Deira Clock Tower is a mark of changing times in the UAE

Dubai: The emirate of Dubai once relied on fishing and pearling as its major economic trades, during the 19th and early 20th centuries.

Many people inhabiting the Gulf Coast at the time relied on pearling during summer months and farmed dates in winter.

Although the First World War impacted heavily on the pearling trade throughout the region, the invention of cultured pearls (created under controlled conditions) and the economic depression of the 1920s-30s dealt a major blow to trade in Dubai.

However, the early 1930s brought teams from oil companies to the area, which carried out preliminary surveys.

It was during this time that the first agreements to undertake oil exploration were signed by the rulers of Dubai, Sharjah and Abu Dhabi.

By 1962, the first oil was exported from Abu Dhabi and with new trade growth, Shaikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, who was the Ruler of Abu Dhabi in 1966, began construction of schools, roads, housing and hospitals. After Dubai's oil exports started in 1969, the emirate also witnessed growth and increasing social strength on the back of the newly-found trade.

Oil sector growth peaked in 2003 and by 2006, the oil and natural gas sector contributed Dh225 billion to the UAE's gross domestic product (GDP), according to the United Arab Emirates Yearbook, 2008.

To mark the new, monumental discovery, the Deira clock tower was built in 1963. At the time, the tower provided a significant landmark that still stands as a marker for visitors and residents today.

No doubt, the tower itself has been one of the oldest witnesses to change in Dubai, particularly after the construction of the vital underpass in 1982, which at the time was slated as the busiest in the emirate.

Today, the clock tower is used as a landmark, directing visitors and residents around what has become one of the busiest areas in the emirate.

Gateway

It stands at the gateway of Maktoum Bridge, which was the first permanent structure to straddle Dubai Creek, providing a vital link between Bur Dubai and Deira.

Maktoum Bridge was officially opened in 1963, enabling goods to move quickly from the Customs wharves in Bur Dubai to the Deira dhow wharves - for goods transportation by traditional dhow to Gulf states and India.

The clock tower was also called one of Dubai's oldest landmarks, and was reconstructed in 1989.

Saeed Lootah, Chairman of the Dubai Municipal Council, said at the time that the structure of the famous monument was weak, and needed reconstruction for strengthening purposes.

The steel reinforcements used to build the tower had corroded as concrete had not been used in the original construction.

Unbelievably, the clock faces have only been replaced once in its significant history, in November this year.

All four clock faces were replaced with Omega models, incorporating GPS devices for accuracy. This also removes the need to manually change the hands on the clock.