In less than half a century Dubai has risen to be what it is now, the Southern Gulf's leading port. Prior to that Dubai was a small trading port, clustered around the mouth of the Creek. It is a common misconception that oil was the catalyst, but it is trade that triggered Dubai's explosion from a sleepy village into the true City of the future. It all began with the rule of the Al Maktoum family. In 1833, Sheikh Maktoum bin Buti began the Al Maktoum family's rule of Dubai. Realising the potential of Dubai creek's natural harbour, he established a trading port.

At the turn of the twentieth century traders were re-routing goods through Dubai to avoid the high customs elsewhere in the region. Sheikh Maktoum bin Hasher Al Maktoum 'established Dubai as a free trade port, abolished import and export tariffs, and began a systematic programme to encourage merchants to relocate. He offered free land and personal guarantees of protection in his peaceful trading haven. The economy grew as smaller traders followed the more prominent merchants and resettled in Dubai. Dubai established itself as the Gulf's leading entry port and the centre of the pearling trade.

Pearling and fishing were the primary occupations for Dubai's residents at the time. 'It may safely be stated that trade other than barter would have hardly existed in the (UAE) but for the proceeds from the pearling industry. Pearls and mother of pearl constituted almost the only export. While trade was the grit around which the pearl of Dubai was formed, oil has definitely played a part in the emirate's story. By the early 1970s, as one of the Middle East's principal oil producers, the UAE was experiencing an unprecedented economic boom.

Recognising the risk involved in depending on a single source of income, the rulers decided to encourage alternate industries, developing infrastructure and continuing Sheikh Maktoum bin Hasher's policy of offering favourable operating conditions to international companies. Dubai's economy blossomed and a thriving city emerged from the desert sands. With the smooth transition of leadership to HH Sheikh Mohammed in early 2006, Dubai looks set to continue on a path of stable and continuous economic growth.