Dubai's uniqueness stems from the contradictions that characterise its entity: It is part of a Third World country but it boasts of infrastructure comparable to any developed country.

It is part of an oil producing country but its income from oil constitutes only less than five per cent of the GDP. It is part of a Muslim State but it also created a heterogeneous, multinational, multi-religious society by opening its doors for about 200 nationalities of all faiths and creeds — its own population constitutes not even one fourth of its total population.

Dubai was a protectorate of Great Britain but it doesn't carry any vestiges of the colonial rule. It had very little local resources, but it shows the ingenuity to spot ways and means to overcome the limitations thereby providing the inhabitants a better living than they could enjoy had they relied entirely on the emirate's own resources. Its GDP has grown from $ 2.2 billion in 1975 to $ 47.8 billion in 2009.

Dubai’s contribution in making the country a prosperous place is undisputable. The UAE has already achieved many distinctions to its credit. It is: The world's third richest, with per capita income of $ 16,471; the fourth largest oil producer at 2.5 million barrels per day; boasts one of the world’s lowest crime rates — 19 per thousand; has one of the best student-teacher ratios — 12 to 1; a doctor per 311 people and a hospital bed per 853; has an automobile for every six people and a phone for every three persons living here.

What gives Dubai its strength is the fine mixing of tribal tradition of authority and legitimacy that the ruler derives from the faith bestowed on him by his countrymen, and forward looking policy shorn off parochialism and narrow-mindedness. It’s also the special relationship that evolved overtime between the rulers and the trading and business community that helped Dubai go through the rapid changes from a fishing village to a modern metropolis in just about 50 years, of which the past three decades have been particularly dramatic.

The seed of modern Dubai was sowed at the turn of the mid-19th century. Dubai was no more than a coastal fishing village then. There were hardly two dozen country vessels operating from Dubai trading essential goods which used to come from the port across the Gulf on the Iranian Coast to neighbouring countries. The thriving port across the Arabian Gulf was called Lingah.

The business thrived there because it was a port free of import or export duties. However, as the trading activities began to thrive, the government started showing greater interest in controlling Lingah’s administrative affairs. The Iranian Imperial Customs began levying taxes at the turn of the 20th century.

That decision by the Iranian Government was a watershed in the history of the region and Dubai. The merchant community, especially the Arabs, resented the Iranian intrusion and the levying of taxes by the regime. The then Ruler of Dubai, Shaikh Maktoum bin Hasher Al Maktoum, one of the wisest and liberal rulers in this part of the world in the early 20th century, offered incentives such as free land, abolition of import and export duties and personal protection to lure merchants from the Iranian port.

The incentives and the selling of the concept of free-trade port worked. There began a steady stream of migration of merchants from Lingah to Dubai.

The impact of the migration was tremendous and far reaching. By 1906, just three years after the beginning of this exodus, the number of ships calling on Dubai rose to 34, with a gross tonnage of 70,132. There were around 2,000 houses around the Creek and 350 traders in the souk, making it one of the biggest entrepots in the region. By 1967, the trade was worth £41.7 million and a year later, in 1968, the figure was £70 million. This was a phenomenal growth for Dubai which was gaining the status of thriving coastal town.