YOU CAN POST FREE ADDS ON
Monday 26 November 2012
Dubai Festival City
Dubai Festival City is a large residential, business and entertainment development in the city of Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Touted as a "city-within-a-city", Dubai Festival City is the Middle East's largest mixed-use development: all elements for work, living, and leisure will be contained within the project. Once completed Festival City will comprise a series of residential communities, numerous hotels, malls, a golf course and other entertainment sites, and a full suite of public services, including schools.
Description
Dubai Festival City
Dubai Festival City at night
Construction of the development, which was undertaken by Al Futtaim Carillion, began in 2003 and is expected to take 12 years. The project spans 3.8 kilometres (2.4 mi) of water frontage on the eastern bank of Dubai Creek and is 2 kilometers (1.2 mi) from Dubai International Airport. As of mid-2006, investments in the project had exceeded 11 billion AED (3 billion USD).
Hotels
The development includes two hotels and a long term stay serviced apartment complex, all managed by InterContinental Hotels Group. In July 2009, Intercontinental took over management of the Al Badia Golf Course. Future developments include the 350-room W Hotel Dubai and the 400-room Four Seasons Hotel Dubai, but construction of both hotels was put on hold in January 2009 due to the Global financial crisis of 2008–2009.
Festival Waterfront Centre
Dubai Festival City's Festival Waterfront Centre on 7 March 2007
The Festival Waterfront Centre, is a retail power centre which includes IKEA, HyperPanda supermarket (first hypermarket outside of Saudi Arabia), Plug-ins ElectroniX and Ace Hardware (the largest outside North America).
DUBAI MALL
The Dubai Mall is the world's largest shopping mall based on total area and sixth largest by gross leasable area. Located in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, it is part of the 20-billion-dollar Burj Khalifa complex, and includes 1,200 shops.Access to the mall is provided via Doha Street, rebuilt as a double-decker road in April 2009.
Twice delayed, Dubai Mall opened on 4 November 2008, with about 635 retailers, marking the world's largest-ever mall opening in retail history. However it is not the largest in gross leasable space, and is surpassed in that category by several malls including the South China Mall, which is the world's largest, Golden Resources Mall, SM City North Edsa, and SM Mall of Asia.
The Dubai Mall recorded 60,000 tickets sold for the Dubai Aquarium and Discovery Centre in the first five days, following its opening.The Dubai Mall hosted over 37 million visitors in 2009, and attracts more than 750,000 visitors every week. while in 2010 it hosted 47 million, and saw footfall increase by around 27 percent over 2009, despite the economic crisis.In 2011, Dubai Mall became the world's most-visited shopping and leisure destination, and attracted more than 54 million visitors, the traffic was a 15 per cent increase from 2010 and surpassed 50.2 million visitors to New York City. The numbers also surpass visitor arrivals to all landmark leisure destinations and theme parks in the world including Times Square (39.2 million), Central Park (38 million), and Niagara Falls (22.5 million).
Description
Outside Dubai Mall near the Fountain.
Over 12 million sq ft (equivalent in size to more than 50 football pitches), the Dubai Mall has a total internal floor area of 5.9 million square feet (55 ha) and leasable space of 3.77 million square feet (35 ha), about the same as the West Edmonton Mall.
It also has a 250-room luxury hotel, 22 cinema screens plus 120 restaurants and cafes. The Mall has over 14,000 parking spaces across 3 car parks, with valet services and a car locator ticketing system. The mall has won five awards - two awards at the Retail Future Project Awards at Mapic, Cannes, in 2004, for Best Retail Development Scheme (Large) and Best Use of Lighting in a Retail Environment] and the Dubai Mall brochure collected three awards at the Summit Creative Awards 2005 in Portland, Oregon - the Gold award for Best Art Direction / Graphic Design, Silver award for Best 4-colour B2B Brochure, and a Judges Special Recognition award.
Dubai Aquarium and Under Water Zoo
The shark tunnel of Dubai Aquarium & Underwater Zoo
The Mall's Dubai Aquarium and Discovery Centre, developed and operated by Oceanis Australia Group, officially earned the Guinness World Record for the world's "Largest Acrylic Panel" (32.88 m wide × 8.3 m high × 750 mm thick and weighing 245,614 kg). The acrylic viewing panel is larger than Japan's Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium (22.5 m wide × 8.2 m high and 600 mm thick). Its 750 mm thick acrylic viewing panel can withstand pressure of 10 million litres of water used in the aquarium, but its transparency gives visitors clear views of over 33,000 marine animals on display.[6] In February 2010, a leak in the aquarium caused a partial evacuation and brief shutdown of a portion of the mall.
The Mall adopted an International Standard of Ethics and Animal Welfare Policy in its development and operation.
Dubai Ice Rink
Ice Rink inside Dubai Mall.
