it is almost as if dubai is in a post apocalyptic era where everyone has abandoned the city overnight in a hurry in the middle of whatever they were doing. this is historic and unprecedented for dubai, the city where construction never stops. an entire city lockdown. from my living room window, which is a practical watchtower over the construction in dubai overlooking both business bay and burj dubai construction, everything has come to a standstill. not public holiday, not ‘eid’, not even friday has ever kept the throngs of workers from welding, drilling, or hammering. but today, not a soul is to be seen. shaikh zayed road, the main artery of dubai, is empty, except for the occasional speeding black suv with flashing blue lights. almost as in a sci-fi flick, city lockdown started yesterday with areas in bur dubai such as the historic bastakiyya district, and other road detours. today, closures include shaikh zayed road, shaikh rashid road, al-khail road, al wasl road, jumeirah beach road, maktoum and garhoud bridges. lockdown has supposedly included shut down of some landline and tv service – urban myth perhaps, but mine was shut down abruptly last night. i called du, but all payments are in order, and now due to closures, no technical staff are available for repair today.
Posted by worldtraveler 
