At the turn of the 20th century, Dubai’s ruler, Sheikh Mohammed’s great-grandfather slashed taxes and grabbed neighbouring Iran’s re-export business, transforming Dubai from a sleepy fishing village into a regional trading outpost.
When Sheikh Rashid took power he borrowed a significant sum to dredge the creek, allowing larger ships to berth in the increasingly busy port. He later decided to plough oil revenues into the construction of Jebel Ali port, which today is one of the world’s largest container ports.