The Mall's Dubai Ice Rink multi-purpose venue, uses refrigeration plant technology by developing 1.5 inches (38 mm) of ice bed, 2 times the thickness of an NHL ice rink for Olympic-sized attraction. Dubai Ice Rink can host a capacity of up to 2,000 guests, when converted into a multi-functional hall with world-class multimedia system including a 20 m × 10 m LED screen. Operations Manager, Richard Rowlands, a 7 years Welsh figure skating pairs champion, described it: "Dubai Ice Rink in itself is an exciting facility, bringing the first-ever Olympic-sized ice rink to Dubai. A top-class facility offering the best of, including over 1,800 pairs of skates imported from a leading manufacturer in Italy to fit children and adults of all ages and sizes, the Dubai Ice Rink will host themed nights, Learn-to-Skate programs, figure skating lessons and hockey matches.The advanced technology used at the Dubai Ice Rink ensures that the consistency of the ice-bed is maintained at all times. By incorporating the refrigerator technology of pushing in glycol through a network of pipes, and monitoring the cooling over a period of five to six days, the 38 mm ice-bed is tailored to withstand multiple activities in a safe environment."
SEGA Republic
SEGA Republic, a 76,000 sq ft (7,100 m2) indoor theme park, was opened on 21 August 2009. Visitors can enjoy over 150 amusement games; The Redemption Zone hosts one of the region's largest selection of redemption games as well as a huge selection of winnable merchandise for all ages. It is a park that is mainly dedicated to SEGA's icon Sonic the Hedgehog. The entrance to Sega Republic is located on the second floor of The Dubai Mall.
Reel Cinemas
Main article: Reel Cinemas
The Reel Cinemas opened on 14 August 2009 on the second floor of Dubai Mall. Reel Cinema is a 22 screen megaplex with more than 2,800 seats. All screens are currently open. It is the largest cinema in the region.[19] More than 10,000 visitors visited the cineplex in its opening week.[20] It is operated by Reel Entertainment LLC, a joint venture formed by Emaar Retail LLC and Singapore-based entertainment provider Cathay Organisation Holdings Ltd to develop cinemas across the Middle East. The flagship 22-screen Reel Cinemas at The Dubai Mall is the first megaplex developed and operated by the venture, and will soon be followed by the 6-screen Reel Cinemas at Dubai Marina Mall. The Reel Cinemas is located on the 2nd level of the mall. Of the 22 screens present, there are both 2D and 3D screens available. A new movie starts at the Reel Cinemas every 10 minutes.
Shops
The Dubai Mall contains more than 1,200 shops and is anchored by Galeries Lafayette, Debenhams, Bloomingdale's, Waitrose and Marks & Spencer.
In October 2009 it was reported that the world's largest candy store opened in Dubai Mall.
Construction
The mall was built by a joint venture of Dutco Balfour Beatty, Al Ghandi/CCC and Turner Construction[citation needed] for Emaar Properties and was scheduled to be completed in 2006, claiming to be the size of 50 "international-sized football (soccer) pitches". Most of the workers used in construction of the mall were Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi and Sri Lankan guest workers. The internal mobile phone coverage for Dubai Mall was commissioned, integrated and carried out by Motorola Dubai for Etisalat and du. Multimedia and acoustic design is by Shen Milsom & Wilke, London . Gulf precast was incharge of the precast job on the outside.
World records and achievements
Dubai Mall near the Fountain at Dusk.
Largest mall in the world with total area 1,124,000m2.
Worlds sixth largest mall with Gross Leasable Area (GLA) 350,000m2.
World’s largest acrylic panel (Aquarium) inside Dubai Mall, which is (32.88 m wide × 8.3 m high × 750 mm thick and weighing 245 tons).
World’s largest sweet shop "Candylicious" spanning over 10,000 sq ft (930 m2) inside Dubai Mall.
Dubai Mall records more than 5 million visitors in the month of March,2010 during the one-month Dubai Shopping Festival, setting an all-time record in visitor footfall
Dubai Mall has been named the best shopping experience on 29 April 2010 by Grazia Style Awards.
The Dubai Mall hosted a record 37 million visitors in its first year of operation in 2009, and attracts more than 750,000 visitors every week.
The Dubai Mall hosted a record 47 million visitors in 2010, and broke the record of 37 million visitors received last year, an increase of 27 percent despite the economic crisis.
The Dubai Mall hosted a record 54 million visitors in 2011, and broke the record of 47 million visitors received last year, an increase of 15 percent.
In 2011, Dubai Mall becomes the world's most-visited shopping and leisure destination, and attracted more than 54 million visitors thus surpassed 50.2 million visitors to New York City, the visitor numbers also surpass visitor arrivals to all landmark leisure destinations and theme parks in the world including Times Square, 39.2 million, Central Park 38 million, and Niagara Falls 22.5 million.
DUBAI INTERNATIONAL CITY
Dubai International city is a country-themed architecture of residences, business, and tourist attractions. Spreading over an area of 800 hectares (8 million square meters), the arrangement of the city is inspired by the traditional carpets of Middle East. Once completed, the project will contain studio and one bedroom apartments and accommodate over 60,000 residents.
