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In the 1820s, Dubai was referred to as ''British historians. However, few records pertaining to the cultural history of the UAE or its constituent emirates exist due to the region's vocal traditions in recording and passing down Persian, while some believe that Arabic is the linguistic root of the word. According to Fedel Handhal, researcher in the history and culture of the UAE, the word ''Dubai'' may have come from the word ''Daba'' (a derivative of ''Yadub''), which means ''to creep''; the word may be a reference to the flow of Dubai Creek inland. How did Dubai, Abu Dhabi and other cities get their names? Experts reveal all. UAEInteract.com. 10 March 2007 Historythumb|200px|left|The Al Ras district in Deira, Dubai in the 1960s. Very little is known about pre-Islamic culture in the south-east Arabian peninsula, except that many ancient towns in the area were trading centers between the Eastern and Andalusian-Arab Venetian pearling industry. Documented records of the ''town'' of Dubai exist only after 1799.Economic and Environmental Impacts of tourism on Dubai and Hawaii. McEachern, Nadeau, et alIn the early 19th century, the Al Abu Falasa clan (Deira. Then, in 1894, fire swept through Deira, burning down most homes.Modernity and tradition in Dubai architecture. Karim, Luiza However, the town's geographical location continued to attract traders and merchants from around the region. The emir of Dubai was keen to attract foreign traders and lowered trade tax brackets, which lured traders away from Sharjah and Bandar Lengeh, which were the region's main trade hubs at the time.THE EMIRATES OF ABU DHABI AND DUBAI:CONTRASTING ROLES IN THE INTERNATIONAL SYSTEM. Davidson, Christopher. March 2007thumb|200px|right|Al Fahidi Fort, built in 1799, is the oldest existing building in Dubai. Dubai's geographical proximity to India made it an important location. The town of Dubai was an important port of call for foreign tradesmen, chiefly those from India, many of whom eventually settled in the town. Dubai was known for its pearl exports until the 1930s. However, Dubai's pearling industry was damaged irreparably by the events of the Sharjah to Dubai.Dubai City. Melamid, Alexander. Jul 1989 In 1966 the town joined the newly independent country of Qatar/Dubai Riyal, after the deflation of the Gulf rupee.Economic and Environmental Impacts of tourism on Dubai and Hawaii. McEachern, Nadeau, et al Oil was discovered in Dubai the same year, after which the town granted concessions to international oil companies. The discovery of oil led to a massive influx of foreign workers, mainly Indians and Pakistanis. As a result, the population of the city from 1968 to 1975 grew by over 300%, by some estimates.Historic population statisticsOn 2 December 1971 Dubai, together with Abu Dhabi and five other emirates, formed the United Arab Emirates after former protector Britain left the dirham. In the 1970s, Dubai continued to grow from revenues generated from oil and trade, even as the city saw an influx of Lebanese immigrants fleeing the civil war in Lebanon."Beirut Showing Signs of Recovery From Wounds of War". New York Times. 26 May 1977. pg.2 The Jebel Ali Free Zone, comprising the Jebel Ali port (reputedly the world's largest man made port) was established in 1979, which provided foreign companies unrestricted import of labour and export capital.The United Arab Emirates: Economic Vibrancy and US Interests. Asian Affairs. Peterson, JE. July 2002, Vol 34, Issue 2.The Persian Gulf War of 1990 had a huge impact on the city. Economically, Dubai banks experienced a massive withdrawal of funds due to uncertain political conditions in the region. During the course of the 1990s, however, many foreign trading communities — first from Kuwait, during the Persian Gulf War, and later from Bahrain, during the Shia unrest, moved their businesses to Dubai.THE EMIRATES OF ABU DHABI AND DUBAI:CONTRASTING ROLES IN THE INTERNATIONAL SYSTEM. Davidson, Christopher. March 2007 Dubai provided refueling bases to allied forces at the Jebel Ali free zone during the Persian Gulf war, and again, during the 2003 Invasion of Iraq. Large increases in oil prices after the Persian Gulf war encouraged Dubai to continue to focus on free trade and tourism.Dubai Focus The success of the Jebel Ali free zone allowed the city to replicate its model to develop clusters of new free zones, including Dubai Internet City, Dubai Media City and Dubai Maritime City. The construction of Burj Al Arab, the world's tallest freestanding hotel, as well as the creation of new residential developments, were used to market Dubai for purposes of tourism. Since 2002, the city has seen an increase in private real estate investment in recreating Dubai's skyline with such projects as The Palm Islands, The World Islands and Burj Dubai. However, robust economic growth in recent years has been accompanied by rising inflation rates (at 11.2% as of 2007 when measured against Consumer Price Index) which is attributed in part due to the near doubling of commercial and residential rental costs, resulting in a substantial increase in the cost of living for residents.Robust growth poses threat of inflation to high-flying