DUBAI AND ST. PETERSBURG: CULTURAL AND HISTORICAL PARALLELS

DUBAI AND ST. PETERSBURG: CULTURAL AND HISTORICAL PARALLELS

Anna Masliakova

Ph.D. in Art Criticism (St. Petersburg), Doctoral Researcher, Kyrgyz National University named after Jusup Balasagyn,

Kyrgyzstan, Bishkek

As we all know, Dubai is the second-largest city in the United Arab Emirates, whereas St. Petersburg is considered to be the “Cultural Capital” of Russia. And yet, however improbable it might seem, those cities have very much in common. And the aim of this research is to explore this issue more thoroughly.

Firstly, both cities were created practically from scratch. That is to say, St. Petersburg, which is considered to be one of the most stunning cities in the World, was founded by the Emperor Peter the Great in 1703. And the City of Dubai was established 130 years later, in 1833, — the year in which Alexander Pushkin created his famous poem “The Bronze Horseman”, — when some 800 members of the Bani Yas tribe, led by the Maktoum family, which, by the way, still is charge of the Emirate of Dubai, settled by the Dubai Creek. On the surface, the president, elected by the Supreme Council of Rulers, is the government’s head of the United Arab Emirates. Yet, in fact, the Seven Emirates are ruled by the seven monarchs or “sheikhs” that often meet in the Presidential Palace called Qasr Al Watan in Abu Dhabi. Constructed between 2010 and 2017, the Palace is richly adorned with marble, both inside and outside, calling to mind the décor of the Marble Palace in St. Petersburg belonging to the Romanov dynasty. And I must say that although the last Russian Tzar Nicholas II and his family were murdered on the 17^th of July 1918, the architectural masterpieces of the city do manage to keep the memory of their “imperial” past alive, against all the odds.

Moreover, both Dubai and St. Petersburg are surrounded by water (the Persian Gulf and the Indian Ocean in the first case and the Gulf of Finland in the second case) reflecting their architectural profiles and enhancing their economic growth. And they try to expand their territories and thus increase their investment attractiveness by creating artificial lands (Palm Jumeirah in Dubai, modern residential buildings on the alluvial territories of Basil’s Island in St. Petersburg, etc.). Nevertheless, while the architectural identity of the historical part of St. Petersburg has remained unchanged, more or less, the architecture of the United Arab Emirates, on the contrary, has undergone dramatic transformations in recent decades. Walking around Dubai Marina and admiring the glass facades of the skyscrapers mirrored in the blue water one cannot shake off the feeling that one is not in the UAE but in New York (see Fig. 2.). At first sight it may seem that the architectural landscapes of Dubai and St. Petersburg are quite different. At yet, the two cities were designed according to the advanced trends of the time. That is to say, St. Petersburg is considered to be the most “European” city in Russia for the majority of its architectural masterpieces was created by foreigners (Domenico Trezzini, Francesco Bartolomeo Rastrelli, Antonio Rinaldi, Auguste de Montferrand, Carlo Rossi, etc.). And the same is true about the architectural development of Dubai, for example, the Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the World (830 meters), was designed by a team led by Adrian Smith of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, the firm that built the Sears Tower in Chicago, while the Burj Al Arab, resembling the sail of a ship, was created by a British architect Tom Wright. And it seems to me that, in a sense, the Peter and Paul Cathedral located on the Hare Island, which, by the way, was the tallest building in St. Petersburg until 2012 (122.5 meters), resonates with the spire of the Burj Khalifa in Dubai (see Fig. 1.). Furthermore, interestingly enough, the Lakhta Center designed by a Scottish architect Tony Kettle, which is now the tallest structure in St. Petersburg, was built in the same style as the Burj Khalifa — Neo-futurism making emphasis on new materials and technologies (reinforced concrete, glass and steel, etc.) and challenging the boundaries of the traditional architecture. So it is no surprise that there has been a lot of controversy around the safety and advisability of the project.

For a long time, the main source of income for the Emiratis was pearl hunting. It was a very profitable business since natural pearls were in great demand all over the World in those days and could cost a fortune. Yet, unfortunately, by the 1900s the Japanese had invented the artificial pearls that were much cheaper and flawless, which could not but affect the economy of the country. Without any doubt, for many people 1939 is associated with the beginning of the World War II. Many Russian churches were destroyed around that time as part of anti-religious propaganda, for instance, on the 10^th of June the Cathedral of St. Catherine in Pushkin, not far from St. Petersburg, was blown up by decision of the Soviet government (fortunately, it was restored in 2014). As for the Arabs, 1939 was the beginning of a new era of prosperity following the discovery of the oil which helped to fuel the formation of the UAE [1].