Overview
Dubai International City, embraces the residential districts of Central Business District (CBD), Persia, Greece, Spain, Morocco, England, France, Italy, Russia,China and Emirates. Apart from these districts that were initially planned for Dubai International City namely Lake District and Forbidden City are now on put on hold due to the effects of the Global Financial Recession. Some astounding attractions in the city includes the World Famous Dragon Mart which is the worlds biggest machinery and equipment market.
Projects
The Residential District
The Residential District of Dubai international city planned to have numerous country specific and themed residential developments and retail outlets. There will be commercial shops, restaurants, medical centers, a post office, police station, and transportation services.
China District
International City’s China Precinct lies at one end of the residential district. The simple lines of its two-, three- and four-storey buildings echo the Chinese mantra of harmony and balance. The traditional Chinese motifs, balconies, red tile overhangs, undulating roofs and pagodas reflect the yin of its imperial past; while nearby Dragon Mart Complex provides the yang of 21st century convenience.
England District
England Precinct mirrors traditional London architecture, especially with 18th- and 19th-century Georgian and Revivalist styles featured in its two-, three- and four-storey buildings that are topped by red gabled roofs and brick chimneys. Shop fronts on the ground floor further accentuate England Precinct’s quaint little village charm.
France District
France Cluster in Dubai International City
It features two-, three- and four-storey residential blocks characterized by long French windows, red and gray bricks, and pilasters or half-columns. All of which evoke Paris’s flair for fashion. Resembling the architecture of southern France, the traditional yellow buildings have a timeless air to them to complement the surrounding areas.
Persia District
The legacy of Persian history and the enduring popularity of its art have filtered through to every corner of the globe. This is evident in International City’s Persia Precinct. Situated in the heart of the residential district, its two-, three- and four storey buildings are decorated with traditional Islamic domes and wide-spaced arches and windows. These peach and blue colored facades lend the neighborhood an ancient character reminiscent of the ancient cities of Bam, Shiraz, Esfahan and Tehran.
Greece District
International City’s Greece Precinct lies at the edge of the residential district. The design of its three- and four-storey buildings on the other hand, travel back to the age of Homer, Aristotle and Alexander. Featuring tiled-roofs, balconies, symmetrically placed windows and white-painted walls, this precinct reminds one of the Greek architectural ideals of order and harmony.
Russia District
While Russia may have harsh winters, International City’s Russia Precinct features two- to four-storey residential buildings with cool whites and greys to offer solace from the heat of the desert. The rest of the precinct’s elements blend harmoniously like a Tchaikovsky masterpiece, with an urban design as choreographed as a Bolshoi Ballet performance.
Spain District
Spain is renowned for its artistic heritage and zest for life. These passions are captured in International City’s Spain Precinct. It’s three-and four-storey buildings are designed according to traditional stucco exterior finish, with Mediterranean oranges and peaches contrasting with brightly tiled, low-pitched roofs. Arched windows and raised entryways call to mind traditional elements of Spanish architecture, while authentic-looking balconies bring a sense of the outdoors into some of these flats. Arched doorways, windows, porches and entries round off the Spanish look.
Morocco District
With hospitality a cornerstone of Moroccan culture, International City’s Morocco Precinct provide an equally welcoming experience through the simplicity of the architecture: airy spaces and sand-coloured walls. The precinct’s three- and four-storey residential buildings are decorated with vibrant green tiles, natural terra-cottas, stucco walls and wide-arched windows.
Italy District
Italy Cluster in Dubai International City
Two- to four-storey residential blocks adhere to the Italian passion for artistry as epitomized by Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci. The precincts dreamy landscape comes from terracotta roofs that evoke a rustic Tuscan charm, complemented by facades that are simple and pleasing in their fluidity.
Emirates
Emirates Cluster in Dubai International City
Emirates – the 10th precinct in the Residential District — lies at the northeast end. Comprising 26 low-rise apartment blocks offering studio and one-bedroom apartments, the unique design and architecture of these buildings capture the Arabian essence and timeless charm of the Emirates, providing a touch of nostalgia to thoroughly modern Dubai.
The Central District
CBD Cluster in Dubai International City
International City's Central District is spread over 21 hectares the multi-purpose Central District will be the centre of International City's commercial activity. The Central Business District upon completion will endow the central hub of the development.
The Forbidden City
The Forbidden city will encompass ans area of 240,000 square metres with parking facilities for 2,000 cars, the city is the replica of iconic Forbidden City of Beijing, China. When completed it will accommodate residential, retail, outlets, museums, and performing courts.
The Lake District
The Lake District surrounds the Al Warsan Lake a 100 hectare natural Eco system and home to nearly 200 species of birds including some of the most exotic and rare birds found in the Arabian Peninsula and parts of Asia.
