Cultural modernity in a country called UAE
United Arab Emirates. 7 independent states, each with their own ruler, or Syeikhs, formed the UAE 38 years ago. Historically the arabs living there were bedouins, or nomads. They would roam the desert land to find vegitation for their livestock, and when the summer season came (yes, they do have seasons) they would migrate back to the coast where they became divers. My first stop was Abu Dhabi, the capital with the largest portion of land in the UAE. Everywhere were construction of high risers. Abu Dhabi plans to become like Dubai in terms of infrastructure within the next 5 years. Down here, buildings sprout up like mushrooms. Other less known states in the UAE includes smaller states like Sharjah and Um’ul Quwain. And then theres Dubai..thats something else.
Abu Dhabi city, from the port. It could even make it as a mini version of Shanghai
One would get the same feeling as travellers going through once powerful nations, Isfahan, Cordoba, Damascus. The sheer aw-struckness you get once you go through the city of Dubai is just overwhelming. And i bet it would be the same for westerners alike coming here for the first time. I’ve personally been to Cordoba, and the place is awesome, but it remains as a shadow of the past, a history engulfed by modernity of a country that tries to hide its largely muslim dominated history behind.
Local traditions still remains in a largely modern country
Dubai is different though, you can feel its superority as you drive along rows and rows of it’s skyscrapers, and you know that this time it’s real, it wasn’t history and you’re actually there embracing this rising nation. And walking amongst the crowds one can see many nationalities, even in a small street. Our host said there are some 155 nationalities living here. Not bad for a country with a local population of just 2 million. And to think that just under 40 years ago they were just a fishing village living off pearls in the deep seas off the arabian gulf.
Locals taking time off from work starting at 2pm to about 5pm before resuming bussiness till late at night.
As i went past the Burj-Dubai, the tallest building in the world, i said to myself ” this is what travellers must’ve felt like going through the cities of past powerful nations”, like Al-Andalus or equally through Isfahan in what is now modern day Syiria. That might seem like an exagerated remark, but there really is no other comparison for it in todays world. Not for a Muslim country that is.
View into Dubai, Rows of these bad boys..
I could imagine an english traveller coming to a place like Isfahan, and be amazed at the different coloured customs of other nationalities. As i contemplated further, the vision of its previous ruler, Syeikh Zayed, was to make the United Arab Emirates a power of its own, was slowly coming to be. All succesful nations in history became powerful by the migration of other nationalities, and by the integration of other cultures into the already existing ones. Different cultures bring along their own unique specialties, as in the case of UAE, the Indian’s are good bussinessmen while the Pakistani’s are great mechanics. Then you have the professional expertise of engineers from the United States and other western countries, not to mention architects the world over dying to get some funds for another iconic building.
The authorities put in effort to remind the younger generations about their past by building historical villages and themed museums.
Taken at surface value, history has proven that architecture measures the level of how advance a nation is. At the end of the day, when the people are gone, all that’s left is just lofty structures of a once powerful nation. If by fate, mankind suddenly disappears overnight, Dubai would appear as the most powerful nation in the middle eastern part of the world, even including the african continent as well. I’m a soon-to-be-architect (with god’s will) and i’m not really a skyscrapers/tall towers kind of person. But even i couldn’t hide the amazement of seeing different designs of towers in such a small area.
The UAE has buildings, roads, mosque named after the father of UAE, Syeikh Zayed.
It’s amazing to see what happens when you have a visionary leader, with a heart for the people, couple that with some good management over resources and you would have a flourishing country. The only downside is that they get quite hot for three months in a year, up to 50 degree celcius. Which can be tolerable depending on the type of person you are. I’d rather tolerate heat, than extreme coldness. Other than that, if you like a country where there’s culture and history while still being modern and don’t mind living in a muslim dominated country. Then by all means, the UAE is for you. I’m even thinking of going there to find some experience working. Who knows..i could have a building permanently stamped there ; )
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December 25th, 2009 at 7:02 PM
Bismillahirrahmanirrahim,
I'm sorry to say this but I completely disagree with you. And as this is a matter of taste, I believe disagreements are okay and not confrontational.
For one, the post modern architecture that engulfs Dubai, in my view, feels imposed on the land. Though I do not dislike post modern architecture, I think do believe that architecture should complement the flora and fauna that can be found at particular places – this is what most ancients do. I believe that culture and architecture evolved hand in hand with each other and in Dubai, the buildings does not 'feel' to have a local culture. In fact, more than anything, it seems to be a local imitation of external cultures.
What is more, Dubai's policy are, in my view, both unsustainable and quite frankly, misguided. I don't think that 'progress' should be equated largely with material wealth, and we should look at the a lot of other factors before deciding to do something. Read what the UN Human Rights Commissions and Human Rights Watch has to say about Dubai's foreign workers, and try searching for the statistics of deaths of foreign workers in Dubai.
I do not, however, say that Dubai has not any success, but I am highly sceptical of their achievements as I do not subscribe to the same understanding of 'success' as defined by material growth. A country can be rich within a few years, that is true, but it does not mean it can last. Alexander the Great built, in his time, the greatest empire on the face of the earth, only to have it crumble with his death. The Romans were only able to construct a vast empire after the fall of both Carthage and the Etruscan, and therefore was slow. But what they built was solid, even if they borrowed from the Greeks.
In short, I do not subscribe to the view that Dubai is a great city and I think I have passed my romanticised version of the city. I think it's too early to tell. And I simply disagree with the whole philosophy.
Wallahua'lam
December 26th, 2009 at 3:44 PM
Asaslamaualaikum imakubex!
Wow! love the long response! first time someone commented that long and with full detail!
Part of what you say is true, i myself am not a fan of architecture thats blindly put together, without considering any regards for local culture, geography, climate. Alot of the new housing projects have pitched roofs! what??? in a country where it rains 4 days a year??
As for the immigrants treatment, i have persoanlly been there and seen how they work, and how they live, and let me tell you that they work in better conditions than in most countries. And there’s more expats here, more than the locals, the one’s probably causing the stats on UN to rise are probably the private companies, as the government takes great effort to make sure that their wellfare is covered. No country comes perfect mate ; )
Brother, I am merely using the example of past civilisations as an example to how it might have felt as a traveller going through such great cities. True the UAE’s greatness cannot be measured now, and it would’nt be fair to even put it at the same scale as Al-Andalus for example, but i am proud that it is a muslim nation. No matter how you put it, it is considered a muslim state. But then again ur philisophy of what defines a muslim nation might be different.
Thank you for your time to write down what your thoughts are on this mate ; )
Take care yea!!!
Wasalam.
Sincerely, Shamin