May 7 (PRR): The incredible growth and development of the city of Dubai over the last few decades has captured the imagination of people all over the world. Dubai has gone from a fishing village to one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world for a huge range of activities, from general holidaymaking to live music concerts.

However, despite its efforts to rapidly modernize and create an iconic location, Dubai has also been sure to maintain its heritage and culture. Almost certainly due to the heritage of the city’s leadership, the premier metropolis of the United Arab Emirates offers a stunning blend of the globally modern and popular attractions alongside its own sites of culture and heritage. So, how did the city achieve such a seemingly incompatible blend of the old and the new?

A dynasty maintaining its home’s heritage

The modern history of Dubai, even though it didn’t start to take its current form until the late 1900s, begins in 1833. When Maktoum bin Butti and Obeid bin Saeed seceded from Abu Dhabi, they settled in a fishing village, Dubai. In 1836, Maktoum became the ruler, establishing the ongoing ruling dynasty of Dubai.

Spanning ten rulers of the Al Maktoum dynasty, it is the tenth and current ruler, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, who has overseen the modernization of Dubai. His ambition for the homeland of his family for generations has always been evident, famously stating: “Dubai will never settle for anything less than first place,” per Business Insider.

His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum’s family has been in Dubai as far back as its modern line of population tracks. So, while developing to become more attractive to the rest of the world and more prosperous for its people, maintaining cultural heritage meant a great deal to the governing family. So, as Dubai has developed further, the plans have always made sure to keep aspects of historical and cultural significance.

Dubai: where history meets the future

Despite many aspects of Dubai seemingly being in stark contrast to one another, with historical sites and new builds being minutes away, they have blended to offer a truly unique experience. This is one of the reasons why so many people who visit then become residents. As can be seen on Bayut, there are studio residences established across Dubai, from Jumeirah Beach to Dubai Marina, Discovery Gardens to Al Furjan, as those in real estate know that people want to immerse themselves in such an extraordinary mix of modern feats and historical respect.

People come to visit the record-breaking buildings and extravagant structures, but culture and history are at the core of Dubai. The Al-Fahidi Historical Neighbourhood is a prime example of the preserved past in the city that continues to push into the future. While sites like Al-Fahidi do, indeed, preserve the heritage, they also embrace the modern-day, with CNN reporting that the Dubai Museum is set to offer an online experience.

The historic neighborhood is a mere 16 minutes down the road from one of the most impressive modern structures of tourism and consumerism in the world, the Dubai Mall. As explained by Forbes, the mall is filled with over 1200 retail stores and one of the world’s largest aquarium – which is complete with a 270-degree tunnel for visitors to walk through.

It’s not just tourists and would-be residents who have spotted the incredible city that’s been created in the Middle-East. Famous international musicians want to come to Dubai, put on a show, and experience Dubai for themselves. In 2020, all of Ellie Goulding, Robbie Williams, Stormzy, Cheat Codes, Machine Gun Kelly, Bastille, Martin Garrix, and Lionel Richie were on the schedule to play in Dubai.

Simply pumping money into Dubai to erect world-beating structures would have made the emirate little more than a superficial tourist destination. The preservation of Dubai’s heritage, history, and culture of such sites is what makes it an outstanding place to visit and live.