A unique freshwater lake lies inside the boundaries of International City alongside the Dubai-Hatta Road. The Al Wasan lake consists of a series of interconnected wetlands of about 3 metres depth set in an arid undulating desert landscape. The Al Wasan pools were created in the 1990s when excess treated sewage effluent water was pumped from the nearby Al Weer sewage treatment plant into shallow pits which had been excavated as a quarry by a local building company. An assessment of the lake's biological characteristics and water quality in an Environmental Impact Assessment and baseline survey of flora and fauna - indicted clean water rich in aquatic life and exhibiting high biological productivity.
Dragon Mart
DragonMart provides a gateway for the supply of Chinese products in the Middle Eastern and North African Markets, offering Chinese traders and manufacturers a unique platform from which to cater to the needs of this sizeable market. Inaugurated on December 7th, 2004, the 1.2 kilometre-long DragonMart is the largest trading centre for Chinese products outside mainland China.
The 150,000 square meter dragon-shaped structure has 3,950 shops engaged in the wholesale and retail trade of a variety of Chinese products including home appliances, stationery, office appliances, communication and acoustic equipment, lamps, household items, building materials, furniture, toys, machinery, garments, textiles, footwear and general merchandise.
With over 2,500 parking spaces, the shopping centre is divided into seven zones offering an array of high quality facilities for visitors and traders alike, making it the largest Chinese commercial centre in the MENA region.
Strategically located on the Hatta - Al Ain highway, the mart is adjacent to eight fully equipped warehouses, only 200 metres away from the main complex, offering a total area of 30,000 square metres of warehousing facilities to its traders.
Dragon Mart Aerial View
Work has started on a second mart right next to Dragon Mart that will have 175,000 square metres of space and 4,500 parking spaces.
Sunday 25 November 2012
DUBAI METRO
DUBAI METRO
The Dubai Metro is a driverless, fully automated metro rail network in the United Arab Emirates city of Dubai. The Red Line and Green Line are operational, with three further lines planned. These first two lines run underground in the city centre and on elevated viaducts elsewhere (elevated railway). All trains and stations are air conditioned with platform edge doors to make this possible.
The first section of the Red Line, covering 10 stations, was ceremonially inaugurated at 9:09:09 PM on 9 September 2009, by Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Ruler of Dubai, with the line opening to the public at 6 AM on 10 September.The Dubai Metro is the first urban train network in the Arabian Peninsula. More than 110,000 people, which is nearly 10 per cent of Dubai’s population, used the Metro in its first two days of operation. The Dubai Metro carried 10 million passengers from launch on 9 September 2009 to 9 February 2010 with 11 stations operational on the Red Line.
Guinness World Records has declared Dubai Metro as the world's longest fully automated metro network spanning at 75 kilometres (47 mi).
DUBAI METRO
OPERATION
The Dubai Metro is operated by Serco under contract to the Dubai Roads & Transport Authority.
Before launch, Dubai Municipality Public Transport Department expected the metro to carry 1.2 million passengers on an average day, 27,000 passengers per hour for each line, and 355 million passengers per year once both lines are fully operational. It is planned provide transport for 12% of all trips in Dubai. After the first month of operation (on a limited network), the actual monthly ridership was 1,740,578, which equates to under 60,000 passengers/day.[20] After the opening of more stations in May 2010, ridership surged to 103,002 passengers/day and reached 130,000/day by the beginning of October 2010, though still short of the originally anticipated 140,000 passengers/day,[21] ridership is expected to rise to 170,000/day by the end of 2010. When the Green Line opened on 9 September 2011, ridership on the Red Line was noted as 180,000/day, with the new line expected to add as much as 120,000/day to the network.
One issue for the new system will be how to reliably and comfortably get riders to their final destination if it is not located at a metro station. The RTA has changed and added "feeder bus routes" which act as shuttle services to and from major locations in and around the station area. There are bus and taxi laybys constructed as well as drop off zones at each station for ease of passenger access.
In addition 268 km of light rail lines are also planned, these will serve as feeders to the Dubai Metro. The Al Sufouh Tramway is one of the light rail plans.
LINES
The first two lines of the Dubai Metro will have 70 kilometres (43 mi) of lines, and 47 stations (including nine underground stations).
The Roads and Transport Authority's masterplan includes 320 km of metro lines up to 2020 to cater to the expected 3.3 million population of the city. There are plans for 268 km of light rail tracks to act as a feeder system for the Metro. The fate of this entire network – which would reportedly be divided into Yellow, Orange, Magenta and Black lines – is now dependent on an economic recovery and private investment.
LIST OF STATIONS
Dubai Metro is composed of at-grade (G) elevated Type 1, Type 2 and Type 3 (T1, T2 and T3, respectively) underground stations (U) and underground transfer station types (UT). Type 1 is the regular at-grade concourse station, Type 2 is a regular elevated concourse station, and Type 3 is an elevated special track station with an extra track to hold a non operational train. Underground transfer stations will be accommodating both the Red and Green lines for easy transfers.
Besides these differences, there are four themes used in the interiors of the stations: earth, water, fire and air. Earth stations have a tan-brown colour effects; water has blue-white colour effects; fire has orange-red colour effects; and the air has green colour effects.
