Doha

Doha is the capital of Qatar, and it is the country's economic and cultural center. It has a population of about 990,000 people which is about eighty percent of the entire country's population. I don't know why the other twenty percent aren't living there, but it's their choice. I think its also because it would have looked very bad it one hundred percent of a nation's population resided within one city, and that city's population did not even cross the two million mark. If that was the case, then Qatar itself should have just been absorbed into another nation, possibly the United Arab Emirates, and Doha could have just been another city there. But then again, I can see some competition between the two separate nations. Useless and materialistic competition that involves numerous skyscrapers and mansions and the nicest cars in the streets. Doha is very similar to Dubai in that sense, however it's not as much as Dubai, yet; the race still goes on. And I wouldn't say that's it is more modest than Dubai, but that it just had a late start in the race.

Nonetheless, Doha has an impressive skyline. Don't get me wrong here, I like modern cities, however the case is different when it comes to these cities in particular because of other reasons I previously mentioned so there's no need for me to repeat them. So I'll just put my opinion in the city itself and leave the intentions of the build up out of it for the time being.

In fact, there's nothing much to say about Doha because everything I mentioned in the post titled "Qatar" can be applied to Doha. The only difference is Doha can be elaborated upon, skyline and smaller population and such, however who would care for that? An individual would make the connection instantly when he known it's a small country, small population, large amounts of oil, and no taxes. Hmmm, sounds very familiar, especially when it's surrounded by the numerous other cities exactly like it. In fact, there's no reason for me to post a photo of the city, just imagine a lot of tall buildings, possibly empty, and some nice cars except the plates are "Qatar" and you have got yourself Doha.

Qatar

Qatar is another country apart of the "oil rich" countries. Its southern border is Saudi Arabia, and the other sides of the small country are surrounded by the Persian Gulf. The Emir of Qatar is Hamad Bin Khalifa Al Thani; an absolute monarchy. The population of Qatar is close to one million seven hundred thousand people, and like the rest of the Gulf countries, it holds a large amount of expatriate employees. It's economy is heavily dependent upon the high amounts of oil and natural gas found there; which constitute close to fifty percent of the country's entire gross domestic product. However, like other Gulf countries, Qatar is trying to focus more on the non-energy sectors, such as private sectors and investment. It's economy is growing at about nineteen percent a year, which is the highest in the world. Qatar also has the world's highest gross domestic product per capita, with no absolute measure, however it's somewhere between $109,000 to $175,000; that's an unbelievable number.

Qatar is like the other countries that surround it. What I mean by that is that ever since the oil boom, there have been many construction projects and multi billion dollar investments in the country. In fact, Qatar us bidding to host the 2022 World Cup. Doha, which is the nation's capital, hosts a nice selection of "city living", due to the nice coastal skyline and the elaborated and modern lights and architecture.

Qatar is more on the liberal side, when considering its laws, however it is not as liberal as Bahrain, while at the same time it is no Saudi Arabia. The Islamic Shari'a (law) is still applied throughout family laws, inheritance, and courts. It's like most Arab countries when it comes to threats to national security from within its own boundaries and the government is following the Sunni branch of Islam.

The culture of the country is very similar to that of Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, with "Arab" trying to be engraved into almost everything they 'say' and not do. However, if I attack their attempt to be Arab, I'll just be wasting my time and your time, for I have no reason to repeat what has already been said about its older brother Kuwait, or its uncle Saudi Arabia. Anyways, the most famous sport in Qatar is of course football like almost every other Arab nation.

One thing I that Qatar has, however, that has forced me to tip my hat in their direction is the education system. They have a modern and stable and well recognized internationally form of education. I won't bother you with any details, but the thing that caught my eye was their selection of universities. Many international schools have opened branches in Qatar, which is good because then it allows Muslims and Arabs in the Middle East to seek their high class knowledge in the Middle East.

Cars in Dubai

I'm sure you already know of the amazing cars that are found in the streets of Dubai, some of which are so extreme that you will never find them anywhere else in the entire world. If you're not a car fanatic like some people are, then you probably won't really care for this post, however there are some people out there who actually are interested.

