity to become the center of conducting high-level official meetings (like the 2003 Annual Meetings of the Board of Governors of the World Bank Group and the International Monetary Fund) and elite sporting events (e.g. he Dubai Desert Gold Classic and the Dubai Rugby Sevens) – Dubai continues to attract the new events, new investors and new residents who wish to become a part of that shimmering transportation, tourism and business hub (Dubai World).

In general, Dubai produces a very strong impression by its turbulent, dynamic and ultra-modern life:

“A modern, safe, multicultural city with state-of-the-art medical, education, entertainment, shopping and sports facilities, and a plethora of amenities that make for a very high quality of life, Dubai is a city of choice for the modern professional and an ideal location for multinationals to establish a regional presence” (Dubai World).

But it is always necessary to remember that Dubai is also located in the center of Muslim culture and religion, so visiting and living in the city requires deep understanding of many implications surrounding Islam, as well as following certain guidelines to blend with the local public and not to cause disapproval, accusations or even graver consequences. Respect and mutual understanding is required for the harmonious co-existence of people from so many cultures and religions, so much attempt is being taken in Dubai to provide opportunities for such harmonization.

Dubai Zoning

Dubai is a large city not only due to its land surface of more than 4,000 square kilometers, but because of a large number of man-made islands in the coastal area of the Arabian Gulf. The city stretches along the ocean coast, with its western part being residential, containing the old Dubai part and being not distinguished by any outstanding contemporary construction sites. The central part of Dubai is occupied by a huge region of Dubailand – an entertainment area with all sorts of attractions and sports facilities (Map of Dubai 1).

Moving further westwards, one can see the Dubai World Central area (the business center including all corporations, businesses and firms that provide revenues for the commercial activity of the city) in the south and the Jebel Ali Free Zone in the north, approaching the Arabian Gulf. The western part of Dubai is occupied by the Dubai Industrial City – the largest industrial zone with warehouses, offices and the Dubai Industrial Academy (Map of Dubai 1).

One should also point out the considerable part of worldwide famous Dubai highlights being situated in the Dubai Islands area. Not far from the coast there are such hotel and entertainment facilities as Waterfront, the Palm Jebel Ali, the Palm Jumeirah, the Universe, the World and the Palm Deira. These islands-hotels are equipped with the newest constructions that attract tourists from the whole world; they are also considered the most modern and the most expensive resorts worldwide (Map of Dubai 1).

Dubai Industrial City

The Dubai Industrial City occupies 560 mln square feet – it is located near the Dubai World Central, the New Jebel Ali Airport City, the Jebel Ali Free Zone and Port. This region has widely accessible ways to worldwide transportation and cooperation. It is a member of Tatweer and was initially created to encourage and strengthen the industrial sector of Dubai. The industrial fields included in the Dubai Industrial City’s range of activities are:

• Machinery and mechanical equipment
• Transport equipment and parts
• Base metal
• Chemicals
• Food and beverage
• Mineral products (Dubai Industrial City).

“Considered the Emirate’s first dedicated and comprehensive industrial destination designed as a custom-built one-stop shop for industries on a work, live and play model, DI provides one of the region’s finest business environments as it offers world class facilities for industries and related sectors such as logistics, assembly and warehousing, vocational training and staff accommodation” (Dubai Industrial City).

Infrastructure of this region is not designed at the final stage because the whole region is undergoing the process of development, so some changes may still be needed. However, it already has a sufficient system of roads, the sewage network, storm water drainage network, irrigation and water network, telecommunication system and street lighting: those systems aid the region in its successful functioning (Dubai Industrial City).

Among the facilities offered by the region one should know three categories that are dominant: labor residences, warehouses and offices. Labor residences are very supportive for businesses of any kind; they can host both skilled and unskilled labor. The residences offered in Dubai Industrial City possess a set of commercial and retail features:

• Private health centers
• Traditional coffee and tea shops as well as a selection of canteens
• Shopping facilities including barber shops, supermarkets, bookshops etc.
• Communication centers
• Banking facilities
• Catering
• Laundry (Dubai Industrial City).

There is also a wide range of public services offered: private health centers, fire stations, mosques, public transportation – buses and taxi services, training and vocational facilities (Dubai Industrial City). Entertainment like cinemas, sport facilities and areas for recreation are also available. Offices for business of different specialization are a wonderful opportunity for businessmen to locate their firms in decent conditions and for fair pricing. Warehousing facilities in Dubai Industrial City are extensive as well, with many features, specifications and floor plans (Dubai Industrial City).