Red Line:
Rashidiya Station (Depot)
Emirates Airlines Station
Airport Terminal 3 Station – For all Emirates Flights
Airport Terminal 1 Station – For all Non-Emirates Flights
Al Garhoud Station (GGICO station)
Deira City Centre Station
Al Rigga Station
Union Station (Interchange, connecting with Green Line)
Khalid bin Al Waleed Station (Interchange, connecting with Green Line)
Al Karama Station
Al Jafiliya Station
World Trade Centre Station
Emirates Towers Station
Financial Centre Station
Burj Khalifa / Dubai Mall Station
Business Bay Station
Noor Islamic Bank Station (Al Quoz)
First Gulf Bank Station
Mall of the Emirates Station
Sharaf DG Station
Dubai Internet City Station
Nakheel Station
Dubai Marina Station
Jumeirah Lakes Towers Free Zone Station
Nakheel Harbor and Towers Station
Ibn Battuta Station
Energy Station
Jebel Ali Industrial Station
Jebel Ali / Jafza Station
The main depot for the trains will be at Rashidiya just before the Rashidiya Station, while an auxiliary depot is located at Jebel Ali Port.
Green Line:[37]
Etisalat Station (T3)
Al Qusais 1 Station (T2)
Dubai Airport Free Zone Station (T2)
Al Nahda Station (T2)
Stadium Station (T2)
Al Quiadah Station (T2)
Abu Hail Station (T2)
Abu Baker Al Siddique Station (T2)
Salah Al Din Station (U)
Union Station (UT, connecting to Red Line)
Baniyas Square Station (U)
Palm Deira Station (U)
Al Ras Station (U)
Al Ghubaiba Station (U)
Saeediya Station (U)
Khalid Bin Al Waleed Station (UT, connecting to Red Line)
Oud Metha Station (T2)
Health Care City Station (T2)
Al Jedaf 1 Station (T2)
Creek Station (T2)
The train depot is located at Al Qusais just before the Al Qusais 2 Station.
Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Maktoum
Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Maktoum
Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum (born 14 November 1982), is the Crown Prince of Dubai, and second eldest son of HH Emir Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum and Sheikha Hind bint Maktoum bin Juma Al Maktoum. He is popularly known as Fazza, the name under which he publishes his poetry.
Education
Sheikh Hamdan began his schooling in Dubai at the Rashid School For Boys and then at the Dubai School of Government. He then continued his studies in the UK where he graduated from Sandhurst and later attended the London School of Economics, but did not graduate.
Roles and Positions
On 1 February 2008, Sheikh Hamdan was named as the Hereditary Prince of Dubai. As the new Hereditary Prince, he has recently appointed new key personal and financial advisors such as a global economist and a hedge fund tycoon from HN Capital LLP. He was appointed as the Chairman of the Dubai Executive Council in September 2006. He also is the head of the Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Establishment for Young Entrepreneurs, and resides on the Dubai Sports Council and the Dubai Autism Centre.
Sport
He is famous as a horse rider, and dives in Al Fujairah. He is also a semi-professional skydiver.
Personal life and family
Sheikh Hamdan is one of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum's 22 children. The position of the Emir of Dubai is considered consistant with the position of the head of the House of Al-Falasi. He is known for both his poetry and as a horse rider. His poems are mainly romantic, patriotic and about his family. He publishes his poems under the name Fazza . Sheikh Hamdan also has a passion for camels, cars and skydiving.
World Tallest Tower Burj Khalifa
Burj Khalifa
BURJ KHALIFA'S GRAND VISION
World's tallest building. A living wonder. Stunning work of art. Incomparable feat of engineering. Burj Khalifa is all that. In concept and execution, Burj Khalifa has no peer.
More than just the world's tallest building, Burj Khalifa is an unprecedented example of international cooperation, symbolic beacon of progress, and an emblem of the new, dynamic and prosperous Middle East.
It is also tangible proof of Dubai's growing role in a changing world. In fewer than 30 years, this city has transformed itself from a regional centre to a global one. This success was not based on oil reserves, but on reserves of human talent, ingenuity and initiative. Burj Khalifa embodies that vision.
Mr Mohamed Alabbar, Chairman, Emaar Properties, said: "Burj Khalifa goes beyond its imposing physical specifications. In Burj Khalifa, we see the triumph of Dubai's vision of attaining the seemingly impossible and setting new benchmarks. It is a source of inspiration for every one of us in Emaar. The project is a declaration of the emirate's capabilities and of the resolve of its leaders and people to work hand in hand on truly awe-inspiring projects.
Emaar had but one inspiration, the unflagging enthusiasm set in motion by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, who inspires us to reach for the stars.
Bringing Burj Khalifa to life required a combination of visionary ideals and solid science. In the process, the project amassed an awe-inspiring number of facts, figures, and statistics.
