Dispatches from Dubai: Dubai 101
*Please don’t kick me out of the country!*
As you all may or may not know, I am spending a semester in Dubai, United Arab Emirates at the American University of Dubai. There are a lot of words to describe the Dubai and United Arab Emirates (UAE for brevity’s sake). Underwhelming is never one of them. But I want to devote my first post to an introduction to Dubai.
I: What is the UAE?
It’s a confederation of 7 emirates. What’s an emirate? It is a kingdom or principality, whose head of state is an emir. Each emir hails from his own royal family, the Al-Maktoum family being the rulers of Dubai, the Al-Nahayan the rulers of Abu Dhabi, etc. (Think the Tudors or Bourbons but Muslim.) Thusly, each emirate is largely self-governing and fiercely protective of their status and resources. It is reminiscent of the United States under the early Constitutional period, if Virginia and Pennsylvania could veto any federal action. The most powerful emirates, Abu Dhabi and Dubai, can veto any action taken by the UAE federal government.
The emirates are named after their largest city. For example, Dubai is located in the Emirate of Dubai. It is kind of like New York City in New York State. Additionally, do not allow the political borders fool you. People regularly commute between the emirates to work or school. For example, residents of Sharjah (its like the New Jersey of the UAE) commute to Dubai and vice versa (the latter, not so much). To my great surprise, Sharjah is close to Dubai geographically (40 minutes on a good day). But to my greater chagrin, the traffic makes it de-facto far (over an hour on a bad day)
UAE in the region (I can see Iran from my house. Can I be vice president yet?)
The division of the UAE into its respective emirates
Emirate of Dubai: Dubai City extends roughly to the third vertical highway. As in New York State, not much to see beyond city boundaries. (I kid but only a little)
II: What is Dubai?
(Because maps are fun: See all the man-made islands off the coast of Dubai?)
The old city is the traditional center of Dubai. I reside elsewhere but I feel it is worth noting since most cites are identified by their commercial centers or historic districts. It consists of the neighborhoods Deira, Al Fahidi/Al Shindagha, Al Rashidiya and Bur Dubai. These areas all form around the Dubai Creek, the blue body of water that bisects the image below. The Dubai Creek was the heart of commercial activity, trading and pearling, for many years preceding the oil and financial boom.
A close up of commonly identified as historic districts (conveniently located near the airport!).
I currently live at the American University of Dubai in the Media City district. Media City is one of several themed districts (other examples being Internet City, Knowledge Village, etc.). True to its name, Media City is host to a variety of media corporations, ranging from well-known international brands like the Economist and CNN to regional brands like Kalam TV.
American University of Dubai: Grass!!!! In the Dessert!!! … !!!!
American University of Dubai is a private university in Dubai. The name, American University, refers to the fact that it is accredited in the United States and the UAE. All courses are taught in English. The student body is extraordinarily international and everyone speaks 3 languages, at least, with superb fluency. I felt like a Neanderthal because I only spoke one at native fluency (English).
American University of Dubai is starred while Media City is outlined around it.
II: Concluding Statements
I thought that the first post should be devoted to getting a sense of grounding in the subject matter, Dubai and the UAE more generally. Now, we know where everything is located. What? I’m bad with directions, alright?!
Some more things that I should say upfront because people asked.
1. No, the hijab and other face/head coverings are not required for women. (You are thinking of Saudi Arabia!)
2. Yes, you can be a non-Muslim and still live a fairly normal life here. In fact, I am told that Christmas is a big thing here.
3. No, not everyone here is swimming in pools of gold coins, although I have seen a higher per capita concentration of Maseratis than usual.
4. Yes, you can get alcohol and pork here at specialty shops and specific locations.
5. No, do not ask anyone if they ride a camel to work (Hey! I was young and dumb once).
6. Yes, the skyline is like Sims City on unlimited cash.
That just wraps up my introduction to Dubai. In case someone was wondering why I did not include my own specific experiences in here, I plan on writing about them within their own dedicated sections. But hopefully, I conveyed a small part of each of the complexities of Dubai.
In the style of some writers from the New York Times:
I invite you to email me with questions and suggestions at kevin.tang@macaulay.cuny.edu.