The cars there are of all kinds and colors. From the normal BMW seven series which is probably considered a "normal" car there (even though I nearly crash when I see that car on the road) all the way to the Bugatti, which is a million dollar car; and everything in between. And by everything in between, I mean everything in between. The super fast cars, the luxurious and more "chauffeur take a right up here" types of cars. It's unbelievable the numerous repetitive times you see them. You see them so much because Dubai is a very small city, and so you'll see them much more often. My friend who's traveled to Dubai confirmed my statements.

Lamborghini Murcielago, Gallardo,  Ferrari California, the 458 Italia, Mercedes Benz Slr, Mercedes Benz Cls Amg,  the beautiful Audi R8,  the amazing Nissan GTR,  Maserati Grantrusimo, Bentleys, the unbelievable  Aston Martin, and Rolls Royces. These are just a few that came up, however there are probably plenty of other cars that their existence is unknown to me. And like I already mentioned, these cars are found a lot in throughout the city because of its size and population.

So what? These cars are found all over the world, right? Yes they are, no doubt. Then what makes Dubai so significant? Well, I already mentioned the frequency of witnessing these cars. But, if the questioner wants a better answer, I can give him this one; Dubai is known for it's completely chromed out Lamborghini, completely white and gold plated Bentley and Mercedes, that's what makes it so famous. I mean, these people go so far that they just want to prove their wealth more. For example, some guy has a a Ferrari and his neighbor is the owner of another Ferrari. No big deal, the first guy will just go put some gold trim on his car. This didn't happen for sure, I;m just clarifying a possible scenario that could easily occur. In fact, the most expensive license plate in the world is found in Dubai; like who cares about the license plate? Oh well, it's their money and not mine, so I have nothing to worry about.











  

Burj Khalifa

Burj Khalifa is the tallest man-made structure in the entire world. I honestly have to admit, it's a very impressive building. The cost was close to $1.5 billion and since Dubai fell behind and became a little in debt, their neighboring and more richer city Abu Dhabi helped them out with paying for the project. So they changed the name from Burj Dubai to Burj Khalifa, to honor the current President of the United Arab Emirates, Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan; who happens to be the world's third wealthiest monarch, with an estimated net worth at $19 billion.

Burj Khalifa has 163 habitable floors and another 43 maintenance floors located within the spire at the top of the building. The building is "mixed used", which basically means that it is used for many reasons. This building includes Armani Residence, Armani hotel, and offices. It's also very expensive to purchase any piece of property in this building. The average square meter for office space costs about $43,000 while the residences cost about $37,500. That is unbelievably expensive for an apartment. However, if you have the money, then it's probably worth it because of the luxurious amenities offered in this building. Modern day and advanced technological products are offered inside the building.

This masterpiece truly reflects the wealth of the country. However, I'm still confused as to why they had to build it. There are nine hundred apartments in this tower, 825 of which were empty at the time of it's initiation. I don't know exactly what the number is at now, however I sure do hope that they get filled up quick. That's only because it'll save them the embarrassment, not only from other Middle Eastern countries such as Egypt, Jordan, and Lebanon, but it's oil rich neighbors such as Kuwait and Qatar.

It's like a competition to see who wants to build the tallest building in the world. Dubai has held the record for a few years, however a few months ago, Saudi Arabia just approved to build a building which is taller than Dubai's. I don't understand what fun they find in building these super tall buildings, however this scenario right here was described in Islam as one of the signs of the Day of Judgment. Those in the desert will compete to build the tallest structures in the world.

Dream City

Dubai is like a dream city. Everywhere you go you'll find nice cars and nice houses. A materialistic city. Something that's definitely looked down upon in Islam. But like I said, it's a dream city. Luxurious buildings everywhere you go, penthouse complexes, and mansions. The retail area over there is also very luxurious. Anyways, who cares?

The cost of living in Dubai is also very high compared to those of neighboring cities in the Middle East. However the workers living there tend not to care because of the extremely high amounts of salaries given. In fact, it might be the highest average salaries in the world; or Abu Dhabi might have that title, or the two cities might be on par with each other. And don't forget that Dubai is a tax free country, so the gross amount earned is identical to your net amount, which isn't bad at all.

