Dubai Has Almost No Oil. So How Did It Get Rich?

Dubai has almost no oil, yet it sits inside the Strait of Hormuz, one of the most feared chokepoints on the planet. How did a pearl-diving creek in the UAE become the crossroads of the world, and what does the Iran war of 2026 mean for that bet? A 75-minute history of Dubai: Sheikh Rashid's all-in gambles, Jebel Ali, Emirates, the 2009 crash and the 2026 test. Status as of 28 October 2026. Every war fact is dated and attributed; no casualty figures, no predictions. Chapters: 0:00 Cold Open: The City With Almost No Oil 3:30 The Creek and the Coast 7:17 The 1901 Gamble: A Port With No Taxes 11:33 Pearls: The First Boom and the First Bust 15:32 Rashid Takes the Wheel 21:04 The Harbour in the Desert: Jebel Ali 25:51 A Tiny Airline and the Crossroads Logic 30:22 The Brand: Towers, Palms and a City of Strangers 35:54 2008-2010: The Crash and the Rescue 40:29 The Long Comeback 44:54 The Geography Lesson: Inside the Strait 50:40 One Sea, Two Shores: Iran and Dubai 54:49 What the War Did to Dubai (Feb-Oct 2026) 1:05:22 The Test: Bend or Break? 1:13:40 Your Verdict Made by Mapsodic: history and geography explained with maps.