Then: What the Old Map of Dubai Showed If you were to find an old map of Dubai from the 1950s or early 1960s and lay it flat on a table, you would be looking at something that bears almost no resemblance to any modern representation of the city. The map would be almost entirely […]

According to the Julius Baer Global Wealth and Lifestyle Report 2026, Dubai stands out as a highly attractive and resilient regional hub for global wealth. Driven by shifting currency valuations that influence global living costs, the emirate delivers compelling competitive value for premium lifestyles, mirroring the broader Middle East’s strong wealth accumulation and upbeat investment […]

Then: Entertainment in the Desert Nights of the 1970s In the 1970s, entertainment in Dubai was a quiet, community-driven affair shaped by cultural tradition, religious observance, and the natural rhythms of desert life. There were no concert arenas, no theme parks, no cinemas showing international releases, and no global sporting events drawing tens of thousands […]

Then: Paper-Based Government and Manual Services in the 1990s As recently as the 1990s, interacting with the Dubai government meant navigating a world of paper forms, physical queues, rubber stamps, and manual processing systems that would be almost unrecognisable to a resident of the emirate today. Applying for a trade licence, renewing a visa, registering […]

Then: The Souk Era of Trade and Bargaining For centuries before the first shopping mall appeared on the Dubai skyline, the souk was the commercial heart of the city. These open-air and covered markets, clustered along the banks of Dubai Creek in the Deira and Bur Dubai districts, were where every transaction took place – […]

Under the directives  of His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence of the UAE, and Chairman of The Executive Council of Dubai, Dubai Municipality has launched the world’s first AI-powered park design challenge, a pioneering initiative that will invite participants to […]

The Dubai Municipality has launched the world’s first AI-powered park design challenge, a pioneering pilot initiative to harness AI across urban planning, architecture, and park design. The project explores how an integrated ecosystem of AI tools can augment the entire design journey — from site analysis and user insights to concept generation, scenario testing, and […]

Dubai Health has launched “Dream-It, Dubai-It”, an interactive educational programme designed for children to explore the world of healthcare through hands-on experiences, creative workshops, and field visits that help them develop new skills and turn their ideas into impactful projects. The programme highlights Dubai Health’s commitment to providing immersive learning opportunities that enable children to […]

Then: The Blueprint and Vision Behind Burj Al Arab (1994) In 1994, the stretch of Jumeirah coastline where the Burj Al Arab now stands was nothing more than open sea and sandy beach. The idea that a hotel – not just any hotel but one that would redefine global luxury hospitality and become one of […]

Then: Mud-Brick Homes and Wind Towers of Old Dubai Before concrete, glass, and steel came to define Dubai’s skyline, the city was built from the earth beneath it. The traditional architecture of old Dubai was constructed primarily from coral stone, gypsum plaster, and sun-dried mud brick – materials sourced locally and shaped by centuries of […]

Then: The Simple Food Culture of Old Dubai Before Dubai became a city of celebrity chefs and Michelin-starred restaurants, its food culture was rooted in simplicity, tradition, and the natural bounty of the Arabian Gulf and the desert. For generations of Emiratis and the early trading communities that settled along the creek, food was sustenance […]

Dubai Police recorded a 99.9% score in the daytime safety perception index for 2025, according to the Security Quality of Life Survey conducted by the Federal Competitiveness and Statistics Centre in cooperation with the Ministry of Interior. The result is part of the Security Quality of Life Index, in which Dubai Police achieved an overall […]

Then: Dubai’s First Hotels and Visitors in the 1970s In the 1970s, the concept of Dubai as a tourist destination would have seemed faintly absurd to most people outside the Gulf. The emirate was not on any international traveller’s radar, and the idea of visiting Dubai for leisure rather than business or trade had simply […]

Then: Jumeirah Beach as a Fishing Village in the 1950s In the 1950s, the stretch of coastline known today as Jumeirah was a quiet, sparsely inhabited strip of land running south of the Dubai Creek settlement along the Arabian Gulf. Small Emirati fishing villages dotted the shoreline at intervals, their simple palm-frond homes and fishing […]