Many parks are set up through out the cities for the families to go and spend time there. The culture in Dubai is quite different than what you see in the other cities of the emirate. The other cities tend to revolve more around an Arab and Bedouin theme, however since Dubai is a very diverse city, you'll find all sorts of different cultures there. However, Islam is somewhat represented throughout the cities' architecture.

And the cars over there, oh man. Dubai is filled with luxurious and exotic cars. The normal BMW seven series is more common than a Nissan in Japan. Over there, you'll find everything ranging from Bentley's, to Maserati's, to Rolls Royce's, to Maybach's, to Lamborghini's and Ferrari's. In fact, those cars have become so common over there that they even tend to take it a step further. Dubai is known for having full chrome Lamborghini's and gold plates Bentley's. Yes, it can get that bad over there. However, if you love cars, then a good place to go to to find exotic cars is Dubai.

 

Dubai

Dubai is the most famous city in the United Arab Emirates; at least I think so. And if it is not, then it's the most famous to me. Dubai is the city known for the extensive amounts of skyscrapers in the Middle East. The world's only 7 star hotel is located here, the largest man made island in the world is here, the tallest completed building in the world is here, and much more things are located here. Many other famous landmarks here include Dubai Mall, Atlantis The Palms, and Dubai Media City.

What makes Dubai have the right to construct many many skyscrapers? I'm very certain it's not the population. So the people there aren't very demanding. Then what is it? Well, it's the same answer that applies to almost every other "oil" rich countries. Well, there you have it; oil. 2008 was when the oil boom was at its peak because of the high prices of oil. The skyline throughout this time period was dominated by several cranes. Construction was all this city saw.

You may ask yourself why I always talk about economy and money when it comes to Dubai and the other cities. Well, you just answered your own question. It's only those cities, buddy. Because that's all you can talk about when it comes to those cities; that and the policy towards women, which deserves to be cleared up a lot. However, when it comes to culture and other stuff like that, there are plenty of other cities in the Middle East who deserve to be talked about instead of Dubai and Abu Dhabi. I'm sorry, but the natives of these cities are a minority, so the "Arab" culture you're going to look for in these cities is fabricated. The natives are going to try and over do it because they don't want that large expatriate population to be the face of their country; but that's another post.

My focus on Dubai will be nothing more than the mere "achievements" that they have fulfilled such as holding many international records. I wonder why though they think that a skyscraper dominated nation is what defines it as being rich. Look at Switzerland; an extremely wealthy nation, however you don't see large buildings scraping the sky everywhere you go. I have formulated my own answer for this question. And that answer is...Dubai has nothing to offer to make it famous. No past in which they could rely on to formulate an image for them. So what they need to do is formulate an image out of the resources of the present day. And I guess the only answer they found was to make many useless projects that people will seem to find an interest in. I mean, Dubai has enough skyscrapers to sustain a population the size of Turkey, however their own population is somewhere between two and three million. So it's like an empty city over there. Their largest mall is the largest mall in the world by total space, however how many people actually go there.

I know Dubai is meant to be a touristic city, however I think their approaching that goal the wrong way. They should definitely try to become a more modest nation in terms of expressing their wealth.

Abu Dhabi

This city alone generates more than half of the total gross domestic product of the entire United Arab Emirates. A very good city for starting up a business, considering it;s stable economy. I have always wondered what it would be like to live there, considering most of the people over there live a dream; and international dream. Abu Dhabi is a very rich city in terms of per capita income; around $63,000, which is well above all of the other emirates in the country.

The city planning is superb, with a very organized and modern infrastructure. The contemporary touch to the city is like the other oil rich cities of the Middle East. The thing about Abu Dhabi that isn't necessarily found in it's neighboring cities is the extensive amount of skyscrapers. This city has a modest amount, considering the fact that it's the nation's capital and the wealthiest.

Abu Dhabi has a very diverse culture due to the large expatriate population. However the local communities are predominately  Arab. The education system in the city is very developed as well. There are a series of private schools and universities.

Nothing really differs between this city and the other emirates within the country. I have recognized these places as the most flashy in the world, due to the fact that their intentions to impress the world aren't really failing. However, I wish they were failing because this is supposed to be an Islamic state and materialism is looked down upon in Islam.