Welcome to the Dubai City portal, I’m Sunil and I will give you a general synopsis on the various aspects of Dubai and a brief history on The City.

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is made of seven emirates. Dubai (pronounced “dubaiy” in Arabic) is the most popular emirate mainly because of Dubai City.

Research suggests that its name could have been derived from the work “Daba” which means “to creep”. Researches have correlated this as a reference to the flow of the Dubai Creek (I actually knew this from somewhere!).

Dubai is the most populated Emirate and the second largest in land mass (of course just wait until man made islands are built all over the sea).

The UAE was formed in 1971. Each Emirate already existed long before that (just like how the independent states came together to form the United States of America).

Each Emirate has the authority to establish local / civil law however they all share the same political, legal and military system. Abu Dhabi, the capital of UAE, has the ultimate decision making power that can override any Emirates’ decision.

You will hear us refer to Dubai City as Dubai in short. Just keep in mind that we are referring to the City of Dubai. The Dubai Government is not a monarchy, aristocracy, democracy or communist. Rather it’s a hybrid of a few types that mesh into the “Sheikdom” (kingdom of Sheikhs) that rules the Emirate.

Since 1833, one royal Sheikh family has ruled Dubai, the Al Maktoum Dynasty. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum (“bin” Rashid means the son of Rashid) is the current “ruler” of Dubai. He is also the Prime Minister and Vice President of the entire UAE.

Dubai Economy

I used to think Dubai got rich because it had all the oil in the world. Makes sense doesn’t it? Actually, contrary to popular belief (most think every Middle Eastern jurisdiction is rich in oil), the Dubai economy is driven by trade, tourism, manufacturing and financial services – not oil.

In fact, Dubai is known to have fewer than 2% of the world’s oil supply (relatively low to other Middle Eastern jurisdictions and popular belief). Less than 10% of Dubai’s economy is generated from oil and natural gas revenues!

Read more about the Dubai Economy here.

Climate of Dubai

The climate in Dubai City is warm to generalize. It gets real hot (I mean REAL HOT) and often humid. It’s common for the temperature to be over 100°F. It’s desert after all!

There is very little rain usually in January, February and March. It is usually very light (occasionally you will see heavy rain in the winter). You don’t have to worry about rain storms in Dubai. You have other kinds of storms – Sand Storms!

I’ve been in Dubai City both during summer and winter. There is a significant difference in the climate and day to day weather. I definitely prefer winters better as temperatures are ideal to do just about anything.

It can get unbearable in the summer months. Every time I exit of out the car or the house, I find my glasses all fogged up because of the heat and humidity.

Below is an average temperature table I stole from the Dubai Meteorological Office.

Read more on the Climate of Dubai here.

Culture of Dubai

Dubai City culture is very diverse. Only 10% or so of Dubai is comprised on Dubai Nationals (Citizens of Dubai). The rest are mostly immigrants who are working in Dubai. The biggest immigrant population is from India, followed closely by Pakistan and Iran.

A big wave of Europeans and Americans has also flooded Dubai since 2001 mainly for career reasons. Sounds like America don’t it? It’s quite surprising to observe the diversity in Dubai. When I go there, it doesn’t feel like I am away from home, except only the buildings and physical surroundings look somewhat different. Pretty soon those will look the same as well!

Many festivals are celebrated in Dubai City. The Dubai Shopping Festival and Dubai Summer Surprises are two of the more popular ones that attract over 4 million visitors and bring in over $1B in revenues. Large shopping malls and markets are also common in Dubai. The Government there is always looking to make the next biggest “whatever” in the world.

An of course, no discussion on the culture of Dubai would be complete without mentioning tourism and the Dubai nightlife. Dubai is very well known around the world for its tourism industry and nightlife.

Read more about the Culture of Dubai here.

Dubai Media

Media in Dubai is an interesting topic. You will always hear that Dubai is one of the safest places on Earth. But how true is that? Personally, I think the perception is maintained because wrongdoings aren’t as widely published as say it would in the USA.

Why? Because Dubai isn’t really a Democracy. There is no free speech, free action or free voice. This is my opinion of course and many share it. I will discuss this in more detail in a dedicated Dubai Media section.

