<strong>Rising in the desert: </strong>Photographer Ramesh Shukla has witnessed how Dubai has developed from a desert backwater to a modern metropolis over the past half a century.
Rising in the desert: Photographer Ramesh Shukla has witnessed how Dubai has developed from a desert backwater to a modern metropolis over the past half a century.
Ramesh Shukla
<strong>Sleepy port:</strong> Before it was transformed by oil wealth, Dubai was a sleepy port. This moment, captured by Shukla, shows livestock being ferried in a small boat.
Sleepy port: Before it was transformed by oil wealth, Dubai was a sleepy port. This moment, captured by Shukla, shows livestock being ferried in a small boat.
Ramesh Shukla
<strong>Defining moment: </strong>Shukla's most famous shot is of the sheikhs from the founding emirates of the UAE on the day the country was formed in December 1971.
Defining moment: Shukla's most famous shot is of the sheikhs from the founding emirates of the UAE on the day the country was formed in December 1971.
Ramesh Shukla
<strong>Dubai dreams: </strong>Shukla arrived in Dubai from Mumbai in 1965 with less than a dollar in his pocket. He's one of many migrants drawn to the emirate over the decades in the hope of making a livelihood for themselves.
Dubai dreams: Shukla arrived in Dubai from Mumbai in 1965 with less than a dollar in his pocket. He's one of many migrants drawn to the emirate over the decades in the hope of making a livelihood for themselves.
Ramesh Shukla
<strong>On the waterfront: </strong>Today Dubai's waterfronts are prime real estate, looking out to vast man-made island complexes, but as this image shows, it wasn't always the case.
On the waterfront: Today Dubai's waterfronts are prime real estate, looking out to vast man-made island complexes, but as this image shows, it wasn't always the case.
Ramesh Shukla
<strong>Simple life: </strong>"I arrived with 50 rolls and my camera," says photographer Shukla. "When I first arrived there was nothing. There were no proper roads, only desert. I felt it was not a modern city. There was no running water and no electricity where I stayed. Nothing. This was real life. Very simple. I began to capture this life."
Simple life: "I arrived with 50 rolls and my camera," says photographer Shukla. "When I first arrived there was nothing. There were no proper roads, only desert. I felt it was not a modern city. There was no running water and no electricity where I stayed. Nothing. This was real life. Very simple. I began to capture this life."
Ramesh Shukla
<strong>Fly past: </strong>Today, Dubai's international airport is a sprawling modern regional air hub that, pre-Covid, was one of the world's busiest. It's a far cry from the days when this small control tower watched over it.
Fly past: Today, Dubai's international airport is a sprawling modern regional air hub that, pre-Covid, was one of the world's busiest. It's a far cry from the days when this small control tower watched over it.
Ramesh Shukla
<strong>World Trade Center: </strong>Visible behind the camel, Dubai's first skyscraper was the World Trade Center which, when it was built in 1979, was the tallest building in the Middle East.
World Trade Center: Visible behind the camel, Dubai's first skyscraper was the World Trade Center which, when it was built in 1979, was the tallest building in the Middle East.
Ramesh Shukla
<strong>Humble beginnings:</strong> Prior to oil being struck in 1966, Dubai's economy relied largely on trading, fishing and pearl-diving.
Humble beginnings: Prior to oil being struck in 1966, Dubai's economy relied largely on trading, fishing and pearl-diving.
Ramesh Shukla
<strong>Village life: </strong>Before the real wealth began pouring in, Dubai was still a relatively small city, with many things little changed from the time it was just a simple fishing village.
Village life: Before the real wealth began pouring in, Dubai was still a relatively small city, with many things little changed from the time it was just a simple fishing village.
Ramesh Shukla
<strong>Black gold:</strong> Oil changed everything. From the late 1960s Dubai began to develop as a major port and commercial hub.
Black gold: Oil changed everything. From the late 1960s Dubai began to develop as a major port and commercial hub.
Ramesh Shukla
<strong>Low to high: </strong>Slowly at first, the city began to take shape in the desert. Low-rise buildings in the 1970s were followed by the first skyscrapers of the 1980s and '90s. After the turn of the century the city began to reach for the sky in earnest.
Low to high: Slowly at first, the city began to take shape in the desert. Low-rise buildings in the 1970s were followed by the first skyscrapers of the 1980s and '90s. After the turn of the century the city began to reach for the sky in earnest.
Ramesh Shukla