It is said that in Dubai all building materials, food and other goods are imported, including trees (see Fig. 6.). Indeed, Sheikh Zayed, the founding father of the UAE, who, by the way was born on the 6^th of May 1918, launched large programs of tree planting in the 1970s hoping to turn the desert green. And while travelling from Dubai to Abu Dhabi one can see endless gardens surrounded by protective fences [2]. So it is no surprise that there are many monuments built in his honor, for instance, the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque erected in 2007 (see Fig. 4.). The columns of the arcades are made of white marble inlaid with precious and semi-precious stones such as lapis lazuli, red agate, amethyst, abalone shell and nacre, and the golden capitals are in the shape of a palm treetop [3]. Moreover, inside the Presidential Palace, mentioned above, there is another Sheikh Zayed-inspired artwork called “Power of Words” created by Emirati artist Mattar bin Lahej transforming the words by Sheikh Zayed, who famously said that “Wealth is not money or oil. Wealth lies in people, and it is worthless if not dedicated to serve the people” [4], into a monumental golden sculpture (see Fig. 3.).

While of the theme of the imported goods, one should mention the decree issued by the Emperor Peter I on the 4^th of November 1714, according to which everyone coming to the city had to bring with him a certain number of stones. That fact is that in the first years of the city’s existence, the streets of St. Petersburg were unpaved, which is why in spring and autumn, as well as after rains, they became impassable, just like in the modern Dubai where there is no drainage system on roads. Besides, many Artworks were brought to the UAE, including the Louvre Museum itself. In other words, in 2007 the UAE and France formed an unprecedented partnership for cultural exchange, as a result of which the Louvre Abu Dhabi was built by a French architect Jean Nouvel who created “a symphony in concrete, water and the subtle play of reflected light” [5]. And it seems to me that the logic of the structure has very much in common with the Library of Alvar Aalto located in the City of Viipuri, not far from St. Petersburg (see Fig. 5.). In other words, in both cases we have simple forms, white walls, and the intricate geometric dome of the Museum, creating a dancing interplay between light and shadow, corresponds to the grid of round light wells covering the ceiling of the Library and diffusing the direct sunlight [6].

To sum it up, there are many cultural and historical parallels between Dubai and St. Petersburg. And although in both cities there are projects that for some reasons or others were not immediate success (for instance, the World’s largest observation wheel, Ain Dubai, remains closed, and it took years to complete the Admiralty Metro station in St. Petersburg), they manage to preserve their cultural identity in dynamically changing World. People in those multinational cities are very amiable and always eager to help a gullible traveler. And I do believe that tolerance and respect for and appreciation of the wide range of cultures is the key to our success.

Figure. 1. The Burj Khalifa

Figure 2. Dubai Marina

Figure 3. Qasr Al Watan, “Power of Words”

Figure 4. Qasr Al Watan, “Power of Words”

Figure 5. Louvre Abu Dhabi

Figure 6. Dubai Safari Park

References:

1. “Oil & Gas Concessions in Abu Dhabi”, accessed February 2, 2023, https://www.thebusinessyear.com/article/oil-gas-concessions-in-abu-dhabi/.
2. Masliakova A., “Dubai – Abu Dhabi”, accessed February 2, 2023, https://youtu.be/1J-l2NqwHv8.
3. “Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque Centre”, accessed February 2, 2023, https://www.szgmc.gov.ae/en/columns.
4. “‘Power of Words’: The story behind the Sheikh Zayed-inspired sculptures at Qasr Al Watan”, accessed February 2, 2023, https://www.thenationalnews.com/arts-culture/art/power-of-words-the-story-behind-the-sheikh-zayed-inspired-sculptures-at-qasr-al-watan-1.1202601.
5. “Louvre Abu Dhabi”, accessed February 2, 2023, https://www.louvreabudhabi.ae/en/about-us/architecture.
6. Masliakova A. (2022). “VARIOUS ASPECTS OF ART HISTORY”. Norwegian Journal of Development of the International Science, 93, 3–14. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.7118846.