UAE then and now: the transformation of Downtown Dubai in pictures

Use our interactive slider and scroll through the picture gallery to explore the dizzying changes in the heart of Dubai

Today, life in the Emirates moves in the fast lane. In a regular series to mark the 50th anniversary of the UAE, we take a trip back in time to see how much the country has changed.

There is a famous photo of Dubai taken a few years after the World Trade Centre opened. The tower soars over vast tracts of undeveloped desert, while what would become the pulsating multi-lane Sheikh Zayed Road is a modest affair that disappears into the horizon.

Yet in only three decades this view would be transformed to include the world’s tallest building, Burj Khalifa.

The older photograph, taken in 2008, shows the 830-metre tower edging towards completion. It opened two years later as the centrepiece of the Downtown Dubai area that included Dubai Mall, dancing fountains and, later, an opera house. The older photograph also shows construction well under way on Dubai Metro. The service would open only a year later.

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  The Burj Khalifa in 2008 as it edges towards completion. Ryan Carter / The National

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  Emaar Properties founder, Mohamed Alabbar, with fashion designer Giorgio Armani visiting the site two years earlier. Emaar was responsible for developing the Burj, while an Armani Hotel opened there in 2010. Getty Images

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  Burj Khalifa in 2009, just under a year from its grand opening. Jeffrey E Biteng / The National

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  The big day arrives: Burj Khalifa casts a striking shadow over Dubai on January 4, 2010. A ceremony at 8pm that night heralded its opening. Amy Leang / The National

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  A worker getting the site ready for the big event. Paulo Vecina / The National

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  Colourful fireworks mark the opening of the Burj Khalifa in Dubai on January 4, 2010. Paulo Vecina / The National

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  The image of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, is displayed on a big screen during the grand opening of the Burj Khalifa. Amy Leang / The National

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  People watch fireworks during the opening ceremony. Jaime Puebla / The National

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  New Dubai: The Burj Al Arab hotel, left, and Jumeirah Beach hotel, right, frame the Burj Khalifa, centre. This shot was taken in 2010. Pawan Singh / The National

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  Emaar founder, Mohamed Ali Alabbar, in 2010 with the completed Burj Khalifa. Pawan Singh / The National

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  Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed, Crown Prince of Dubai, on top of the Burj Khalifa, bearing the logo of Dubai's Expo 2020 campaign. Ali Issa / AFP

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  Burj Khalifa is known across the world for its fireworks on New Year's Eve.

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  Burj Khalifa is also known for the dancing fountains at its base. Pawan Singh / The National

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  Light shows are also a feature and portray themes of the day. In April, the Indian flag was projected on its facade to mark the UAE's support for the country's efforts to confront the Covid-19 pandemic. Pawan Singh / The National.

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  The building now attracts tourists from the across the world. Tarek Fahmy / Reuters

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  And it forms the centrepiece of Dubai's spectacular and ever growing skyline. Getty Images

But Dubai was far from finished, as the newer photograph shot this year by The National’s Chris Whiteoak shows. Scores of new tower blocks dominate the left-hand side of the photograph, around Burj Khalifa and Downtown Dubai, including the striking twin towers of the Address Sky View hotel.

On the right, we see the circular shape of the Cola-Cola Arena and the City Walk development. The 17,000 capacity venue opened in 2019, while City Walk first welcomed visitors a few years before. New roads and flyovers have also changed the landscape.

There are no major high-rises on the right side but that will change soon, too. Construction on Wasl Tower beside the arena is well advanced, set for completion in 2022.

But as is the case in Dubai, the past is never too far behind. At the bottom right of both photographs is an older building once known as the ‘Toyota Tower’ – known for the car manufacturer's sign at the top of a building that served as a visual reference point for generations of people who lived in Dubai.

The building is reflective of its time, built with small windows and concrete facades with external air conditioning units on the exterior. On the ground floor is a simple collection of shops including a laundry, small restaurant and salon.

The sign was removed in 2018, but the 15-storey tower, actually called the Nasser Rashid Lootah Building, still survives despite the frenetic pace of development all around.