Then: Dubai Police in the Early Days When the Dubai Police Force was formally established in 1956, it consisted of just a handful of officers tasked with maintaining order in a small trading town of a few thousand residents. The founding force was modest in every respect – limited in numbers, basic in equipment, and […]

Dubai Future Foundation and Amazon UAE today launched a strategic collaboration to provide a co-sponsored scholarship for Emirati students to join The Knowledge Society (TKS) Dubai Programme, a 10-month innovation programme designed to empower high-potential students aged 13-17 with the knowledge, skills, and mindset needed to thrive in a rapidly evolving digital landscape. It represents […]

Dubai has reinforced its position as the world’s leading destination for greenfield foreign direct investment (FDI) projects for the fifth consecutive year, according to data published by the Financial Times Ltd’s fDi Markets database. In 2025, Dubai delivered one of its strongest inward FDI performances since 2015 with total announced greenfield FDI projects rising to […]

Emirates customers have made more than one million connections to Starlink Wi-Fi since the service was introduced across the airline’s fleet 7 months ago, marking a major milestone in the evolution of inflight connectivity. More than a Petabyte of data has already been used by customers and feedback on the service has been exemplary – with many […]

Dubai’s real estate market in 2026 remains one of the most dynamic and closely watched property markets in the world. After a strong five-year rally that saw prices, rents, and transaction volumes surge, the market is now entering a more mature and selective phase. While growth continues, the pace is becoming more balanced, signaling a […]

His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence of the UAE, and Chairman of The Executive Council of Dubai, has approved new transformative strategies and projects with a budget of AED18 billion designed to enhance quality of life and shape a better future for […]

Dubai Culture and Arts Authority (Dubai Culture) announced that it has received six international recognition certificates from the European Organization for Excellence and Agility (EEA) in the fields of organizational agility and excellence, becoming the first cultural entity worldwide to receive this recognition, and the first entity regionally to achieve five-star ratings in the Organizational […]

Then: Dubai Creek as the Beating Heart of Trade If there is one geographical feature that made Dubai what it is today, it is Dubai Creek. This natural saltwater inlet, stretching approximately 14 kilometres inland from the Arabian Gulf, was not merely a body of water – it was the economic and social lifeblood of […]

Then: The Deira Gold Souk in the 1940s Long before Dubai became synonymous with glass towers and luxury malls, it was already building a reputation for one thing above all else – gold. The Deira Gold Souk, which traces its roots back to the 1940s, is one of the oldest continuously operating gold markets in […]

Emirates is preparing for busy departures from Terminal 3, Dubai International (DXB), as the summer holiday season gets underway. Starting this weekend, 3rd to 5th July, Emirates anticipates high volumes of departures and recommends customers plan ahead to ensure a smooth journey. Weekend travel is expected to remain consistently busy throughout the summer holiday period. […]

dnata, a global air and travel services provider, has been re-awarded a ground handling licence at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol (AMS) in the Netherlands, reinforcing its position at one of Europe’s most important aviation hubs. The award follows a competitive public tender by the airport operator and enables dnata to continue providing high-quality ground handling services […]

Dubai International (DXB) is heading into its summer peak, with around 3 million guests expected through its terminals in the first half of July. The peak begins with a surge in departures from 2 July as residents head off for the holidays. The busiest day is expected to be 12 July with over 225,000 guests, […]

Dubai’s real estate market continues to register exceptional demand for luxury properties, supported by growing confidence among local and international investors. This sustained momentum further reinforces the emirate’s position as one of the world’s most stable and attractive real estate investment destinations. Against this backdrop, Binghatti has announced penthouse sales totalling AED 270 million at […]

Emirates has unveiled a next-generation signature lounge concept that is being introduced and rolled out across its key cities globally this year, marking another milestone in the airline’s continued investment into elevating customer experience on-ground. The new design aesthetic has been revealed in the Emirates Lounge in Munich, as well as Frankfurt, with signature Emirates […]

Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) continued to record one of the highest scores in the Sustainability Culture Index in 2025, based on a corporate survey involving about 4,000 of its employees. DEWA achieved a score of 92.33%, significantly outperforming the average of 63.9% recorded by the other participating entities. This reflects DEWA’s industry leadership […]