World Records
At over 828 metres (2,716.5 feet) and more than 160 stories, Burj Khalifa holds the following records:
• Tallest building in the world
• Tallest free-standing structure in the world
• Highest number of stories in the world
• Highest occupied floor in the world
• Highest outdoor observation deck in the world
• Elevator with the longest travel distance in the world
• Tallest service elevator in the world
Tallest of the Supertall
Not only is Burj Khalifa the world’s tallest building, it has also broken two other impressive records: tallest structure, previously held by the KVLY-TV mast in Blanchard, North Dakota, and tallest free-standing structure, previously held by Toronto’s CN Tower. The Chicago-based Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) has established 3 criteria to determine what makes a tall building tall. Burj Khalifa wins by far in all three categories.
Height to architectural top
Height is measured from the level of the lowest, significant, open-air, pedestrian entrance to the architectural top of the building. This includes spires, but does not include antennae, signage, flagpoles or other functional-technical equipment. This measurement is the most widely used and is used to define the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat rankings of the Tallest Buildings in the World.
Highest occupied floor
Height is measured from the level of the lowest, significant, open-air, pedestrian entrance to the highest continually occupied floor within the building. Maintenance areas are not included.
Height to tip
Height is measured from the level of the lowest, significant, open-air, pedestrian entrance to the highest point of the building, irrespective of material or function of the highest element. This includes antennae, flagpoles, signage and other functional-technical equipment.
'AT THE TOP' - BURJ KHALIFA'S OBSERVATION DECK
The high point of any Khalifa experience is the view from At The Top, Burj Khalifa's observation deck. Located on level 124 of the world's tallest tower, this observatory is destined to be the highlight of any visit to the Middle East.
The journey begins in the lower ground level of The Dubai Mall. Throughout the journey to the top, visitors are entertained by a multi-media presentation of the exotic history of Dubai and the marvel of Burj Khalifa.
Take home a lasting memento of your At The Top experience. Shop at either of two At The Top boutiques: on Level 124 for ticket holders, or the publicly accessible boutique on the lower ground level of The Dubai Mall.
OPENING CEREMONY VIDEO
Economy Of Dubai
Economy Of Dubai
Dubai's gross domestic product as of 2008 was US $82.11 billion. Although Dubai's economy was built on the back of the oil industry, revenues from oil and natural gas currently account for less than 7% of the emirate's revenues. It is estimated that Dubai produces 50,000 to 70,000 barrels (11,000 m3) of oil a day and substantial quantities of gas from offshore fields. The emirate's share in UAE's gas revenues is about 2%. Dubai's oil reserves have diminished significantly and are expected to be exhausted in 20 years. Real estate and construction (22.6%),[11] trade (16%), entrepôt (15%) and financial services (11%) are the largest contributors to Dubai's economy. Dubai's top exporting destinations include India (US$ 5.8 billion), Switzerland (US$ 2.37 billion) and Saudi Arabia (US$ 0.57 billion). Dubai's top re-exporting destinations include India (US$ 6.53 billion), Iran (US$ 5.8 billion) and Iraq (US$ 2.8 billion). The emirate's top import sources are India (US$ 12.55 billion), China (US$ 11.52 billion) and the United States (US$ 7.57 billion). As of 2009 India was Dubai's largest trade partner.
Historically, Dubai and its twin across the Dubai creek, Deira (independent of Dubai City at that time), were important ports of call for Western manufacturers. Most of the new city's banking and financial centres were headquartered in the port area. Dubai maintained its importance as a trade route through the 1970s and 1980s. Dubai has a free trade in gold and, until the 1990s, was the hub of a "brisk smuggling trade" of gold ingots to India, where gold import was restricted. Dubai's Jebel Ali port, constructed in the 1970s, has the largest man-made harbour in the world and was ranked seventh globally for the volume of container traffic it supports. Dubai is also a hub for service industries such as information technology and finance, with industry-specific free zones throughout the city. Dubai Internet City, combined with Dubai Media City as part of TECOM (Dubai Technology, Electronic Commerce and Media Free Zone Authority) is one such enclave whose members include IT firms such as Hewlett-Packard, EMC Corporation, Oracle Corporation, Microsoft, and IBM, and media organisations such as MBC, CNN, BBC, Reuters, Sky News and AP.
The government's decision to diversify from a trade-based, oil-reliant economy to one that is service and tourism-oriented made property more valuable, resulting in the property appreciation from 2004–2006. A longer-term assessment of Dubai's property market, however, showed depreciation; some properties lost as much as 64% of their value from 2001 to November 2008. The large scale real estate development projects have led to the construction of some of the tallest skyscrapers and largest projects in the world such as the Emirates Towers, the Burj Khalifa, the Palm Islands and the world's fourth tallest, and most expensive hotel, the Burj Al Arab. The Dubai Financial Market (DFM) was established in March 2000 as a secondary market for trading securities and bonds, both local and foreign. As of fourth quarter 2006, its trading volume stood at about 400 billion shares, worth $95 billion in total. The DFM had a market capitalisation of about $87 billion. The other Dubai-based stock exchange is NASDAQ Dubai, which is the international stock exchange in the Middle East. Its unique market enables a range of companies, including UAE and regional small and medium-sized enterprises, to trade on an exchange with an international brand name, with easy access by both regional and international investors.
