TRANSPORT IN THE UAE

First, there was the camel.

The desert inhabitants of the UAE have used camels for over 4,000 years. The UAE's climate became more arid around this time, and the camel has provided a means of transport across the desert. They can survive for several days without water so the camel became known as the 'ship of the desert' allowing the UAE's Bedu nomads to move from place to place in search of food and water.

It also provided meat and milk, while its hair was woven into tents and mats. Without the camel, the hard, nomadic life of the Bedu would not have been possible.

Before the 1970s, Dubai had very few cars and even fewer roads. In fact, driving a car on Dubai’s roads was a hazardous undertaking as camels wandered freely all over the place! The first proper road was between Dubai and Ras al Khaimah, built in 1971.

However, if you were travelling to Abu Dhabi, it was a very different story. There was no road and only four-wheel drives, trucks and taxis used sand tracks along the beachline to travel between the two cities. Individual travellers relied on taxi drivers being familiar with these sand tracks, but if a car became bogged or lost, there was no help on hand to pull the vehicle out.

Road construction between Dubai and Abu Dhabi ended the difficult land crossings to Abu Dhabi with construction completed in Both emirates constructed their part of the road to the border – a two lane highway with no lighting. An account by an observer at the time noted that it took approximately four hours to travel between the two cities.

Air Transport 1959: Dubai International was established following the construction of the first airfield on a vast expanse of a wasteland some four kilometres from the edge of the city. 1969: Dubai International had nine airlines serving a total of 20 destinations.

2000: The opening of Sheikh Rashid Terminal marked the start of a new chapter in Dubai’s aviation history. 2009: Passenger numbers reach 40.9 million in 2009, and Dubai International becomes the world’s fastest growing airport among top 50 major hubs.

The Future What will the future bring for transport in the UAE? Where will the Metro go? What type of transport will be used in 10 years/20 years time?

Discussion Points What were the advantages of using camels as transport? Why do you think it was difficult and took so long to develop a road system in the UAE? Why do you think Dubai airport has now become one of the busiest airports in the world today? How could the transport system be improved in the UAE? What would you do?

Extension Task Draw and label a picture of what you think the Dubai transport system will look like in 10 or 20 years time.