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Dubai's Ambitious Leap: From Sand Strip to Sky-Defining Masterpiece
A Vision Born in 1959
In 1959, Dubai's leadership embarked on a bold gamble that would reshape the city's future. Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed al-Maktoum ordered the construction of the emirate's first proper airport—an audacious move considering Dubai's status at the time as a bustling, yet modest, freewheeling trading post in the Gulf. It was still under British mandate, navigating the decline of its once-profitable pearling industry, and its prospects for future growth were uncertain.