Dubai: The Making of a Megapolis

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From desert sands to a glittering metropolis—here’s a book that tells the inside story of Dubai’s transformationIn just two decades, Dubai has reinvented itself from a small, poor and quiet fishing village to a dazzling city with a vibrant urban life. How did this happen? Home to more than 200 nationalities—particularly those from the Indian subcontinent—the emirate’s choice to welcome expatriates has paid off. Cultivating an open and welcoming culture, Dubai manages to attract people from all over the world, heartily embracing any entrepreneurial contribution they wish to make. The emirate is now also known for its cosmopolitan melting-pot culture, and its enabling environment to conduct business, and this, along with the tax-free system and hassle-free infrastructure, makes it a much sought- after site for multinational enterprises who want a base in Asia. Unlike the Gulf emirates that can count on petroleum wealth, Dubai has wound its way to prosperity by planning carefully and executing those plans methodically. Its airline and luxury construction have made it a popular destination for luxury tourism. Projects like the Burj al-Arab, the Palm Jumeriah and the Burj Khalifa, along with events like the world’s richest horserace—the Dubai WorldCup—and the Dubai Shopping Festival, have sustained tourist interest and focused the world’s attention on the emirate.

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Pranay Gupte is a veteran international journalist, editor, author and media consultant. His experience extends to virtually every part of the world. As editor-in-chief, he launched Al Arabiya Network’s English website and Web TV, based in Dubai. He was a staff reporter and a foreign correspondent at the New York Times for fifteen years. He was subsequently a global-affairs columnist at Newsweek International for eighteen years, and a contributing editor at Forbes and Asian Finance magazines. He also founded and edited the Earth Times and has also made documentaries for public television in the US. Gupte has written, co-written, or edited fourteen books. The most recent being Mother India: A Political Biography of Indira Gandhi. Gupte’s daily column ‘Lunch at The Four Seasons’, was a popular feature of the New York Sun over a two-year period.