Generally though Dubai City has all the media avenues you will find in the USA (print type, TV, radio and Internet) Dubai TV is also quite broad now that cable is predominant in every household. Most well known news companies are broadcasted on Dubai TV like anywhere else in the world.

Dubai Transportation

Public transportation in Dubai City is more than abundant. Taxis and buses are everywhere. The biggest train system in the world is also being constructed (Dubai Metro) and is scheduled to be completed sometime in 2009.

The Dubai International Airport (DXB) is the main hub for world renowned Emirates Airline, which services the Dubai and the other Emirates in the country. The city is building a second airport scheduled to be completed post 2009 as well.

This airport will service the Emirates airline only and will be the world’s biggest airport. It’s Dubai after all and it has to have the largest of everything!

With all that said, my favorite ride is the “Abra”. The Abra is also called a water taxi and it’s most commonly used to cross the river. I use it often to cross the Dubai river to go from Dubai to Deira and back. I also like taking the Abra from land to enjoy dinner on an island occasionally.

Read more about Dubai Transportation here.

Schools in Dubai

Dubai City schools are run by the Ministry of Education (more on this in the link below). There are both public and private schools that anyone can attend. Arabic is the main language in public schools with a strong emphasis on English as a second language. Private schools predominantly use English in class instructions.

Public schools often cater to specific nationalities. There are private schools mainly set up for Indian, Pakistani, European and other citizens around Dubai City. All in all the school system is very good. Kish’s nephews all attend them (as did Kish) and they are all bright and sharp individuals.

The college/university system is also very good and is rapidly growing. Kish’s sister went to the American University in Dubai and graduated with a great education. She currently works for Siemens (a multinational company) in a well respected corporate position. Kish however opted for studies in the US because of her academic interest.

Read more about Schools in Dubai here.

Population of Dubai

The population of Dubai was approximately 1.5M back in 2006. Majority of the population is comprised of immigrants, mainly from Asia. This includes all of Asia. There are a ton of Filipinos, Indians and Pakistanis particularly. (Good for me since I am Indian and was born in the Philippines. I just have the best of both worlds every time I visit Dubai. It feels like home)

The Nationals make up under 20% of the population. Dubai is mainly male dominated with a 3 to 1 ratio. All these numbers will continue to change as the city is undergoing unprecedented transformation. Although historically these numbers have been quite consistent.

All kinds of languages are spoken in Dubai; Arabic, English, Persian, Hindi, Urdu, Malayalam, Bengali, Tagalog and many more.

Architecture in Dubai

Architecture in Dubai City is quite interesting. Each building is unique in its design but they all have one thing in common. They all touch the sky! (or try to at least). The Dubai mentality of everything needs to be the biggest and best is apparent in its lavish and glamorous infrastructure.

If you ask me to describe it in one word, I’d simply say UNREAL! I could also say AMAZING! Or UNBELIEAVABLE! It truly is, wait till you see it! If you have already seen it you know what I am talking about. If you have not, I suggest cruising down Sheikh Zayed road and just observe to your left and then to your right.

Residential architecture is also interesting. Home in Dubai are called villas. Dubai villas are large and are usually expensive to rent. You will often find expatriate families and the Sheikhs living in these. Villas can be extremely unique from each other.

Apartments and condos on the other hand can be quite generic. Though the building they are in will differ significantly in appearance from the exterior. The newer architecture cares more for distinction. The older buildings all look pretty much the same.

A cool fact about Dubai City Architecture is that the brightest and best architecture engineers are brought in from all over the world to design various buildings in Dubai. You have the best designs of all worlds in one spot!

Dubai Lifestyle

The rich get richer and the poor get poorer. This cannot be more true in Dubai City. That said though, Dubai is the land of opportunity much like the USA was and still is to a certain degree.

With the right education or entrepreneurial spirit, one can turn rags to riches in Dubai. It’s a very career and commerce friendly environment, at least as of the mid 2000s.

The lifestyle in Dubai is similar to Beverly Hills, California for the most part. If you got it, you gotta show it! In fact sometimes you gotta show it even if you don’t got it! I think you get my drift.

Because of the concentrated wealth in Dubai City, the rich love to show and tell. The poor on the other hand can barely afford to go out for a nice dinner. It’s that kind of a place.

