Dubai has gone through many function changes; from a small Pearl fishing village to international transport hub and major tourist destination.

1. The Changing Function of Dubai
LO: Use knowledge and understanding of
settlement function to create a timeline of
Dubai

2. Last lesson you learned the key
geographical term FUNCTION.
Turn to a neighbour and share your
understanding of this term.

3. Changes in Function
Why would the function of a settlement need to
change?
Changes in function may be necessary in
order for a settlement to thrive,develop or
survive.
The following slides show some of these function changes in Dubai

4. Dubai of the past
Do you recognise this road?

5. 1890 - Steeped in tradition, Dubai was once a land
of Bedouin tribes who made a living by trading
pearls; growing and selling dates and fishing.

6. A man selling dried herbs and lemon pauses to
smoke a shisha pipe: By 1892 foreign traders had
begun to flock to Dubai after the emirate declared
they would be exempt from tax, a move which
doubled its population.

7. 1920 – 1930 The settlement of Dubai developed
around its important waterway, the creek. This
area was still the centre of Dubai's pearl trade.

8. 1936 Livestock are
transported by dhow
from Deira to Bur
Dubai:
Major trading hub: In
1959 millions of dollars
were ploughed into
renovating Dubai's creek
to enable it to
accommodate large
ships.

9. 1960 Desert development: The Clocktower roundabout
in the neighbourhood of Deira stands surrounded by
sandy, undeveloped lots.

10. Emirates Airline mid 1960’s

11. 1966 The regional oil boom changed
everything in Dubai. As the Gulf states found
themselves flush with trillions in
petrodollars, the tiny emirate positioned itself
as a financial hub for construction and
tourism.

12. 1960s and early 1970s, Naif
souq, one of the oldest traditional
markets in Dubai was still trading
in spices, electrical
goods, gold, precious stones and
dates.

13. 1970 – The city is starting to develop
but open markets like this one are
still a familiar sight in downtown
Dubai.

14. A camel caravan ambles through Dubai: It was not
until the mid-1980s that Dubai reinvented itself as
a tourist destination.

15. Men reciting prayers for the Muslim festival of Eid
in Dubai: Though the emirate now boasts residents
of many different religions, its origins are in Islam

16. Dubai today ………..

17. Today the clocktower is ringed by towering
hotels but, for a time after it was built in
1964, the area was considered remote from
the city centre.

18. Naif Souq was partially damaged by a
fire in 2008, but the wealthy emirate
paid to rebuild the souq in 2010.

19. Today - glitzy malls that now make the city
a hub for global luxury shoppers

20. Today the creek is a
thriving
port, trading centre
and major tourist
attraction.

21. Currently, Dubai Airport is ranked the twelfth busiest
in the world in terms of passenger traffic, handling
5,600 flights a week.
It is the fourth busiest airport across the world by
virtue of its international traffic, and the fifth busiest by
in the globe in terms of cargo traffic.

22. The creek today with
modern high rise
buildings, banks, hotels
and souqs

23. Dubai has undergone many function changes.
What will the Dubai of the future look like?
Iconic buildings

24. Time Line
Task
Use your function and date cards from last
lesson to create your own time line that traces
the changing functions of Dubai