Dubai's property market experienced a major downturn in 2008 and 2009 as a result of the slowing economic climate. Mohammed al-Abbar, Chief Executive Officer of Emaar told the international press in December 2008 that Emaar had credits of $70 billion and the state of Dubai additional $10 billion while holding estimated $350 billion in real estate assets. By early 2009, the situation had worsened with the global economic crisis taking a heavy toll on property values, construction and employment. This has had a major impact on property investors in the region, some of whom are unable to release funds from investments made in property developments. One such example of this is the Vue De Lac development, which was featured in a British ITV1 documentary Homes from Hell in 2010. As of February 2009 Dubai's foreign debt was estimated at approximately $80 billion, although this is a tiny fraction of the sovereign debt worldwide.
Dubai is also known as City of Gold, a major part of economy based on Gold trades in Dubai, Dubai's total gold trading volumes in H1 2011 reached 580 tonnes (average price US$1,455)
A City Mayors survey rated Dubai as 44th among the world's best financial cities in 2007, while another report by City Mayors indicated that Dubai was the world's 33rd richest city in 2009, in terms of purchasing power parity (PPP). Dubai is also an international financial centre and has been ranked 37th within the top 50 global financial cities as surveyed by the MasterCard Worldwide Centres of Commerce Index (2007), and 1st within the Middle East.
Dubai Governance and politics
Governance and politics
The Dubai Municipality (DM) was established by the then ruler of Dubai, Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum in 1954 for purposes of city planning, citizen services and upkeep of local facilities. DM is chaired by Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum, deputy ruler of Dubai and comprises several departments such as the Roads Department, Planning and Survey Department, Environment and Public Health Department and Financial Affairs Department. In 2001, Dubai Municipality embarked on an e-Government project with the intention of providing 40 of its city services through its web portal, dubai.ae. Thirteen such services were launched by October 2001, while several other services were expected to be operational in the future. Dubai Municipality is also in charge of the city's sanitation and sewage infrastructure.
Dubai History
Dubai History
stone tools have been found at many sites, little is known about the UAE's early inhabitants as only a few settlements have been found. Many ancient towns in the area were trading centers between the Eastern and Western worlds. The remnants of an ancient mangrove swamp, dated at 7,000 BC, were discovered during the construction of sewer lines near Dubai Internet City. The area was covered with sand about 5,000 years ago as the coast retreated inland, becoming a part of the city's present coastline. Pre Islamic ceramics have been found from the 3rd and 4th century. Prior to Islam, the people in this region worshiped Bajir (or Bajar). The Byzantine (Greek) and Sassanian (Persian) empires constituted the great powers of the period, with the Sassanians controlling much of the region. After the spread of Islam in the area, the Umayyad Caliph, of the eastern Islamic world, invaded south-east Arabia and drove out the Sassanians. Excavations by the Dubai Museum in the region of Al-Jumayra (Jumeirah) found several artifacts from the Umayyad period.
Alras Deira Mid
Al Fahidi Fort, built in 1799, is the oldest existing building in Dubai – now part of the Dubai Museum
The earliest recorded mention of Dubai is in 1095, in the "Book of Geography" by the Andalusian-Arab geographer Abu Abdullah al-Bakri. The Venetian pearl merchant Gaspero Balbi visited the area in 1580 and mentioned Dubai (Dibei) for its pearling industry. Since 1799, there has been a settlement known as Dubai town. In the early 19th century, the Al Abu Falasa clan (House of Al-Falasi) of Bani Yas clan established Dubai, which remained a dependent of Abu Dhabi until 1833. On 8 January 1820, the sheikh of Dubai and other sheikhs in the region signed the "General Maritime Peace Treaty" with the British government. In 1833, following tribal feuding, the Al Maktoum dynasty (also descendants of the House of Al-Falasi) of the Bani Yas tribe left their ancestral home of the Liwa Oasis, South-west of the settlement of Abu Dhabi and quickly took over Dubai from the Abu Fasala clan without resistance.
The Al Ras district in Deira, Dubai in the 1960s
Dubai came under the protection of the United Kingdom by the "Exclusive Agreement" of 1892, in which the UK agreed to protect Dubai against the Ottoman Empire. Two catastrophes struck the town during the 1800s. First, in 1841, a smallpox epidemic broke out in the Bur Dubai locality, forcing residents to relocate east to Deira. Then, in 1894, fire swept through Deira, burning down most homes.[25] However, the town's geographical location continued to attract traders and merchants from around the region. The emir of Dubai was keen to attract foreign traders and lowered trade tax brackets, which lured traders away from Sharjah and Bandar Lengeh, the region's main trade hubs at the time. Persian merchants naturally looked across to the Arab shore of the Persian Gulf finally making their homes in Dubai. They continued to trade with Lingah, however, as do many of the dhows in Dubai Creek today, and they named their district Bastakiya, after the Bastak region in southern Persia.
