Building Sharjah

Building Sharjah reveals how modern architecture unfurled across the United Arab Emirates’ third-largest city. An oil discovery in 1972 positioned Sharjah as one of the world’s final cities shaped by transformative fortune. In the footsteps of Kuwait, Riyadh, and Dubai, Sharjah faced a metamorphosis: either one that repeated the past’s mistakes or one that reimagined how wealth can build a city. Sharjah’s potential enticed an international cast of experts to create a bold, new city. As their projects begin to vanish, this book preserves them through unseen photographs and recovered documents. New writing chronicles how local and arriving residents arranged the designed, concrete environment into a home. Beyond just a local artifact, this book examines the confident promises made by global practices of urbanization.

Possessing limited oil and gas resources by regional standards, the emirate of Sharjah has worked hard to develop a more thoroughly diversified economic profile in order to drive growth. Efforts have evidently paid off, with its GDP increasing by more than 32% between 2010 and 2015, fuelled largely by its strong manufacturing and logistics industries. Another major growth area is financial services, which accounted for 10.3% of GDP in 2015 having grown by an average of 12.7% per year over the past half-decade. The UAE’s third-largest economy after Dubai and Abu Dhabi, Sharjah has also established itself as a leading centre of higher education in the region with its sprawling University City and the 1997 founding of two of the UAE’s most prestigious higher education institutions, the University of Sharjah and the American University of Sharjah. Another economic engine is tourism, as Sharjah is a key regional destination for family-oriented and cultural visits, attracting large numbers of arrivals from the Gulf, Europe and Asia.

At the end of the 20th century, Dubai attracted internationalmedia attention as the world sought to make sense of thecity’s extraordinary growth. Exuberant projects such as theBurj Arab, the Burj Khalifa and the Palm Islands attractedinvestment in dreams to transform the region. While the globalfinancial crisis kept dreams from becoming reality, this issue ofAD seeks to present a view of architecture and urbanism inthe United Arab Emirates (UAE) and other states in the wider GulfCooperation Council (GCC) at a time when greater economic stabilitypromises new beginnings. The issue presents examples ofarchitecture that transcends preoccupation with fabricating images,and traces the process of making contemporary Gulf cities, frommaterial tectonics to large-scale masterplans. By presenting thearchitecture of UAE and the Gulf within the context of broaderregional developments and global trends, it highlights how projectsin the UAE, Qatar, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia have contributed tounprecedented urban growth, while emphasising the continuingenvironmental challenges of building in the region. In addition tohighlighting various sustainable initiatives intended to counteractthese challenges, the issue also explores how computational designand new technologies are being innovatively employed to mitigatethe impact of arid climates. Contributors include: Ameena Ahmadi, Kelly Hutzell, VarkkiPallathucheril, Todd Reisz, Rami el Samahy, Terri Meyer Boake,Jeffrey Willis. International architects: Foster + Partners, Frank Gehry, HOK,IM Pei, Legoretta + Legoretta, Jean Nouvelle, Reiser + Umemoto,Allies and Morrison. Regional architects: AGi (Kuwait), DXB.lab (UAE), X Architects(UAE).

Each year this book celebrates achievements of the United Arab Emirates and in so doing it pays tribute to the architect of this stunning success story, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the greatly loved and respected founding father and President of the UAE from its formation on 2 December 1971 until his death on 2 November 2004. Sheikh Zayed displayed enormous wisdom and strength in overcoming the obstacles that faced him in constructing a modern nation. He never faltered on his course and knew exactly what he wanted to achieve - and why. He used to say that 'Wealth is not money. Wealth is in people.' And he devoted his efforts to providing education, health care and social services for all the country's citizens. At the same time he nurtured an environment in which business could flourish and people could live rewarding lives in freedom and peace.