Dubai. Kuwait Times. Mar. 8, 2007GeographyAccording to the UAE nationals. Approximately 85% of the Asian, chiefly Indian (51%), Pakistani (15%), Western". A quarter of the population however reportedly traces their origins to neighboring Iran.''"Young Iranians Follow Dreams to Dubai"'' The New York Times, by HASSAN M. FATTAH. Published: 4 December 2005 In addition, 16% of the population (or 288,000 persons) lived in collective labour accommodation were not identified by ethnicity or nationality, but were thought to be primarily Asian.The Changing Demographics of the UAE The median age in the emirate was about 27 years. The crude birth rate, as of 2005, was 13.6%, while the crude death rate was about 1%.Basic Vital Statistical Indicators - Emirate of Dubai Although Arabic is the official language of Dubai, Hindi, Urdu, Persian, Tagalog, Bengali and other languages are spoken in Dubai. English is the ''lingua franca'' of the city and is widely spoken.Article 7 of the UAE's Provisional Constitution declares Islam the official state religion of the UAE. The government subsidizes almost 95 percent of mosques and employs all Imams; approximately 5 percent of mosques are entirely private, and several large mosques have large private endowments.Country Profile: United Arab Emirates (UAE). United States Library of CongressDubai has large proselytizing or distributing religious literature is strictly prohibited under penalty of criminal prosecution, imprisonment, and deportation for engaging in behaviour offensive to Islam.Economythumb|right|200px|The Burj Al Arab is the world's tallest hotel. Dubai's US$37 billion.Dubai economy set to treble by 2015 ''ArabianBusiness.com'' (3 February 2007) Retrieved on 15 October 2007. Although Dubai's economy was built on the back of the title=Dubai diversifies out of oil |url=http://www.ameinfo.com/66981.html |publisher=''|date=2005-09-07 |accessdate=2008-08-12}} re-exporting countries include US$ 790 million), India (US$ 204 million) and US$ 194 million). The emirate's top US$ 1.5 billion), China (US$ 1.4 billion) and the United States (US$ 1.4 billion).[http://www.dhcc.ae/Admin/Content/File/Documents/Dubai_Economic_Profile.pdf An Economic Profile of Dubai Dubai Healthcare City. 2000Historically, Dubai and its twin across the Dubai creek, Deira (independent of Dubai City at that time), became important ports of call for Western manufacturers. Most of the new city's banking and financial centres were headquartered in the port area. Dubai maintained its importance as a trade route through the 1970s and 1980s. Dubai has a free trade in gold and until the 1990s, was the hub of a "brisk smuggling trade""Dubayy". Encyclopedia Britannica. 2008 of gold ingots to India, where gold import was restricted. The IT and free zones throughout the city. MBC, AP. The bonds, both local and foreign. As of fourth quarter 2006, its trading volume stood at about 400 billion shares, worth US$ 95 billion in total. The DFM had a market capitalisation of about US$ 87 billion. The government's decision to diversify from a trade-based, but oil-reliant, economy to one that is service and tourism-oriented has made real estate more valuable, resulting in the property appreciation from 2004–2006. Large scale real estate development projects have led to the construction of some of the tallest skyscrapers and largest projects in the world such as the Emirates Towers, the Burj Dubai, the Palm Islands and the world's tallest, and most expensive, hotel the Burj Al Arab.World's Tallest Hotel Opens Its Doors. British Broadcasting CorporationTransportationthumb|right|200px|''Abra (boat)|Abras'' are the traditional mode of transport between Deira and Dubai.">Bur">Dubai. IATA: DXB), the hub for title=Dubai International - world's fastest growing airport in 2007 |url=http://www.ameinfo.com/143493.html |publisher=''AMEInfo'' |date=2008-01-09 |accessdate=2008-01-10}} The Dubai International Airport ranked 17th among international airports for total title=Dubai International Airport maintains double-digit growth in the first half of 2007 |url=http://www.dubaiairport.com/DIA/English/TopMenu/News+and+Press/Arab+News/Dubai+International+Airport+maintains+double-digit+growth+in+the+first+half+of+2007.htm |publisher=Dubai International Airport |date=2007-07-05 |accessdate=2008-01-10}} The new terminal will be dedicated to Emirates Airline and will fully support the new A380. The development of [[Dubai World Central International Airport, currently under construction in Jebel Ali, was announced in 2004. The first phase is expected to be completed by 2008, and once operational the new airport will host foreign airlines. Emirates (both the passenger and cargo operations) will remain in Dubai International Airport.