Helicopter Dubai memorable flight

Burj Al Arab برج العرب
Jumeirah Burj Al Arab in 2007
Interactive map of the Burj Al Arab برج العرب area
General information
Status	Completed
Type	Luxury hotel
Architectural style	Structural expressionism
Location	Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Construction started	10 July 1994; 31 years ago (1994-07-10)
Completed	1999; 27 years ago (1999)
Opening	1 December 1999; 26 years ago (1999-12-01)[1]
Cost	US$1 billion[2]
Management	Jumeirah
Height
Architectural	321 m (1,053 ft)
Top floor	197.5 m (648 ft)
Technical details
Floor count	56 (3 below ground)[3]
Lifts/elevators	18[3]
Design and construction
Architect	Tom Wright of WKA
Developer	Jumeirah Group
Structural engineer	Atkins
Main contractor	Murray & Roberts / Concor
Other information
Number of rooms	202[3]
Website
www.jumeirah.com/en/stay/dubai/burj-al-arab-jumeirah
References
[3][4][5][6][7]

The Jumeirah Burj Al Arab (Arabic: برج العرب, lit. 'Arab Tower'), commonly known as Burj Al Arab, is a luxury hotel in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.^[8] Developed and managed by Jumeirah, it is one of the tallest hotels in the world, although 39% of its total height is made up of non-occupiable space.^[9][10][11] Burj Al Arab stands on an artificial island that is 280 m (920 ft) from Jumeirah Beach and is connected to the mainland by a private curving bridge. The shape of the structure is designed to resemble the sail of a dhow.^[12] It has a helipad near the roof, at a height of 210 m (689 ft) above ground.

The beachfront area where Jumeirah Burj Al Arab and Jumeirah Beach Hotel are located was previously called Chicago Beach.^[13] The hotel is located on an island of reclaimed land, 280 m (920 ft) offshore of the beach of the former Chicago Beach Hotel. The former hotel was demolished during the construction of the Burj Al Arab.^[14] The locale's name had its origins in the Chicago Bridge & Iron Company, which at one time welded giant floating oil storage tanks, known locally as Kazzans, on the site.^[13]

The Burj Al Arab was designed by the British multidisciplinary consultancy Atkins, led by architect Tom Wright of WKA. He came up with the iconic design and signature translucent fiberglass facade that serves as a shield from the desert sun during the day and as a screen for illumination at night.^[15] The design and construction were managed by Canadian engineer Rick Gregory, and construction managed by David Kirby also of WS Atkins. The Burj Al Arab's interior is by British-Chinese designer Khuan Chew. Construction of the island began in 1994 and involved up to 2,000 construction workers during peak construction. Two "wings" spread in a V to form a vast "mast", while the space between them is enclosed in a massive atrium. The setting of a high rise building on saturated soil and the novelty of the project required groundbreaking dynamic analysis and design to take into consideration soil-structure interaction, effect of water, high winds, and helipad among other loads, to help finalize the design and take the project into construction.^{[16][failed verification]}

The hotel was built by South African construction contractor Murray & Roberts, now renamed Concor and Al Habtoor Engineering. The interior designs were led and created by Khuan Chew and John Carolan of KCA international and delivered by UAE based Depa Group.^[17]

The building opened on 1 December 1999.^[1] The New Year's Eve fireworks celebration originated in 2000 with the inauguration of the United Arab Emirates.

