The current edition of The Entrepreneur’s from The Monocle stable, is on entrepreneurship in the Emirates, which is really the start up hub of the Middle East, South Asia and Africa. May be the history of the Trucial States has to do with it, as Dubai became a Free Port in 1905, prompting the first wave of migration of Persian Merchants from the rule of the Shah who had raised taxes for merchants from southern Persia, to increase revenue.
A lot of the trade in gold in South Asia was mediated through Dubai until the 1990’s. Culture is downstream of History and is vital for turbocharged entrepreneurship.
A good reference is Prof Todd Reisz ‘s Showpeice City and Temporary City by Prof Yasser Elsheshtawy
Change Thinker 