Dubai's geographical proximity to Iran made it an important trade location. The town of Dubai was an important port of call for foreign tradesmen, chiefly those from Iran, many of whom eventually settled in the town. By the beginning of the 20th century, it was an important port. Dubai was known for its pearl exports until the 1930s; the pearl trade was damaged irreparably by World War I, and later on by the Great Depression in the 1930s. With the collapse of the pearling industry, Dubai fell into a deep depression and many residents starved or migrated to other parts of the Persian Gulf.
In the early days since its inception, Dubai was constantly at odds with Abu Dhabi. In 1947, a border dispute between Dubai and Abu Dhabi on the northern sector of their mutual border, escalated into war. Arbitration by the British and the creation of a buffer frontier running south eastwards from the coast at Ras Hasian resulted in a temporary cessation of hostilities. Electricity, telephone services, and an airport were established in Dubai in the 1950s, when the British moved their local administrative offices there from Sharjah. After years of exploration following large finds in neighboring Abu Dhabi, oil was eventually discovered in Dubai in 1966, albeit in far smaller quantities. This led the emirate to grant concessions to international oil companies, thus igniting a massive influx of foreign workers, mainly Indians and Pakistanis. Between 1968 and 1975 the city's population grew by over 300%.
On 2 December 1971 Dubai, together with Abu Dhabi and five other emirates, formed the United Arab Emirates after the former protector, Britain, left the Persian Gulf in 1971. In 1973, Dubai joined the other emirates to adopt a uniform currency: the UAE dirham. Qatar and Bahrain chose to remain independent nations. In 1973, the monetary union with Qatar was dissolved and the UAE Dirham was introduced throughout the Emirates.
During the 1970s, Dubai continued to grow from revenues generated from oil and trade, even as the city saw an influx of immigrants fleeing the Lebanese civil war. Border disputes between the emirates continued even after the formation of the UAE; it was only in 1979 that a formal compromise was reached that ended hostilities. The Jebel Ali port was established in 1979. Jafza (Jebel Ali Free Zone) was built around the port in 1985 to provide foreign companies unrestricted import of labor and export capital.
The Gulf War of 1990 had a negative financial effect on the city, as depositors withdrew their money and traders withdrew their trade, but subsequently the city recovered in a changing political climate and thrived. But later in the 1990s, many foreign trading communities—first from Kuwait, during the Gulf War, and later from Bahrain, during the Shia unrest—moved their businesses to Dubai.Dubai provided refueling bases to allied forces at the Jebel Ali Free Zone during the Gulf War, and again during the 2003 Invasion of Iraq. Large increases in oil prices after the Gulf War encouraged Dubai to continue to focus on free trade and tourism.
Dubai History
LIVE LONG DUBAI
Dubai
Dubai
Dubai is a city in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), located within the emirate of the same name. The emirate of Dubai is located south east of the Persian Gulf on the Arabian Peninsula and is one of the seven emirates in the country. It has the largest population in the UAE and the second-largest land territory by area of all the emirates, after Abu Dhabi. Dubai and Abu Dhabi are the only two emirates to have veto power over critical matters of national importance in the country's legislature. The city of Dubai is located on the emirate's northern coastline. Dubai is often misperceived as a country and in some cases, the whole UAE has been described as 'Dubai'.
The earliest mention of Dubai is in 1095 AD, and the earliest settlement in the region dates from 1799. Dubai was formally established in 1833 by Sheikh Maktoum bin Buti al Maktoum when he persuaded 800 members of the Bani Yas tribe, living in what is now part of Saudi Arabia, to follow him to the Dubai Creek by the Al Abu Falasa clan of Bani Yas. It remained under clan control when the United Kingdom assumed the protection of Dubai in 1892. Its strategic geographical location made it an important trading hub and by the beginning of the 20th century, it was an important port.
Today, Dubai has emerged as a cosmopolitan metropolis that has grown to become a global city and a business and cultural hub of the Middle East. Although Dubai's economy was built on the oil industry, the emirate's model of business drives its economy, with the effect that its main revenues are now from tourism, real estate, and financial services, similar to that of Western countries. Dubai has recently attracted world attention through many innovative large construction projects and sports events. The city has become symbolic for its skyscrapers and high-rise buildings, such as the Burj Khalifa which is the tallest structure in the world, in addition to developments projects including man-made islands, hotels and some of the largest shopping malls in the region. This increased attention has also highlighted labour rights and human rights issues concerning its largely South Asian workforce. Dubai's property market experienced a major deterioration in 2008 and 2009 as a result of the worldwide economic downturn following the financial crisis of 2007–2012. However, Dubai made a steady and gradual recovery. As of 2012, Dubai is the 22nd most expensive city in the world, surpassing London (25th) and is the most expensive city in the Middle East, surpassing Tel Aviv (31st). Mercer rated Dubai as the best place to live in the Middle East.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)