The Real Dubai - Part 2 - Palaces

Real life palaces? Yes, real life palaces. And we aren't talking about palaces turned museums. These palaces serve as homes to royalty as well as wealthy families. Unfortunately for those on the outside, these expansive properties are tightly guarded by high walls and security. But as you can see from the photo and video, sneak peeks can be had. Your imagination must fill in the rest.

What's fascinating about these palaces is the sheer number and size of them. We have seen dozens in just 7 short days in Dubai. Yesterday's blog referenced a row of palaces between Burj Al Arab and Palm Island. The video seen here shows a handful of the spreads that you pass on that stretch of the highway. All appear to be perfectly manicured and, you guessed it, huge. Jumeirah Beach stretches many miles along the coastline and supports maybe a dozen compounds between our hotel and Palm Island. An equally dense population of palaces can be found in the desert on the outskirts of Dubai. Many of the Sheikhs and their families stake claim to the properties found on the outskirts. We passed one particular palace on the way home from our desert safari and the walls must have stretched greater than a mile on each side. Word has it that the Sheikh (pronounced "shake") that lives there has a full-sized horse track used for private races amongst family. Wow.

The palaces and $100,000+ cars are abundant in Dubai. Certainly the royal family lives with these luxuries, but so do other locals of good fortune. Many locals, including the Sheikhs, are very active in the business community. Beyond the standard business endeavors, the local emirates are entitled to a percentage of the revenues from businesses that have been established by non-locals. In other words, a local emirate must sponsor you in order for you to open a business here. The law requires all companies to be at least 51% owned by UAE nationals. With that level of favor, you can imagine that sponsoring only a handful of companies may make a local extremely wealthy. One protection is that there is a "free zone" in Dubai. Although the barriers are higher to start a business there, most western companies of size are, of course, established there.