CITY OF GOLD: DUBAI: From Desert Outpost to Global Metropolis

From a pearl-diving village of a few thousand souls to the world's most visited city - in a single lifetime. Few places on earth have transformed as radically, as visibly, and as recently as Dubai. In 1960, its skyline was one wind-tower and a fringe of palm trees. Today it is home to the world's tallest building, an artificial archipelago visible from space, an economy driven by tourism, finance, and trade rather than oil, and 3.8 million residents from more than 200 nationalities living side by side on a strip of Gulf coastline. In City of Gold: Dubai, Alex Ishikawa traces the full arc of that transformation - from the pre-Islamic Bedouin tribes of the Arabian Peninsula, through the founding of the Al Maktoum dynasty in 1833, the collapse of the pearl trade, the discovery of oil in 1966, the visionary rule of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, and the audacious mega-projects that turned a desert emirate into a global brand. Inside this book you will discover: - The pre-Islamic origins of the Trucial Coast and the Bedouin tribes who first settled there- The rise of Dubai as a pearling and trading port under the Al Maktoum family from 1833- The transformative dredging of Dubai Creek in 1959 that turned a village into a regional trading hub- The discovery of oil in 1966 and the decision - remarkable in hindsight - to diversify beyond it- The founding of the United Arab Emirates in 1971 and Dubai's role within the federation- The visionary leadership of Sheikh Rashid and Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum- The rise of Emirates Airline, Jebel Ali port, and the Dubai International Financial Centre- The construction of the Burj Khalifa (828 metres), Palm Jumeirah, and the Museum of the Future- Expo 2020 Dubai and its 24 million visits, and the COP28 climate summit of 2023- Dubai in 2026: the world's most visited city, the economics behind the boom, and what comes next What makes this book different: - Fully current. Written from the vantage point of 2026, with the latest economic, political, and demographic figures- Balanced and complete. Traces Dubai from ancient roots to modern skyline - not just the mega-projects- Rich reference material. Timeline, key figures, glossary of Arabic terms, "walking guide" to Dubai's districts, and further reading- Written for the intelligent general reader. Rigorous enough for serious study, accessible enough to read on the plane Who this book is for: > Twenty chapters. Six comprehensive appendices. Over 80 pages of history, geography, culture, and current affairs. Dubai's story, told fully - from the desert to the skyline.