It is necessary to note that people do not reside in the Dubai Industrial City because of its narrow specification in business and industry. People who can be met there come to the region for work, and reside in a different part of the city.

Dubailand

The Dubailand complex is in the process of construction, but will be finished within a decade, as it has been initially planned. The project was initiated in 2003 and was planned to occupy 278 square kilometers. The final plan for the objects under construction is to complete 45 projects, but at the present period of time only half of the projects are in action (Dubailand). Dubailand is divided into six sectors:

• Attractions and Experience the World (it will be a large attraction area that will include such objects as Warner Bros. Movie World, Legoland Dubai, Six Flags Dubailand, Dreamworks Studios Theme Park, Universal Studios Dubailand, F1-X Theme Park Dubai, Tiger Woods Dubai, Bawadi, Falconcity of Wonders, Fantasia, Freej Dubailand, Marvel Superheroes Theme Park, Tourism world, Legends of Dubailand etc.);
• Retail and Entertainment World (this sector is planned not only for entertainment but for shopping as well and will supposedly include Dubai Outlet City, Black Market, Flea Market, World Trade Park, Auction World and Factory Outlets);
• Themed Leisure and Vacation World (this sector will be dedicated to thematic entertainment facilities such as Women’s World (LEMNOS), Destination Dubai, Desert Kingdom, Andalusian Resort and Spa);
• Eco-Tourism World (a very important sector dedicated to eco-tourism including such institutions as Al Sahra Desert Resort, Sand Dune Hotel, Al Kaheel, Bio World, Animal World);
• Sports and Outdoor World (the thematic sector of sports and recreation including such entertainment areas as Dubai Sports City, Emerat Sports World, Extreme Sports World, Plantation Equestrian and Polo Club, Dubai Motor City which includes Dubai Autodrome, Dubai Golf City);
• Downtown (a gaming sector including shopping malls – Mall of Arabia, which will be the world’s largest shopping mall, City Walk, Restless Planet, The Great Dubai Wheel, Virtual Game World) (Dubailand).

There is much dispute around Dubailand because the scheme offered is not the final one, and the creators of the project plan to build it in such a way so that it should be eligible for extension even beyond the borders of the initial plan. The projects planned are really amazing in their scale and exciting opportunities that they will offer to tourists and residents of Dubai, but there are some issues that worry the creators and institutions that invested in its creation. Nowadays it became possible to understand that the project is incredible as for the timelines established for its completion, and the delays cause additional expenditures. However, the project is of high importance both for the government of Dubai and for all its residents, so the whole world is reasonably eagerly waiting for the project to be implemented (Dubailand).

People in Dubai

A Glance at the Muslim Culture in Dubai

Despite the fact that Muslim culture has always been considered a very strict one, supposing numerous limitations and guidelines, it is not clearly felt in Dubai, though the attributes of Islam are highly evident in the city and native residents have it deeply enrooted in their daily routines and beliefs. Since Dubai is an international city there are many concessions for expats who live in Dubai and come for tourism. However, the atmosphere of Islam is evident in the city that is initially Islamic, so all visitors and residents have to follow some extremely soft guidelines not to get into trouble in Dubai and not to offend the Muslim part of its population.

Firstly, it is important to remember that behavior on places for common public should be highly restricted – even despite tourists are fond of taking photographs of anything in their place of interest, it is necessary to ask a permission from the women they are willing to photograph, and the answer is likely to be no, so they have to limit their activities (Juma). Besides, there are many cultural implications about work and rest in the Muslim culture – Muslims have the end of their working week on Friday, and the schedule of work on Fridays is altered. However, it does not concern large international firms much if their employees are non-Muslim (Juma).

Clothing is also highly diverse in Dubai – it is possible to see women wearing their traditional black robe called ‘abaya’ in the streets, but it is also possible to see scarcely covered women who are tourists (Juma). It is fairly well accepted in Dubai, but in general the recommendations for clothing are in favor of conservative dressing that does not allow mini-skirts and sleeveless shirts (Juma). Tourists spending their rime at the beach are allowed to wear any swimming suits they want, but the rules pertain more to dressing in public places.

