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Capital: Abu Dhabi
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Dubai is a land of contrast between the old and new like most of the oil-rich Middle East. This new airport had been put into service only shortly before the 1975 Arab Petroleum Congress to which I had been invited. By now, (2003), the four rows of palm trees saplings in the foreground must have grown to impressive size!
New oil money and ancient art blend well in this small but exquisite mosque.
Dubai is built around a small creek or inlet where Arab traders and pirates have based their operations for centuries. Piracy was ended by the British early in the 19th century and trading flourished as the traditional inter tribal fighting was subdued in what was called the British Trucial Coast.
When oil money started to flow, Dubai modernised, trading got bigger, banking was introduced and the airport became an international air transport node.
The new oil based economy changed the face of Dubai but the trading activities of these traditionnal Arab dhows went on as before in the ancient creek.
Small boats and water taxis are constantly crossing the creek between "Dubai" on the western side and the larger "Deira" on the eastern side.
Clients of the National Bank of Dubai arrive by water taxi...
These ancient Arab dhows trade an incredible variety of goods along the coasts from Zanzibar to India.
Traditional life goes on apparently unaffected by the nearby high rise big business boom.
Below left, a couple of mosques.
The strange structure below on the right is an ancient air conditionning device. The tower captures the constant breeze from the sea to the land and a conduit causes it to flow over water in the basement where it is cooled and humidified before being fed to the rooms of the house. Then, a second set of conduits evacutes the air up the opposite side of the tower where is is sucked out by the breeze. Very ingenious, it works and no electricity bills.
Old fort.
Sharjah, a few km north-east of Dubai, once was the most prosperous of the Trucial States but it has now fallen behind Abu Dhabi and Dubai whose oil revenues are much more important.
Below on left haggling over the price, a common market scene.
On the right: a reasonnable price for the camel would probably have been reached after arduous negotiation but I don't think it would have survived Quebec's winters.
After the conference, I took a few days off to visit a friend in Iran before retuning home.