World-renowned 'tell it like it is' guidebook Discover Dubai with this comprehensive, entertaining, 'tell it like it is' Rough Guide, packed with comprehensive practical information and our experts' honest and independent recommendations. Whether you plan to go shopping, discover sand-skiing, laze on beaches or visit interesting museums, The Rough Guide to Dubai will help you discover the best places to explore, sleep, eat, drink and shop along the way. Features of The Rough Guide to Dubai: - Detailed regional coverage: provides in-depth practical information for each step of all kinds of trip, from intrepid off-the-beaten-track adventures, to chilled-out breaks in popular tourist areas. Regions covered include: Bur Dubai, Deira, the inner suburbs, Sheikh Zayed Road and Downtown Dubai, Jumeirah, the Burj al Arab and around, the Palm Jumeirah and Dubai Marina. - Honest independent reviews: written with Rough Guides' trademark blend of humour, honesty and expertise, and recommendations you can truly trust, our writers will help you get the most from your trip to Dubai. - Meticulous mapping: always full-colour, with clearly numbered, colour-coded keys. Find your way around Deira, Jumeirah and many more locations without needing to get online. - Fabulous full-colour photography: features a richness of inspirational colour photography, including the dazzling Deira souks and the colourful Dubai Aquarium. - Things not to miss: Rough Guides' rundown of Al Ain Oasis, the Burj al Arab, Deira and Jumeirah's best sights and top experiences. - Itineraries: carefully planned routes will help you organise your trip, and inspire and inform your on-the-road experiences. - Basics section: packed with essential pre-departure information including getting there, getting around, accommodation, food and drink, health, the media, festivals, sports and outdoor activities, culture and etiquette, shopping and more. - Background information: comprehensive Contexts chapter provides fascinating insights into Dubai, with coverage of history, religion, ethnic groups, environment, wildlife and books, plus a handy language section and glossary. - Covers: Bur Dubai, Deira, the inner suburbs, Sheikh Zayed Road and Downtown Dubai, Jumeirah, the Burj al Arab and around, the Palm Jumeirah and Dubai Marina. About Rough Guides: Rough Guides have been inspiring travellers for over 35 years, with over 30 million copies sold globally. Synonymous with practical travel tips, quality writing and a trustworthy 'tell it like it is' ethos, the Rough Guides list includes more than 260 travel guides to 120+ destinations, gift-books and phrasebooks.