The hotel's helipad was designed by Irish architect Rebecca Gernon.^[18] The helipad is at the building's 28th floor, and the helipad been used as a car race track, a boxing ring, has hosted a tennis match, and the jumping off point for the highest kite surfing jump in history.^[19]

In 2017, the hotel hosted the wedding of Daniel Kinahan, head of the Kinahan Organized Crime Group.^[20] The wedding was attended by several prominent drug traffickers, such as Ridouan Taghi, Edin Gačanin, 'Ricardo (El Rico) Riquelme Vega, and Raffaele Imperiale.^[20]

Several features of the hotel required complex engineering feats to achieve. The hotel rests on an artificial island constructed 280 m (920 ft) offshore. To secure a foundation, the builders drove 230 40-metre-long (130 ft) concrete piles into the sand by drilling method.^[21]

Engineers created a ground surface layer of large rocks, which is circled with a concrete honeycomb pattern, which serves to protect the foundation from erosion. It took three years to reclaim the land from the sea, while it took less than three years to construct the building itself. The building contains over 70,000 m³ (92,000 yd³) of concrete and 9,000 tons of steel.^[21]

Inside the building, the atrium is 180 m (590 ft) tall.^[22]

Given the height of the building, the Burj Al Arab is the world's fifth tallest hotel after Gevora Hotel, JW Marriott Marquis Dubai, Four Seasons Place Kuala Lumpur and Rose and Rayhaan by Rotana. But if buildings with mixed use were stripped off the list, the Burj Al Arab would be the world's third tallest hotel. The structure of the Rose Rayhaan, also in Dubai, is 333 metres (1,093 ft) tall,^[23] 12 m (39 ft) taller than the Burj Al Arab, which is 321 metres (1,053 ft) tall.^[23]The Burj Al Arab's helipad, located 210 meters above ground, has been the site of several high-profile events, including a tennis match between Roger Federer and Andre Agassi, and stunts by Red Bull athletes.^{[citation needed]}

The hotel is managed by the Jumeirah Group. The hotel has 199 exclusive suites each allocated eight dedicated staff members and a 24-hour butler service.^[24] The smallest suite occupies an area of 169 m² (1,820 sq ft), the largest covers 780 m² (8,400 sq ft).^[25]

The Royal Suite, billed at US$24,000 per night, is listed at number 12 on World's 15 most expensive hotel suites compiled by CNN Go in 2012.^[26]

The Burj Al Arab is very popular with the Chinese market, which made up 25 percent of all bookings at the hotel in 2011 and 2012.^[27]

There are six restaurants in the hotel, including:

Al Muntaha ("The Ultimate"), is located 200 m (660 ft) above the Persian Gulf, offering a view of Dubai. It is supported by a full cantilever that extends 27 m (89 ft) from either side of the mast, and is accessed by a panoramic elevator.^{[citation needed]}

Al Mahara ("Oyster"), which is accessed via a simulated submarine voyage, features a large seawater aquarium, holding roughly 990,000 L (260,000 US gal) of water. The wall of the tank, made of acrylic glass in order to withstand the water pressure, is about 18 cm (7.1 in) thick.^{[citation needed]}

While the hotel has sometimes been described as "the world's only 'seven-star' hotel", the hotel management claims never to have done so themselves. The term appeared due to a British journalist who had visited the hotel on a tour before it was officially opened. The journalist described Burj al Arab as "more than anything she has ever seen" and therefore referred to it as a seven-star hotel.^[28] A Jumeirah Group spokesperson said "There's not a lot we can do to stop it. We're not encouraging the use of the term. We've never used it in our advertising."^[29]

Burj Al Arab has attracted criticism as "a contradiction of sorts, considering how well-designed and impressive the construction ultimately proves to be."^[25] The contradiction here seems to be related to the hotel's decor. "This extraordinary investment in state-of-the-art construction technology stretches the limits of the ambitious urban imagination in an exercise that is largely due to the power of excessive wealth." Another critic includes negative critiques for the city of Dubai as well: "both the hotel and the city, after all, are monuments to the triumph of money over practicality. Both elevate style over substance."^[25] Yet another: "Emulating the quality of palatial interiors, in an expression of wealth for the mainstream, a theater of opulence is created in Burj Al Arab ... The result is a baroque effect".^[25]

The last chapter of the espionage novel Performance Anomalies^[30][31] takes place at the top of the Burj Al Arab,^[32] where the spy protagonist Cono 7Q discovers that through deadly betrayal his spy nemesis Katerina has maneuvered herself into the top echelon of the government of Kazakhstan. The hotel can also be seen in Syriana and also some Bollywood movies.^[which?]

