Our trip to Dubai started with a stark realization and ended with an early exit due to various events that included the shooting down of a passenger aircraft in the context of elevated tensions between the US and Iran.
The United Arab Emirates is remarkable for its rapid change in the last 50 years as a result of the development of their oil reserves. The architecture of their cities conveys the change towards modernity, extreme wealth and diversity. Every where construction persists; the sign that things continue to change, grow and evolve. The old city located on Dubai Creek covers only a small area in comparison to the modern Dubai, offering another reference point of the scale of change.
As I look through the photographs a few theme emerge:
- Modernity and diversity made plain by the architectures of their cities coupled with the continuation of change shown by the prevalence of construction.
- The link to the global economy suggested by the presence of international brands, practices of the people, and tourism.
- Though easily overlooked, the persistence of their history and cultural ties remain present in their food, markets and dress.
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