Dubai 4K. From Desert to Skyscrapers in 50 years

Hey guys and welcome to Dubai. Dubai is a city and an emirate in the United Arab Emirates known for luxury shopping, ultra-modern architecture and sandy beaches. Dubai was turned from a desert backwater into one of the world's most futuristic cities in less than 50 years. Where is Dubai located? In the eastern part of the Arabian Peninsula on the coast of the Persian Gulf. The city is growing so fast I was actually visiting it back in 1995 with my dad and when I came here for the second time I couldn't recognize anything. My first impression was that the city is just so overwhelming. Different parts of the city are just so spread out and it's not clear how to get from one place to another. First of all let's point out some cultural aspects. Although Dubai is the most liberal of the seven emirates it is still an Arab emirate and much of its culture is influenced by Islam. Criticizing the royal family, local laws or the country in general will probably get you in trouble. Drinking in public or just being intoxicated in public is also against the law. When visiting public places you gotta follow a certain dress code. Make sure you cover your shoulders and knees. Also no kissing or hugging in public. You will hear a call to the prayer five times a day no matter where you are. Outside, in a mall or at a business meeting. Filming people is basically illegal. You gotta ask for their permission first. Coffee good? The population of the city is 3.3 million people and every year it increases by 170 000 people. You might be surprised but the locals or emiratis only make up about 10 percent of the population. Looking at all the luxury of Dubai it might seem that everyone must be pretty wealthy around here. Which is often the case for locals and some high-skilled expatriates coming from countries like the US, UK and Canada. But it's a completely different story for the construction workers and the taxi drivers that come from Pakistan, Bangladesh, India, Nigeria, Egypt and other countries who only average about six or seven hundred dollars a month. Hi everyone. I'm Nazmul. I'm from Bangladesh. I'm in Dubai taxi. What's your name? My name is They don't live in fancy neighborhoods. Rather they live in communities such as this one. They can't afford to bring their families over here and sometimes several men have to share one room. They're here to make some money and send it back to their home country. I want to mention this guy. He's from Egypt. He saw us on the subway trying to figure out how to get to a certain place and he came to our rescue. He took us all the way to the destination and then even stopped to buy some cold drinks which was very nice of him. None of those people had plans to stay here longer than they needed to because UAE citizenship is almost impossible to obtain. Even if you're born here it doesn't change anything unless one of your parents is an Emirati. Just imagine a situation. Say a young couple that comes from Egypt comes to live and work in Dubai. They give birth to a child who grows up, gets their education here, gets a job afterwards and continues living in Dubai thinking that Dubai is their home. Then that person's working visa is not extended for whatever reason and they're told go home. Go home where they ask. Go home to Egypt where that person had never been in their lifetime. In Dubai the number of men exceeds that of women by more than double. There's about two and a half males for every female. Today less than five percent of the emirate's revenue comes from oil. Instead the economy relies on trade, tourism, aviation, financial services and real estate. Tourism is doing well. Dubai is the fourth most visited city in the world. The city had 15 million overnight visitors in 2016. But the real estate situation is another story. Those who want to invest in Dubai have to keep an eye on the market. Several years ago Dubai already found itself in a difficult situation when it needed a 20 billion dollar bailout from its oil-rich neighbor Abu Dhabi to escape a debt crisis caused by collapsing property prices. Since 2014 residential property prices have dropped by more than 15 percent and are still falling. The housing market remains oversupplied and looking at all the ongoing projects I get a feeling that it might stay this way for a while. At the same time they're expecting the city population to double by 2027. Everyone's betting on Expo 2020 to turn things around for which Dubai is ready to spend eight billion dollars on infrastructure. Dubai has always been an attractive place to run a business for yet another reason. Zero taxes. But in 2018 the government implemented value-added tax VAT at a rate of five percent. Not too bad but it's not zero anymore. Dubai is in the desert and it's hot. Summer days can be as hot as 50 celsius or 122 fahrenheit and it's sunny throughout the year. It is hotter here than in Phoenix Arizona so you get the picture. Even the taxi drivers from Egypt that I talked to said that in the summertime it's hotter here than it is in Egypt. It's in the desert so water supply is a major challenge. Close to 99 percent of potable drinking water in Dubai comes from desalination plants. Just imagine how many cubic meters of water they need every day for the city. In this part of the world you know a city is wealthy when it has a lot of green parks and gardens and palm trees. You know Dubai is located in the desert so it takes a lot of water to keep it all green and nice. Everywhere you will see some water systems and some