THEN & NOW: Stunning photos show how much city skylines have changed over decades

Derek Flack/Blogto.com; Luke Abrahams/iStock

You can tell a lot about a city by looking at its skyline.

Over the decades, many cities have exploded in size and have introduced ambitious works of architecture to the world.

Two decades ago, Dubai was a relatively undeveloped city. Now it's filled with gleaming skyscrapers. And cities like Toronto look virtually unrecognizable compared to a century ago.

Here are 13 cities whose skylines look completely different, several decades later.

The permission to use some of these photos were obtained through RENTCafé.

Here's the New York City Skyline in 1964, from across the Brooklyn Bridge.

In 2016, One World Trade Center dominates lower Manhattan.

In 2000, Dubai's Marina area was mostly dirt.