A century ago, Dubai was a tranquil town along the banks of Dubai Creek, where coral-and-gypsum huts housed Bedouin traders and pearl divers. Today, the merchants have gone international, their bounty calling forth science-fiction style skyscrapers from the sand to stand alongside the mosques and windtowers of old Dubai.

Trade, not oil, is the lifeblood of this traditionally Arabic and refreshingly tolerant society, where business brings the best and brightest from across the world to help build Dubai's future. It's the Middle East meets Hong Kong, with a little Las Vegas thrown in for style; a cosmopolitan melting pot at the crossroads of time - and the quintessential home of sand, sea, sun and shopping.

DMC Companies

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• Alpha Tours
• Net Conference and Convention

Summary|Culture|Dubai museum|Grand mosque
Souqs (markets)|History