hoses. Look at these flowers. There are hoses everywhere. You can't have too much fur and when it's 50 outside I mean you gotta keep it short right? Dubai is not very walkable so you'll have to be relying on public transportation to get you around. But most people just prefer to use taxis. Dubai is jam-packed with things that are designed to be the biggest or the most extravagant in the world. It has this attitude of nothing is impossible. The Burj Khalifa is the tallest building in the world. It's an 830 meter tall tower that dominates the skyscraper filled skyline. By the way Burj in Arabic means a building. While without a doubt it's a true masterpiece it might be just a little bit of an overrated sight for tourists. Do you really want to waste two or three hours in line just to see the city from above? I decided to pass on the idea because you can admire the building from outside for free. But did you know they're already building a taller building? It's called Dubai Creek Tower and it will be at least a hundred meters taller than Burj Khalifa. Dubai has the world's largest flower garden. Dubai Miracle Garden. The garden has a 45 million flowers. So nice to find yourself in this beautiful area and take a break from the busy city. We are in the beautiful Miracle Garden in Dubai and it seems like it's everything they've been lacking. All the greenery and all the different kinds of flowers. Dubai is basically a desert and over here you feel like you're in Thailand and it's just a wonderful place and you should definitely visit that if you're in Dubai. During the summer months the garden stays closed for obvious reasons. It's too hot. Man sorry I didn't see that kid. Where do you find the best roads in the world? For five years in a row the emirates had been number one when it came to quality of roads according to global economy. And of course if you have some super roads you need some super cars right. They have bus stops with air conditioning. They call them air conditioned bus shelters and there's more than a thousand of them right now in the city. Dubai has the world's longest fully automated metro system where all trains run without drivers. Most of it above the ground. They have two lines a green line and a red line. The red line goes along the main Dubai street Sheikh Zayed highway. There are three different classes of service. Silver class, women and children only and gold class. A ticket to the gold class is two times more expensive than usual. The best thing about it is it doesn't get crowded during rush hours. Public transportation in Dubai is pretty convenient and the best way is to get a no card which is good for subway. It's good for bus. The only thing it's not good for is monorail which have to pay separately. Dubai is also known for one of the most ambitious engineering structures of our time. An artificial palm tree archipelago, Palm Jumeirah which added nearly 50 miles to the coastline. We are on the famous artificial island the Palm and over there you see the wave breaker which goes around the island and it protects it from strong winds and strong waves up to four meters high. Atlantis the Palm is a luxury hotel resort located at the apex of the Palm Jumeirah. Among other things it has Aquaventure water park and the Lost Chambers aquarium that is home to 65 000 marine animals. Hi where are you guys from? From Sweden. Hello Russia. Welcome to Dubai. Thank you. Okay bye-bye. There's another Atlantis on the way. It's a 1.4 billion dollar Royal Atlantis that is expected to be opened in 2020. You can travel the Palm island on monorail which is an entertainment by itself. There are many means of transportation in Dubai. One of them is monorail. The ticket is very pricey. It's 5.5 dollars one way. So let's take a look at what it's like on the inside. To get a good view of Palm Jumeirah you might want to go to Marriott Harbor Hotel that has a bar on the 52nd floor with a wonderful view. Did Palm Jumeirah turn out as successful as they planned it to be? Well not really. Instead of an exclusive private enclave you got a generic copy of American suburbia. The houses are standing side by side at three times the original plan density. In fact they were planning a larger series of developments called the Palm Islands which were going to be many times larger than Palm Jumeirah and also the world. A series of islands representing the world like every single continent. But all these projects had to be suspended since Dubai property market crash in 2009. I'm sure you have seen this hotel before. It's called the Burj Al Arab. This hotel claims to be the only seven-star hotel in the world. It is frequently recognized as the world's most luxurious hotel. It was built in 1999 for $1 billion on a man-made island. The cheapest room starts at $1,500 a night while a royal twin bedroom suite will set you back $15,000. Dubai is a city of shopping malls. Like what do you do on those hot days? People go to the malls to escape from the heat. The Mall of the Emirates is one of the largest malls here. It's got Ski Dubai, an indoor ski resort with five ski tracks and a snow park. You can also visit an ice cave and go sledding. Can you believe that? Yes, right in the mall you can go skiing in one of the hottest places on the planet. Another mall is the Dubai Mall. Today it's the second largest mall in the world but it used to be the largest. If you like exotic cars then in front of the Dubai Mall there's always something to look at. It's a buzzling entertainment center with mesmerizing sights and attractions. Often viewed