Pictures: Dubai, from village to global aviation hub in 60 years

Sixty years ago this year, Dubai Airport was nothing more than a runway. This is a bird's eye view of the first runway of Dubai Airport, 1959.

First runway of Dubai Airport, circa 1959. The 1,800-metre runway was built upon orders of Dubai’s former ruler, Sheikh Rashid Bin Saeed Al Maktoum. An asphalt runway was added in 1963.

Dubai Airport had a modest beginning. This picture shows the original control tower.

An archive photo of Dubai International Airport when it was first built 60 years ago.

In 1959, Dubai airport was made of compacted sand, with a single runway on a salt flat.

Dubai International airport in 1971. From 4-5 flights a week and just 40,000 passengers a year, the airport today handles 34,000 flights a month and 88.8 million passengers a year.

Pearl diving equipment displayed in the Dubai Museum. Pearl diving, known as "Al Tawasha" in Arabic, is a centuries-old tradition of Emirati culture practiced mainly in what has become the United Arab Emirates. Pearls have been found in local excavations at archaeological sites dating back 7,000 years.

A DC-3 plane flying in the air.

A black and white picture of the Airlines Hotel started way back in 1959

A view of the old Dubai International Airport after the terminal was built in 1970.

Passengers boarding a Middle East Airlines flight at Dubai International Airport.

Dubai Creek pictured in 1985. The emirate has transformed into a base for media, technology and entertainment

Inaugural flight EK600 took off for Karachi on October 25, 1985 from Dubai International Airport. Over the last four decades, the UAE has gained global prominence in the aviation industry with Emirates airline in the cockpit

Golf was first introduced to Dubai in 1965 by oil workers who laid out a makeshift two hole course in Karama. By the time Emirates Golf Club opened in 1988 [as pictured] it was not only the first grass course in the UAE but also the Middle East.

In 1998, Terminal 2 was built. The second stand, Concourse 1 opened in April 2000.

In the late 1980s and early 1990s, longer-range aircraft — such as the Boeing 747, A340 and B777 series aircraft were introduced, which had the range to fly between Europe and South East Asia non-stop.

In 2004, Dubai commenced the construction of Terminal 3.

An aerial view of the Dubai International Airport. It is the busiest airport for Airbus A380 and Boeing 777 movements.

Passengers shop at Dubai Duty Free outlet in the newly opened Concourse A — the home of the A380 and the world's first purpose-built facility for the behemoth passenger aircraft at Dubai International.

A scene inside the Dubai International (IATA: DXB), the primary international airport serving Dubai, UAE. It is the world's busiest airport by international passenger traffic, and the fifth-busiest airport in the world by passenger traffic.

Chinese visitors at Dubai International Airport Terminal 3.

Dubai International airport is the aviation hub with the highest average number of passengers per flight.

The Dubai International Airport (DXB) tarmac. The airport has retained its position as the world’s busiest airport for several years in a row, with the number of travelers passing through its terminals hitting nearly 90 million in 2018.

World’s busiest airport: A view of the mid-field concourse at Dubai International (DXB). The airport has exceeded the 8-million-per-month passenger mark twice in 2018, particularly in July, when passenger numbers reached 8.2 million, and in August, which logged 8.4 million flyers.

A Chinese dance being performed at Dubai International Airport to launch a week of Chinese New Year celebrations. Dubai Airports has also launched a special magazine edition in Mandarin.

The Dubai International air traffic control Tower. The airport has adopted the latest technology that improves the conditions of landing and takeoff during fog. DXB can currently handle 28 air traffic per hour during fog, compared to 12 previous movements. Dubai Airport is able to deal with 75 air traffic movements per hour under normal conditions.

Air Traffic Control Tower room at Dubai International Airport.