The freeport city of Dubai, located in the emirate of the same name in the United Arab Emirates in the Arabian peninsula, has emerged as a strategic hub of international trade and finance. Dubai, which has been under the rule of the Al Maktoum dynasty since the 1800s, has as its current ruler His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.
Dubai's skyline is marked by stratospheric and avant-garde skyscrapers, including the world's only 7-star hotel to date - the Burj Al Arab. Dubai also boasts of the finest shopping malls such as the Dubai Mall and numerous high-end luxury resorts such as the Dubai World Islands.
Dubai has become a showcase of man's engineering skills and at the same time a sort of window to the future yet grounded on cherished traditions of the past.
(Video from youtube.com; posted by zagary 05.06.06)
(Video from youtube.com; posted by rafaelnutri2007 03.10.07)