Last June 18, Discovery Channel began the telecast of “Surging Cities,” a two-part special on megacities Dubai and Istanbul. Dubai, the unofficial mascot of the Middle East’s startling development, aims to become a world-class hub of business and tourism.

For its part, Istanbul straddles Europe and the Middle East and has emerged as a shining example to developing nations. Famed as a cultural crossroads, it’s determined to join the global platform and is looking more Westernized, due to increasing foreign influence.

This two-part special takes a look at the amazing achievements, issues, and challenges of the cities in the 21st century.

Surging Cities airs on Discovery Channel on Thursday at 10pm. There will be repeats every Sunday at 4pm.

Dubai, with an economy fuelled by the oil trade, the busiest of the seven United Arab Emirates is determined to erase existing world records and rewrite architectural history. Its emerging icon: the Burj Dubai will be the world’s tallest building once it is completed this year. And the government has declared it to be the greatest symbol of Arab prestige since the Pyramids.

Straddling Europe and the Middle East, Istanbul has emerged as a shining example to developing nations in the late 1990s.

Famed as a cultural crossroads, the ancient city of Istanbul is determined to join the global platform and is looking gradually more Westernised due to increasing foreign influence.

Some managers of large corporations advocate EU membership as the sole route to growth, while other business leaders opt for forming good relations with their Arab neighbours as the way forward.