For years, the cranes tangling Dubai’s skyline have stood idle. After a frenzied period of construction flooded the market with homes, some developments struggled to sell even half their properties. Interest, and work, quickly dried up.
Yet now, finally, the cranes are creaking back into action. The arrival of the World Expo in 2020, estimated to bring in more than 20 million visitors, has renewed building mania in the city and highlights Dubai’s rapid transformation from a fishing village into a global centre of wealth. After all, its name is derived from an Arabic proverb meaning “they came with a lot of money”.