YEAR OF THE
It’s the moment we’ve been waiting for – the UAE’s Golden Jubilee. What’s On takes a look back at its incredible history. Plus, find out how you can join in the celebrations across the country
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ack in 1971, when the UAE was founded, Sheikh Zayed Road was the Abu Dhabi Road and was just two lanes. There were a tiny handful of hotels, there was no Marina, and – gasp – there was no What’s On. It’s safe to say that things have changed since then. Thanks to incredible foresight by the founding fathers and the determination and creativity of its early dreamers (among them, our own managing partner and group editor Ian Fairservice, who, in 1979, started the UAE’s first English Language magazine that you currently hold in your hands), the UAE has grown at breakneck speed. Modern airports were built by the world’s best architects on the back of the oil boom, while in 1985 Emirates
Airline was launched and changed the face of the world’s aviation sector. By 1990, less than 20 years after the UAE was formed, its football team would appear at the World Cup for the first time. By 2010, the UAE was home to the world’s tallest building, Burj Khalifa. By 2021, the country had sent a probe to Mars, and as we write this, we’re in the midst of hosting the world’s greatest show at Expo 2020. Now, the country, and its people, are in party mode, celebrating its Golden Jubilee with events and activities across the nation. But if the past tells us anything, it’s that the UAE’s leaders won’t stop laying the groundwork for the next 50 years, and here at What’s On, well, we can’t wait to see what’s next…
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