Fifty years ago, Dubai was a trading outpost of the developing world on the edge of the Great Arabian Desert. People lived in homes of mud or coral built around an open central courtyard. In those days, the latest cooling technology came from Iran: square wind towers that rose above the home to funnel breezes indoors.
Privacy, much cherished by Gulf Arabs, was guaranteed by thick exterior walls. Any windows were tiny and covered by wooden mashrabiyah screens that gave way to breezes but not prying eyes. Male guests were entertained in majlis , a separate meeting room segregated from the rest of the house. Women stayed out of sight.