by most Emiratis as the ultimate shopping destination in the city. Let's look at some things that you can see inside the mall. The human waterfalls. One of the finest artificial waterfalls that I've ever seen. There's also an aquarium, one of the largest in the world in fact, 2.6 million gallons of water. Outside they have a fountain show which always gets crowds of people. You can actually take a boat ride or go walking around the periphery of the lake and view all the shops and the restaurants. These lovely people from India that were traveling with me in that boat wanted me to film them and their baby so their wish is granted. There are 65 malls all together in the city and each one of them is trying to be unique in some way. Take a look at this one. It's called Wafi Mall and it's styled after ancient Egypt. Honestly I'm not a big fan of shopping and I easily get tired of huge malls. What can you do outside of the city? Dune bashing. Dubai lies directly within the Arabian desert so you can go dune bashing in a 4x4. Most often it's a Toyota Land Cruiser or a Nissan Patrol. My family certainly enjoyed it. It was like riding a roller coaster and I asked the driver how many times he flipped the car in his life. He said none so this made me feel more comfortable. Wow. Hey guys so we are in the desert and you can do crazy things like that. They give you a professional driver and it takes you along the desert. Okay the ride is very bumpy but if you like stuff like roller coasters you're going to enjoy it and on top of that you can ride a camel if you want some nice pictures. But we're about to have some dinner so let's go do it. There are other things to do in the desert like snowboarding on a sand dune, riding an ATV and so much more. Well I have zero experience so let me I want you to see me fall. I'm not even riding. Okay guys. Then they offer you a dinner and a show with dances and performances. Just to give the scale we had 700 people that night and our driver said that there are altogether about 20 companies doing that in the city. Even in the desert you can meet some awesome people from around the world. So where are you from? I'm Swiss. You're Canadian? Yeah. But you said you live here? I do. Oh okay. So is it work related? Yeah. Oh cool. And you're just visiting? Yeah I've been here for a week now. So what have you guys done for fun like? Um we went to the Mall of Dubai. Beach. It's really nice. Hey what's your name? Annika. Oh what's your name? Hanadi. Nice to meet you. One of my favorite places in Dubai is the Global Village. It's a huge park that combines cultures of 90 countries from all across the world in one place. Okay guys welcome to London. Oh wait a second. I think I'm mistaken. We're in Moscow. Welcome to Moscow. Actually we're in New York City right? It's pretty confusing but actually we are in Dubai and this place is called the Global Village. You can get souvenirs, spices and try food from almost every corner of the planet. Well except for Israel. They got temples of Thailand, Forbidden City of Beijing, the Eiffel Tower and so much more. And they also have different shows during the night. Like they have this monster stunt show three times a night with cars and motorbikes and you can enjoy some incredible performances. Fight scenes, you know drifting, stunt bikers and they even had a tank. Those who love amusement parks are really going to enjoy Dubai because they have a cluster of theme parks and water parks like Legoland, Bollywood and Motiongate and others. Let's take a look at some different parts of the city. Deira is Dubai's old financial district. It sits on the east bank of Dubai Creek. At one point it played a vital role in the economic development of the city. Today Deira is a bustling commercial residential district with some old markets including some specializing in spices and gold. The most recognized landmark is Deira's Clock Tower. Then you have downtown Dubai with Burj Khalifa and endless skyscrapers. Sheikh Zayed Highway is the longest street in Dubai. It gives the full feeling that you are in the city of the future. On both sides of the road there are numerous skyscrapers that seem to compete in height and originality. Look at this structure looming over the city's financial district. It's called the Museum of the Future. It will be open just before the World Expo starts in October 2020. One of the newest areas in the city is Dubai Marina. It's a modern expensive residential neighborhood that has one of the largest concentrations of westerners living in the city. It's just a walking distance away from the beach at JBR which stands for Jumeirah Beach Residence. There's plenty of things to do here from jet skiing to skydiving. A new addition to this district is Blue Waters Island that opened in 2018. It's an artificial island that will feature a 210 meter tall giant ferry's wheel called Dubai Eye. Of course it's going to be the largest in the world. What else did you expect? Dubai has a number of beaches to choose from. Let's take a look at some of them. Kite Beach. It is Dubai's sportiest beach, a favorite with many kite surfers. People come here to jog or play beach volleyball. There's also a skate park, an outdoor gym and plenty of other things to do. Where are you from? Where are you from? I'm from Alaska. No, this can't be right. You're from Alaska. How are you, man? Don't worry. No corona, don't worry. How are you, son? I'm from Alaska. I travel all over the world but Dubai is the best place in the world, you know. Is that right? You have east and west, everything. No