On 1962 the first cargo of crude oil has left Abu Dhabi. On 1969 Dubai also began to export oil. Shortly after, on December 2, 1971, these two emirates, together with five other, have formed United Arab Emirates, after former protector, Britain, left the Persian Gulf. Two of so-called Trucial states, Bahrain and Oman, chose not to join the federation. Now, after only 4 decades, Dubai is one of the fastest growing cities in the world (from 95,000 inhabitants in 1963 to 8,264,070 in 2010), because the country's net migration rate is also the world's highest.
In nowadays, fewer than 20% are UAE nationals or Emiratis, the majority of the population consisting of expatriates (23% non-Emirati Arabs and Iranians, and 50% Indian nationals). Nevertheless is one of the safest place to reside, earning the title as a tourists’ city of the world, with 5.4 million visitors per year. Judicious use of funds derived from oil, and also its strategic placement, have made from Dubai a great economic force.
Here, the East meets West, in a perfect marriage between the islamic tradition and western capitalistic interests. What can seen a tourist in Dubai? Many things really amazing:
• one of the biggest airports in the world (Dubai International Airport)
• the largest man made port in the world (Jebel Port)
• the largest mall in the world
• the only 7 star hotel in the world (Burj al Arab)
• the largest theme parks in the world (Dubailand)
• the tallest skyscraper in the world (Burj Khalifa)
• the first man made palm-shaped island (Palm Jumeirah)
Dubai has a rich collection of structures, many of them modern interpretations of Islamic architecture, due to a boom in construction and architectural innovation in the Arab World, supported not only by top Arab or international architectural and engineering design firms such as Al Hashemi and Aedas, but also by top firms of New York and Chicago. To imagine you the rate at which is built in this city, is enough to say that Dubai currently have 15-25% of all the world's cranes.
This postcard shows, as specify the sender (thanks, Salah), three of the important buildings of the city:
● Emirates Towers complex - consists of two towers, Emirates Tower One (54 floors / 354.6m / 1999) and Emirates Tower Two, also known as Jumeirah Emirates Towers Hotel (56 floors / 309m / 2000), connected by a retail boulevard. Both were designed by Hazel W.S. Wong Norr and Group Consultants Int. Ltd. As a detail, in 1990 there are none of the buildings that are visible across the Sheikh Zayed Road.
● Dubai Creek Golf and Yacht Club - located alongside the stretch of water from which it takes its name (a saltwater creek that divides the city into two parts - Deira Dubai and Bur Dubai), is an 18-hole golf resort, which in November 2005 was voted one of the top 100 must play golf courses in the world by UK magazine Golf World.
● Atlantis, the Palm - a hotel resort at Palm Jumeirah, modelled after the Atlantis Paradise Island resort in Nassau, Bahamas, and opened on September 24, 2008. Almost everything in it’s underwater themed. The 5 star resort consists of two towers linked by a bridge, with a total of 1,539 rooms, and was voted The Most Hygienic Hotel of the World Award 2012.
About the stamp
The stamp is part of a series of two issued on December 6, 2008 and dedicated to Eid al-Adha' (Festival of Sacrifice), an important religious holiday celebrated by Muslims worldwide to commemorate the willingness of Abraham to sacrifice his son Ishmael as an act of obedience to God.
Sender: Salah (direct swap)
Sent from Sharjah (United Arab Emirates), on 01.02.2012
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