Already the largest and most populous city in the United Arab Emirates, in 2020 Dubai is about to move up another gear with the Dubai Expo, running from October to April 2021. During that time, there will be 192 country pavilions featuring narratives from every part of the globe.
Each year, it seems that Dubai soars ever higher and its buildings - from skyscrapers to artificial islands - eclipse ones built just a few years earlier. Today the ultra-modern commercial hub of the Middle East, the desert city was known not for oil (discovered offshore in 1966) or retail but, in the 1960s, for gold trading. Before that, its port was its main area of activity.
Arranged thematically, Visual Explorer Guide: Dubai is a splendid celebration of this global city. Ranging from its most striking and innovative residential and commercial buildings to its new canal, from its old souks and waterways to its modern metro, monorail and world-famous airport, and from its surrounding desert dunes and camels to its waterfront restaurants, opera, golf courses and sports stadiums, the book is a feast for the eyes.
Presented in a handy pocket-sized landscape format and with captions explaining the story behind each entry, Dubai is a stunning collection of images bringing to life the diversity of this striking city.