Mahmoud Ahmad

 

WHILE reading the local newspapers last week, an article by a Saudi writer in one of the newspapers caught my attention. It was an article on Dubai. You may well ask, what’s so interesting that my attention was drawn to that particular article. If it had been a regular snow job of the city I would have let it go with a cursory glance, but it was not so. The article, critical of Dubai, made me stop and sit up and read.



The writer had taken upon himself to go to the city himself to find out the secret of the high visits and revisits clocked by people, and what made the city tick that people fall in love with Dubai.



The writer, after personally experiencing what the city had to offer, stated that he discovered that the city has no soul. He also found himself in a jungle of cement and the high-rise buildings on main streets ruin the landscape while also simultaneously limiting the vision of a visitor. He abhorred the fact that the city ignored Arabic and Islamic architecture.



He then went on to say that the cement civilization in a city would turn its people into walled residents with psychological problems. He, after talking to many expatriates working there, said the only thing that brought them to Dubai is the need to work.



He also wrote at the end of the article that Dubai’s old city is in a state of neglect and did not receive the same attention as the modern Dubai. There were also old unorganized buildings and dirt roads in the older area, thereby showing a dichotomy in the society that is one part stagnant and the other racing ahead with a series of skyscrapers.



I had to read the article more than once to see what I was reading was true. For it seemed he was stating a perspective that is rarely shared by many. Of course at the end of the day each one is entitled to his/her opinion, and what I read is the writer’s views and he is entitled to it.



In my opinion, however, I think he has done a disservice with his article, even a great injustice to the city. Dubai is a success story, a city that sees no limit to improvement and innovation. Dubai is a city that has managed to put itself in the map and forced others to respect it.



Dubai has succeeded big time in becoming one of the most favorite cities attracting hundreds of thousands of Saudis, especially families, every year. An average Saudi traveler may visit Dubai at least three times a year, and we all have different reasons for traveling to Dubai.



Some want to enjoy the beautiful beaches. Some people go to enjoy the many tourist attractions that the city provides. Some people love to travel to Dubai to see the cinema, and some go for business. Whatever the reasons are, Dubai has managed to have all that in one hub.



No one can deny that the city has become a favorite destination to do business. It has managed to attract foreign investments in droves and various industries have made beeline for the city for its easy environment in doing business. The city has turned into a gold haven with jewelries and gems shops dotting the city, and people prefer to purchase here because of the quality and the variety on offer in these gold shops.



We have seen in recent years that many Saudi business establishments have migrated to Dubai because of the easy rules and regulations in doing business. We even have seen Saudi manpower migrating to Dubai to work in top companies over there for lucrative salaries.



That cement city, the writer claimed to have no life, today is a leading city and we see it as a yardstick when it comes to development. We have many people comparing the country with Dubai and asking, why don't we have a metro like Dubai, or why don't we have an airport like Dubai, or why cannot we enforce rules on the roads like Dubai, and many other examples.



As for workers, who arrive in Dubai just to earn a living, well, they are very much similar to the expatriates here who also have come to earn a living, and the ones who have left their country to find a job elsewhere in the world and earn a decent living.



I recollect the last time I visited downtown Dubai, I found it perfect, better than ours. Until recently, we have had people destroying old buildings while not building new ones. Anyone visiting downtown Jeddah now will see many buildings partly destroyed and neglected.



It is only recent that the Saudi Commission of Tourism and Antiquities has begun taking care of the downtown and trying to save what can be saved. So it would be highly imprudent to make categorical statements against a city that at least is going in the direction of progress and modernity.

 

— The writer can be reached at mahmad@saudigazette.com.sa. Twitter: @anajeddawi_eng