The period of Ramadan last about a month and concerns fasting, refusing from bad habits and resolving to as much praying as possible. Working hours for Muslims are shortened, conservative clothing for women becomes a must and food stores as well as restaurants begin to serve food for non-Muslims only behind the screened walls that allow restricted vision (Juma). This way Muslims and non-Muslims harmoniously pursue their own lifestyles without impeding each other’s rights and freedom.

Notwithstanding the fact that there are so many guidelines that residents and visitors of Dubai have to follow it is fully possible to assume that the regime of observing the Muslim culture in Dubai is much softer than in many other places for interest on the territory of Islam. This harmonious atmosphere has been specially created to promote understanding between Muslims and non-Muslims living in Dubai and to encourage their cooperation without conflicts and misunderstandings that may have risen on the religious and cultural basis. It is highly possible to see expression of any native culture in the streets of Dubai, and in case they are not coming to the extremes, they become a welcome and eagerly accepted peculiarity of any group of population in Dubai. However, there is still some discrepancy in the world view of native residents and expatriates residing in Dubai – each numerous group have their own views at the progress of Dubai and its possible future worth considering closely.

Expats About Dubai

It goes without saying that expats constitute the overwhelming majority in the population of Dubai – some of them have come to work for multinational companies located there by contract, others have come to live in Dubai and searched for work already there. All of them can be considered residents of Dubai because of the period of their presence, their work and participation in the life of Dubai, so all of them have their own impressions about what life in Dubai is, what negative and positive sides it has in general and for them as a category of population in particular. It is also important to remember that there are two categories of expats in Dubai – those who came from developing countries like India or Bangladesh, thus making an indisputable step forward in their living standards, and those who came from developed European countries or the USA, who know what high quality life is and have a more grounded basis for comparison.

Talking to representatives of the first group revealed the following impressions and comments they have about their life in Dubai: extremely high costs for housing, commodities and rent; absence of social security; high competition for jobs. In addition to these drawbacks they mention in their interviews, they also state that surely life in Dubai is an achievement for them, as the city offers many facilities for raising children and for work. The overall impression of this category of expats is favorable, as they do not want to leave Dubai and change their place of living for another city.

A fairly different situation can be observed with expats who came to Dubai from European countries – they on the contrary state that the housing fees are lower than in large European cities, and generally express their satisfaction with low prices for food and gasoline. They also speak in favor of the positive climate with much sunshine, resort atmosphere all year round and the hospitability of Emiratis that surely contributes to the mood of expats living in Dubai.

However, it is possible to detect some common complaints that expats express disregarding their background – first of all, all residents of Dubai complain of catastrophic situation with transport facilities and traffic on the roads. They state that there is no public transport in Dubai at all, and traffic jams are an exhausting everyday practice. Expats state that the government’s fault is that they fail to add new roads and resolve the situation that gets worse with the growing number of population in Dubai.

Speaking about all those drawbacks and advantages, all expatriates without any exclusion note the extreme favoritism and nepotism that are observed in Dubai and at times coming to ridiculous extents. Since the native population of Dubai is relatively small, and they are more poorly educated than European professionals coming to work in Dubai, they appear to be the most vulnerable group concerning employment, according to the opinion of the local government. As a protective measure that is aimed to achieve full employment among Emirati, the government issued a set of laws obliging businessmen to hire Emiratis and forbidding firing them according to any article of their code. Such an unequal employment situation led to the neglect of positional responsibilities by Emiratis, being unqualified and still earning more than professionals from overseas, and the dissatisfaction of expats who watch Emiratis not work but earn more than they do for long hours of hard labor.

The same favoritism reasons also cause dual systems of charging prices in Dubai, which causes much frustration and many complaints from expats. They state that the price of any commodity acquired in Dubai heavily depends on the buyer’s nationality, being much lower for locals and substantially higher for expats.

Emiratis About Dubai

As it has already been stated, in general Emiratis in Dubai are very hospitable and welcome all expats equally well. According to the observations in the streets of Dubai, it is rarely a case when a company including Emiratis and Europeans or other expats could be seen – following certain unwritten rules, native residents keep friendly but aside, and not expats from different countries who feel comfortable and open towards other nations and cultures are likely to join in larger groups and establish friendly contacts. This separation is clearly seen despite the friendly and relaxed atmosphere of Dubai, and no matter how liberal the city may seem, people get to prisons for excessive indecency according to the Islam laws. Native residents of Dubai keep to their usual way of life, letting expats pursue their own lifestyles, which is blended in a weird, futuristic picture in Dubai. This situation is favorable for the majority of people, but a deeper look into attitude of Emiratis to expats reveals many astounding facts and underwater stones in international relations that have formed in Dubai.