[http://archive.gulfnews.com/articles/07/10/27/10163098.html Emirates for corridor between DIA and new mega airport ''Gulf News'' (27 October 2007). Retrieved on 3 November 2007. Dubai has a large taxi system.A $3.89 billion Deira is through ''abras'', small boats that ferry passengers across the Dubai Creek, between abra stations in Bastakiya and Baniyas Road.In July 2007, the Salik road toll network was installed on AED 4 (US$ 1.08) per transit.CultureDubai has a diverse and multicultural society. The city's cultural imprint as a small, ethnically homogenous Iranians in the early 1900s, and later by US$ one billion Tourism and shopping in the UAE: Spending an extra day". Edwards Economic Research FZ. Large shopping malls in the city, such as Deira City Centre, BurJuman, Mall of the Emirates and Ibn Battuta Mall as well as traditional ''souks'' attract shoppers from the region. The diversity of Deira and Al Karama to the upscale restaurants in Dubai's many hotels. South Asian, alcoholic beverages is regulated. A liquor permit is required to purchase alcohol; however, alcohol is available in bars and restaurants within four or five star hotels. Welcome to Dubai New Zealand Trade and Enterprise ''qahwa'' boutiques are also popular in Dubai.Arab and International cinema. Dubai has an active music scene, with musicians Santana, Pink, Madonna is rumored to play live in November for ₤7.5 million. The Dubai Desert Rock Festival is also another major festival consisting of Heavy metal and rock artists.Football and cricket are the most popular sports in Dubai. Five teams — Al Wasl, Al-Shabab, Al-Ahli, Al Nasr and Hatta — represent Dubai in Al Ain. Cricket is followed by Dubai's large South Asian community and in 2005, the London to Dubai. The city has hosted several India-Pakistan matches and two new grass grounds are being developed in Dubai Sports City. Dubai also hosts both the annual Dubai Tennis Championships and The Legends Rock Dubai tennis tournaments, as well as the Dubai Desert Classic golf tournament, all of which attract sports stars from around the world. The Dubai World Cup, a thoroughbred horse race, is held annually at the Nad Al Sheba Racecourse. Dubai is known for its nightlife. Clubs and bars are found mostly in hotels due to the liquor laws. The New York Times listed Dubai as its travel choice for partying in 2008.Clubs Bloom in the Desert. New York Times. 9 December 2007Educationthumb|200px|right|The campus of the American University in Dubai The school system in Dubai does not differ from that of the Arabs as well as 132 private schools. The medium of instruction in English as a second language, while most of the ICSE Indian GCSE and A-Levels. IGCSE and A-Levels. IB program including the IGCSE program. The Ministry of Education of the United Arab Emirates is responsible for school's accreditation. The Dubai Education Council was established in July 2005 to develop the education sector in Dubai.HH Sheikh Mohammed issues decree establishing Dubai Education Council, ''DEC'', 14 July 2005 The Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) was established in 2006 to develop education and human resource sectors in Dubai, and license educational institutes.KHDA Q&A, ''KHDA'', 2006Approximately 10% of the population has Western countries for SP Jain Center Of Management, Harvard Medical School Dubai Center (HMSDC) were established in Dubai. RIT Dubai is a satellite campus of Rochester Institute of Technology in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The plans for the college, which will be located in the Dubai Silicon Oasis, was announced on 5 December 2007. The campus is planned to open in Fall 2008. In 2009, it is planned that there will be a full-time graduate program offered, and in 2010, a full-time undergraduate program. By 2019, RIT plans to expand the campus to 1,000,000 square feet (93,000 m²), accepting around 4,000 students.Mediathumb|200px|right|Etisalat Tower 2, on Sheikh Zayed Road. held a virtual monopoly over telecommunications in Dubai prior to 2006.[http://opennet.net/sites/opennet.net/files/united_arab_emirates.pdf United Arab Emirates. OpenNet Interactive. 2008">Etisalat">held a virtual monopoly over telecommunications in Dubai prior to 2006.[http://opennet.net/sites/opennet.net/files/united_arab_emirates.pdf United Arab Emirates. OpenNet Interactive. 2008] Dubai has a well established network of print, cable, while satellite, radio and local channels are provided via the Arabian Radio Network and APTN, MBC as well as network news channels operated out of Channel 33), EDTV and FM stations such as Dubai FM (93.9), Dubai92 (92.0), Al Khaleejia (100.9) and Hit FM (96.7) provide programming in English, Arabic and South Asian languages. Dubai is also the headquarters for several Al Khaleej'', ''English newspapers. Du) in 2006. bandwidth of 6 GB, with 50,000 broadband ports. Dubai houses two of four DNS filter internet content that is deemed to be inconsistent with the values of the country, that provides information on bypassing the proxy, dating, gay and Bahá'à faith, and sites originating from VoIP services such as Arab. Dubai enacted an Electronic Transactions and Commerce Law in 2002 which deals with digital signatures and electronic registers. It prohibits Internet Service Providers (ISPs) from disclosing information gathered in providing services. The penal code also contains some provisions; however, it does not address cyber crime or data protection.Silenced - United Arab Emirates. Privacy International.Sister citiesDubai has 14 sister cities, and most of the twinning agreements having been done in post-2002.Twinning Cities Agreements UAE Official Website* Frankfurt, Germany
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