The poor are usually the laborers and the construction workers who are mostly imported from nearby nations to build the world’s next biggest XYZ. Their lifestyles are therefore incomparable to the rich.

If you have money (and I mean even middle to upper middle class), you can live a very nice life in Dubai. Human labor is very cheap. You can get maids and drivers that live with you 24/7 and you pay them a salary of $300 USD at most.

There is basically no dignity of labor. The poor are looked down upon and you won’t find the equal treatment and respect that you see here in the US for example where the janitor is treated with the same respect as a CEO of a Fortune company (most of the times at least).

That is one thing I absolutely cannot tolerate. My blood boils when I see one human being treating another with such harshness and rude attitude. Aarghh!

Read more about Dubai Lifestyle here

Dubai Islands

Dubai itself is a peninsula of the greater UAE. Because of the ruler’s ambitions and drive The City has been building artificial mad made islands on water. Why? Because Dubai City is running out of land space.

So much is going on there and so much is being developed so rapidly that land mass is shrinking by the day. So what to do? Just throw sand in water and build islands! Lol. This concept is truly amazing to me.

I first used to wonder how can the dirt stabilize and not move on water. I later realized that the water is shallow near the shores and it is possible to dump enough dirt into it to build a foundation that touches its ground.

The farther away you go from shore the more difficult it will get to build these islands. Water will get deeper as you move out so let’s see how long can the regime keep building on water! Time will tell and it will be interesting indeed.

Two of the main Dubai islands I can think of are the Dubai Palm Islands and the Dubai World project. More on these two Dubai islands in their respective discussions.

Visa to Dubai

Visa requirements to Dubai differ for every Nationality. The procedure to apply for a Visa to Dubai however is quite simple. Visas can be issued within 72 hours if you fill out all documentation appropriately.

If you are a US Citizen, you don’t need a Visa to Dubai. Simply travel with your passport. Dubai is very pro America! (I like to be ignorant sometimes and think that most of the world is)

If you have an urgent need, Visas to Dubai can also be issued within a day. Find out more about Visas to Dubai in this discussion.

You are Just Getting Started...

Now that you have scratched the surface of Dubai City, continue to explore the individual links in this section and then move on to the next. We have more than enough information to make you feel like an expert before you go to Dubai.

I hope you find this section on Dubai City information valuable and helpful. Make sure to click the link and read the individual discussions mentioned above for more details on topics you are interested about learning more.

We will be working on a comprehensive PDF guide to Dubai that you can print and take with you on your next visit. The guide will include what to do, what not to, where to go and where not to as well as all the basic information we will a visitor must be equipped with.

The guide will include a Dubai directory with information about hotels, restaurants, tourist attractions, parks, amusement parks, Dubai estate agents, Dubai classifieds, Dubai maps and much more. This is definitely a long-term project but one that we are keen on finishing! So stay tuned for that one!

Cost of Living in Dubai

Cost of living in Dubai is skyrocketing higher and faster than ever. But despite that it doesn't have to be as bad as it seems. Read this discussion and find out the truth about living in Dubai.

Difficulties in Dubai

You will face certain difficulties in Dubai just as you would in any other place around the world. Despite all the good qualities about Dubai, it has its share of nuisances for both travelers and residents.

Calling Cards to Dubai

Find the best and cheapest calling cards to Dubai in this discussion. They are the most economical way to stay in touch with Dubai!

How Are The Men In Dubai?

My girlfriends ask me how Dubai men are. In case you have the same question, you can find my opinion on Men in Dubai.

The Dubai Police Force

The Dubai police is a modern and forward thinking police force. Learn more about the department and its operations before you visit Dubai.

Hospitals in Dubai

The Government of Dubai has invested heavily in the Dubai Healthcare system. The hospitals in Dubai City are some of the best, staffed with top doctors from around the world. Learn more about your medical insurance needs, the hospitals and doctors in Dubai.

The Royal Family of Dubai

The royal family of Dubai has ruled from the very beginning up until today. Learn about its history and lineage as it has progressed from zero to hero in current times.

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum is a young, determined and ambitious ruler of Dubai. Learn about his life, his upbringing and his passions in this discussion.

Beautiful Pictures of Dubai at Night

Get a glimpse of the Dubai night scene in this section with beautiful images of the Dubai skyline, freeways and other busy areas.