But, no matter how strange it may seem, the majority of Emiratis have expressed their satisfaction with the world crisis and its negative reflection on the economy of Dubai that caused the flow of foreigners leaving the city in the search for a better job. It is obvious that Emiratis are still Muslims, and they favor a less turbulent, quick and dynamic business lifestyle – they voiced their wish for the city to become less crowded and less moving. Native residents clothe in their traditional way and follow their traditions of Islam openly, which is considered the dominant culture in Dubai. But still watching the destruction of the business city crowded with people from every corner of the world Emiratis cannot help voicing their irritation with the state of affairs, wishing to go back to the times when Dubai was only Islamic and did not experience such a large-scale invasion of foreigners.

They speak against prostitution that accompanies the active life of a big city as opposing their Islamic laws and decency of their women; they do not like the increasing level of pollution that is inevitable with such over-exploitation of land and such large numbers of tourists visiting Dubai annually. Constant construction processes in all parts of the city are also a cause for constant trouble, both for the environment and for the population – the majority of traditional Emiratis in fact argue that Dubai did not initially need so many highlights, all those skyscrapers and entertainment facilities because they only worsened the state of affairs in their city.

Some Emiratis pointed out that the recession would help them have a closer look at the state of affairs in the city not only in terms of business and money, but in social spheres such as education, construction of metro and building a stable authentic society. They felt bitter about obsession by business and money that grasped most people in Dubai and caused commercialization of any sphere of lives. So, the opinions of Emiratis about expats and their contemporary way of life can be summarized as neutral to negative.

Conclusion

Concluding the comprehensive study of Dubai, it is possible to say that the city is very similar to a book – it has a glimmering cover with many colors, pictures and an attractive invitation to the contents. But with each page folded, the reader finds out the dark sides of the glimmering picture depicted on the cover and becomes disillusioned about the plot. Certainly, it is hard to say that Dubai is attractive only on the superficial level because every resident, be it a local or an expat, finds something individually in its borders. Some people who came to live and work in Dubai are happy and content with it, not even realizing how many discrepancies the city conceals. Some expats experience racism and injustice in the streets of Dubai every day, and others may not even know that it exists for the whole period of their live there.

It goes without saying that the government of Dubai does much to eliminate and soften the differences that are so obviously felt between the conservative Islamic culture and the progressive, blended multinational culture that came from the West. However, it is impossible to take all issues into consideration, and in the attempt to encourage the in-flow of the foreign workforce in Dubai and at the same time protect locals and ensure their full employment the government creates some additional misunderstanding and growth of racial hostility.

Nonetheless, despite much social incongruence that is observed in the Dubai community one will hardly argue that Dubai still has its unique culture and atmosphere that cannot be felt in any other city of the world. It is an active, modern micro-world in the very heart of Islamic culture, possessing its charm and inspiration. People coming to Dubai are impressed by the highest buildings, the fanciest ski resort in the heart of a desert, the most beautiful and the most expensive hotels, the weirdest man-made islands etc. So, in general, Dubai is a single entity that will leave nobody untouched and that has to be visited at least once – here mystery comes to life, no matter whether the local population likes it or not, and the city becomes the eighth wonder of the world from day to day.

Works Cited

Dubai Industrial City. 30 Jan 2010. <http://www.dubaiindustrialcity.ae/Pages/home/ home.aspx>

Dubai World. 30 Jan 2010. <http://www.dubaiworld.ae/en/About%20Dubai/ Overview/Index.html>

Dubailand. 30 Jan 2010. <http://realestate.theemiratesnetwork.com/developments/ dubai/dubailand.php>

Juma, Ahmed. Culture Tips for Dubai Travel. 30 Jan 2010. <http://www.streetdirector y.com/travel_guide/210155/asia_destinations/culture_tips_for_dubai_travel.html>

Map of Dubai. 30 Jan 2010. <http://www.dtcm-dubaimap.com/Map_of_Dubai.pdf>