corona, nothing. No virus, nothing. Everything is clean, yeah. The rulers here are fantastic. It's a growing economy. Everything is booming here. Life is beautiful. No taxes, fresh air, free of charge, complimentary, you know. What's your favorite part of the city? My favorite part of the city is the kite beach, you know. The kite beach. Oh, it's fantastic. We're right here on the spot. Right here. Right place, right time, right people. What more do you want, man? But what about the parks? My first impression was that the city is nothing but a concrete jungle and there's no parks. Well, it's not like that. There are plenty of parks. This one's called Al Barsha, where people come to go jogging or just take a break from their busy city life. They even have golf courses here. Can you imagine? So, how did it all start? Dubai was a village of fishermen and pearl hunters until the mid-20th century. The best way to look at this distant past is to visit the Dubai Museum. It is located in Fort Al-Fahidi, which is the oldest building in Dubai, built in 1787. Pearl hunting was the main source of income for the local population back then, but the invention of artificial pearls by the Japanese in the 1930s destroyed the economy. In 1968, Great Britain abandoned the protectorate of the Gulf countries. Right around this time, oil was discovered and from that moment, the Emirates got a quick start in the development. They say driving a car in Dubai is not for everyone. Locals say that if you miss an exit, it might take you 20 to 30 minutes to get back on the route. Speeding fines are no joke. For example, if you exceed the speed limit by 20 kilometers an hour, your fine is going to be an equivalent of $82, but if you exceed it by 80 kilometers an hour, it's going to be $820. Once, a British tourist got stuck in Dubai after racking up $45,000 in speeding tickets and a rented Lamborghini. In four hours, he triggered every speed camera on Sheikh Zayed Road and they wouldn't let him go until they paid the fines in full. One of the newest additions to the city is the Dubai frame. You can see it from a distance. Its height is 150 meters. It has a glass floor. The idea is that it splits the city into the old part and the new part. What's it like for the locals to live here? Emirates, like I said, make up only 10 to 15 percent of the population. They get plenty of perks from the government, like $20,000 or more as a wedding present. Polygamy is allowed so you can have more than one wife. There's an Arab joke about this. If you have one wife, she will fight with you. If you have two wives, they will fight for you. Recently, they introduced mandatory military service, so now Emirati men who have finished secondary school and aged between 18 and 30 will have to serve a year and four months. Did you know they have a Ministry of Happiness here? Sheikh Mohammed, who is Vice President and Prime Minister of the country and ruler of the Emirate of Dubai, said that he is not going to tolerate poor government services and he declared that he would remove staff and officials who are not performing well. He's also known to visit government departments when they least expect him. One time he was visiting Dubai municipality and he was surprised to find directors and senior officials not present at their workplace during his visit. They say Dubai has a development plan until the year 2070. That's impressive, but is it a comfortable city for foreigners? While salaries are competitive, they say that one of the biggest challenges here is to build a circle of friends. People come and go all the time and to make friends with the locals is not that simple. Some people say that Dubai doesn't make them feel like they belong there. Some people told me that in Singapore, after work you go drinking beer with the locals, but in Dubai it's just not happening. There's internet censorship and voice calls on Skype and WhatsApp are restricted. Be careful what you post on social media. There's been cases when foreigners got in trouble after posting something negative about Dubai on Instagram or Twitter. What about women rights? While I'm not a big expert, but how do you explain numerous attempts of members of the royal family to flee the country? Just read about Princess Latifa who tried to flee but got caught and she hasn't been seen since March 2018. On the bright side, there's definitely been some progress. Dubai has recently loosened its liquor laws to allow tourists to purchase alcohol in state-controlled stores. They ended prison sentences for loan defaulters. Before, if you were late with payments, you could be sentenced to jail for up to three years. Now you just get a fine instead of jail time. The city is very safe and that's despite the fact that it has millions of visitors from all over. And most importantly, it's a fun place to live in. It's a melting pot of different cultures and there's so many events happening all the time. To me, Dubai is like the amusement park of the planet, where the most daring ideas are implemented. Some of them succeed and some fail, but everybody wants to come here and see it for themselves. And you can't help but admire the determination of Dubai to be moving forward. And I want to end this video with a quote from Sheikh Mohammed. The race for excellence has no finish line. I want Dubai to be number one, not in the region, but in the world. Number one in everything, high education, health and housing. I want to give my people the highest way of living. Okay guys, thanks for watching. I hope you enjoyed the video.