UAE Construction Companies Handbook - Strategic Information and Contacts

Winner of the Restless Books Prize for New Immigrant Writing "Guest workers of the United Arab Emirates embody multiple worlds and identities and long for home in a fantastical debut work of fiction, winner of the inaugural Restless Books Prize for New Immigrant Writing.… The author's crisp, imaginative prose packs a punch, and his whimsical depiction of characters who oscillate between two lands on either side of the Arabian Sea unspools the kind of immigrant narratives that are rarely told. An enchanting, unparalleled anthem of displacement and repatriation." —Kirkus Reviews, starred review In the United Arab Emirates, foreign nationals constitute over 80 percent of the population. Brought in to construct and serve the towering monuments to wealth that punctuate the skylines of Abu Dhabi and Dubai, this labor force is not given the option of citizenship. Some ride their luck to good fortune. Others suffer different fates. Until now, the humanitarian crisis of the so-called “guest workers” of the Gulf has barely been addressed in fiction. With his stunning, mind-altering debut novel Temporary People, Deepak Unnikrishnan delves into their histories, myths, struggles, and triumphs. Combining the linguistic invention of Salman Rushdie and the satirical vision of George Saunders, Unnikrishnan presents twenty-eight linked stories that careen from construction workers who shapeshift into luggage and escape a labor camp, to a woman who stitches back together the bodies of those who’ve fallen from buildings in progress, to a man who grows ideal workers designed to live twelve years and then perish—until they don’t, and found a rebel community in the desert. With this polyphony of voices, Unnikrishnan maps a new, unruly global English and gives personhood back to the anonymous workers of the Gulf. "Guest workers of the United Arab Emirates embody multiple worlds and identities and long for home in a fantastical debut work of fiction, winner of the inaugural Restless Books Prize for New Immigrant Writing.… The author's crisp, imaginative prose packs a punch, and his whimsical depiction of characters who oscillate between two lands on either side of the Arabian Sea unspools the kind of immigrant narratives that are rarely told. An enchanting, unparalleled anthem of displacement and repatriation." —Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review "Inventive, vigorously empathetic, and brimming with a sparkling, mordant humor, Deepak Unnikrishnan has written a book of Ovidian metamorphoses for our precarious time. These absurdist fables, fluent in the language of exile, immigration, and bureaucracy, will remind you of the raw pleasure of storytelling and the unsettling nearness of the future." —Alexandra Kleeman, author of You Too Can Have a Body Like Mine “Inaugural winner of the Restless Books Prize for New Immigrant Writing, this debut novel employs its own brand of magical realism to propel readers into an understanding and appreciation of the experience of foreign workers in the Arab Gulf States (and beyond). Through a series of almost 30 loosely linked sections, grouped into three parts, we are thrust into a narrative alternating between visceral realism and fantastic satire.... The alternation between satirical fantasy, depicting such things as intelligent cockroaches and evil elevators, and poignant realism, with regards to necessarily illicit sexuality, forms a contrast that gives rise to a broad critique of the plight of those known euphemistically as ‘guest workers.’ VERDICT: This first novel challenges readers with a singular inventiveness expressed through a lyrical use of language and a laserlike focus that is at once charming and terrifying. Highly recommended.” —Henry Bankhead, Library Journal, Starred Review “Unnikrishnan’s debut novel shines a light on a little known world with compassion and keen insight. The Temporary People are invisible people—but Unnikrishnan brings them to us with compassion, intelligence, and heart. This is why novels matter.” —Susan Hans O’Connor, Penguin Bookshop (Sewickley, PA) “Deepak Unnikrishnan uses linguistic pyrotechnics to tell the story of forced transience in the Arabian Peninsula, where citizenship can never be earned no matter the commitment of blood, sweat, years of life, or brains. The accoutrements of migration—languages, body parts, passports, losses, wounds, communities of strangers—are packed and carried along with ordinary luggage, blurring the real and the unreal with exquisite skill. Unnikrishnan sets before us a feast of absurdity that captures the cruel realities around the borders we cross either by choice or by force. In doing so he has found what most writers miss: the sweet spot between simmering rage at a set of circumstances, and the circumstances themselves.” —Ru Freeman, author of On Sal Mal Lane “Deepak writes brilliant stories with a fresh, passionate energy. Every page feels as if it must have been written, as if the author had no choice. He writes about exile, immigration, deportation, security checks, rage, patience, about the homelessness of living in a foreign land, about historical events so strange that, under his hand, the events become tales, and he writes tales so precisely that they read like history. Important work. Work of the future. This man will not be stopped.” —Deb Olin Unferth, author of Revolution “From the strange Kafka-esque scenarios to the wholly original language, this book is amazing on so many different levels. Unlike anything I've ever read, Temporary People is a powerful work of short stories about foreign nationals who populate the new economy in the United Arab Emirates. With inventive language and darkly satirical plot lines, Unnikrishnan provides an important view of relentless nature of a global economy and its brutal consequences for human lives. Prepare to be wowed by the immensely talented new voice.” —Hilary Gustafson, Literati Bookstore (Ann Arbor, MI) “Absolutely preposterous! As a debut, author Unnikrishnan shares stories of laborers, brought to the United Arab Emirates to do menial and everyday jobs. These people have no rights, no fallback if they have problems or health issues in that land. The laborers in Temporary People are sewn back together when they fall, are abandoned in the desert if they become inconvenient, and are even grown from seeds. As a collection of short stories, this is fantastical, imaginative, funny, and even more so, scary, powerful, and ferocious.” —Becky Milner, Vintage Books (Vancouver WA)

Now available in ePub format. This second edition of The Rough Guide to Dubai is the ultimate companion to the world's most exciting tourist destination. Read expert coverage on everything from traditional souks to state-of-the-art tourist attractions, beautiful beaches to "seven-star" hotels, with up-to-date listings of all the hottest places to stay, eat, drink, and shop. An inspirational full-color introduction highlights the best of the city, while subsequent full-color sections reveal the incredible contrasts between traditional and futuristic Dubai. The Rough Guide to Dubai features the latest developments to Dubai Marina and the Palm Jumeirah, as well as day-trips throughout the United Arab Emirates, including Sharajah, Al Ain, the East Coast, and ambitious Abu Dhabi. Comprehensive maps throughout help you find your way around the region. Make the most of your time with The Rough Guide to Dubai.