Dubai: Introduction: Why Go Now

As the most internationally recognizable of the seven Middle Eastern city-states known as the United Arab Emirates, Dubai is in the midst of a historical transition. What was once (as recently as the 1960s) a tiny, dusty, pearl-diving and fishing village has morphed into a tax-free bastion of mega-malls, five-star hotels and wildly elaborate residential and commercial real estate projects—with much more to come. Visit now to catch the city at an interesting half-way stage, as it makes its remarkable evolution from sparsely populated desert town to expat-laden, futuristic, cosmopolitan mecca.