PROPERTY INVESTMENTS | PROPERTIES IN DUBAI
Buying Property
Buying a property in Dubai can be a daunting prospect. Before you take the plunge, read our guide to buying property in the UAE.
Dubai Lifestyle
The culture in Dubai is something of a parallel to that of the west- get the lowdown on holidaying or living in Dubai with our guide.
Dubai Offshore
Dubai is today one of the only places in the world where offshore companies have not been given any preferential treatment in terms of taxation as companies registered onshore and doing business in Dubai do not pay any tax also. Read more here.
Other Resources
Further Information on Dubai

Dubai Economy
Dubai Infrastructure
Travelling in Dubai
About Dubai
Dubai lies strategically at the entrance to Strait of Hormuz and the Persian Gulf.
Dubai
Population 997,000
Area 3,900 sq km
Country United Arab Emirates
Emirate Dubai
Time Zone GMT plus 4 hours
Electricity 220/230v AC
Currency Dhs = UAE Dirams
Official Language Arabic

Average Temperature:
January between 14 and 24c
August between 29 and 41c

History

Over a century ago Dubai was a tranquil town and trading post clustered around the mouth of the Creek. Coral and gypsum huts housed Bedouin traders and pearl divers.  By the turn of the 20th century Dubai was a sufficiently prosperous port attracting settlers from The Gulf and Asia.

Dubai really rose to power in the early 1900’s , the liberal attitudes of rulers making Dubai attractive to traders from India and Persia. The international trade which flowed from Dubai’s cosmopolitan contracts was the basis of rapidly increasing prosperity. This gave the city an early start in development before the beginning of oil production in the 1960’s. 

Huge oil reserves were discovered in Abu Dhabi in 1958, and in 1966 Dubai, which was already a relatively wealthy trading center, also discovered oil.

While the rapid development of Dubai has been mainly facilitated by the discovery of oil and its commercial production, oil revenues in Dubai have always been a fraction of those in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the UAE. The growth in Dubai has therefore relied partly upon the inhabitants own entrepreneurial skills.

The formation of the Federation of the United Emirates (UAE) in 1971 came shortly after the discovery of the oil reserves. The new state was composed of :

  • Emirates of Dubai
  • Abu Dhabi
  • Ajman
  • Fujairah
  • Sharjah
  • Umm Al Quwain
  • Ras Al Kaimah

Dubai is the second largest of the seven emirates.


Orientation

Dubai

Dubai is really two towns merged into one and divided by Dubai Creek (Khor Dubai), an inlet of the Gulf.

Deira lies to the north and Bur Dubai to the  south of The Creek. Both districts are home to traditional architecture and bustling souks (markets), but the old city center is in Deira.

New office buildings have been developed in Bur Dubai and this is largely regarded as the new trade center of Dubai.

Language

Although Arabic is the official language, English is spoken by the vast majority of people living and working in Dubai. All service staff , be they taxi drivers, waiters or hotel staff speak English. Alongside Arabic, English is the language of commerce. Hindi, Urdu, Tagalog, Malayalang, Farsi, Pashtu and a host of other languages are widely spoken reflecting Dubai's extraordinarily rich culture.

Climate

Far from being the boiling caldron of popular imagination, weather for the majority of the year (October-June) is lovely. It rains only a couple of times a year, mainly in winter (average 13 centimetres a year). Temperatures range from a low of about 10 degrees Celsius to a high of 48 degrees Celsius.