Photo essay about Dubai for Harper's Magazine.
Art director: Stacey Clarkson

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(l to r clockwise) 1. The World is an artificial archipelago of 300 islands off the coast of Dubai. If seen from a plane, the development loosely resembles a map of Earth. The ship in the picture is a barge carrying boulders for the breakwater. 2. A guest worker from Kerala scans the horizon on the way to The World. 3. Developers ask you to imagine your future in Dubai.
(from bottom left clockwise) 1. Downhill skiing on refrigerated snow is offered inside the Mall of the Emirates. 2. Flies on the beach of a developer's model at the 2007 Arabian Travel Market. 3. Construction goes on all night in Dubai, where summer daytime temperatures often reach 115 degrees Fahrenheit. 4. Camels exercising in the off-season at the Nad-Al Sheba Racecourse. The power lines above carry electricity from desert power stations into the city.
(from top left counter-clockwise) 1. A billboard depicting the Dubai skyline. 2. Immortalize yourself while you wait for your flight at the Dubai airport. A personalized 3-D laser engraving will last longer than the pyramids. 3. Dunkin' Donuts. 4. Emirati royalty greet drivers on the roadside in Ras Al Khaimah.
(from bottom left clockwise) 1.Tourists sunbathe next to an apartment building rooftop where Indian guest workers sleep at night. 2. A fifteen-foot ice dragon defies the desert heat. 3. Gold bars are sold in the airport at the Dubai Duty Free complex. 4. Satellite photograph altered to show The World and two of the Nakheel company's Palm developments as they will appear when complete.