Richard Hammond included the building in his television series Richard Hammond's Engineering Connections.

The Jumeirah Burj Al Arab serves as the cover image for the 2009 album Ocean Eyes by Owl City.

The Burj Al Arab was the site of the last task of the fifth episode of the first season of the Chinese edition of The Amazing Race, where teams had to clean up a room to the hotel's standards.^[33][34]

The building is featured in Matthew Reilly's novel The Six Sacred Stones, where a kamikaze pilot crashes a plane into the hotel, destroying it in an attempt to kill the protagonist, Jack West Jr.

The building was the location of the main challenge of the ninth episode of the Canadian-American animated television series Total Drama Presents: The Ridonculous Race,^[35] where contestants were tasked to either return a serve from a tennis robot on the hotel's helipad, or squeegee an entire column of the hotel's windows.

• W Barcelona (Hotel Vela) – skyscraper of similar appearance in Barcelona, Spain (sail)
• Oman TiT – residential skyscraper of similar appearance in Taipei, Taiwan (sail)
• Elite Plaza – a similar-shaped skyscraper in Yerevan, Armenia
• JW Marriott Panama (Panama City) – similar structure
• Spinnaker Tower, Portsmouth – similar structure in Portsmouth, UK
• Vasco da Gama Tower – a skyscraper of similar appearance in Lisbon, Portugal (sail)
• Sail Tower – a skyscraper of similar appearance in Haifa, Israel (sail)
• List of tallest buildings in the United Arab Emirates
• List of buildings in Dubai
• List of tallest buildings in Dubai

• Rose, Steve (28 November 2005). "Architecture: Sand and freedom". The Guardian.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:
Burj Al Arab (category)

• Official website

Artificial archipelago in Dubai, UAE

 

This article needs to be updated. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information. (April 2025)

The World Islands (Dubai)

View of the World in 2010
Geography
Location	United Arab Emirates
Coordinates	25°13′00″N 55°10′00″E / 25.21667°N 55.16667°E / 25.21667; 55.16667
Archipelago	The World
Length	9 km (5.6 mi)
Width	6 km (3.7 mi)
Administration
United Arab Emirates

The World Islands (Arabic: جزر العالم, romanized: Juzur al-Ālam) are an archipelago of small artificial islands constructed in the shape of a world map, located in the Persian Gulf, off the coast of Dubai, United Arab Emirates.^[1] The World Islands are composed mainly of sand dredged from Dubai's shallow coastal waters and are one of several artificial island developments in the emirate.^[1] The World's developer is Nakheel Properties. Construction was done by two Dutch joint-venture specialist companies, Van Oord and Boskalis, who also created the Palm Jumeirah.

Construction of the 300 islands began in 2003, before being halted due to the 2008 financial crisis.^[2] Though 60% of the islands were sold to private contractors in 2008, development on most of the project has not started.^[3] As of July 2012, Lebanon Island was completed and was the only island that had so far been developed commercially, being used for private corporate events and public parties. As of late 2013, only two of the islands had been developed. In January 2014, Kleindienst Group announced the launch of "the Heart of Europe" project.^[4] By February 2014, JK Properties, one of Kleindienst Group's brands, announced that the project was "well underway".^[5] The first of these series of islands will be Europe, Sweden, and Germany, with development led by Kleindienst Group.

The World Project

[edit]

Islands in the project range from 1.4 to 4.2 hectares (3.5 to 10.4 acres) in area.^[1] Distances between islands average 100 metres (110 yd); they are constructed from 321 million cubic metres of sand and 386 million tons of rock.^[1] Designed by Creative Kingdom Dubai, the development is an area that covers 6 by 9 kilometres (3.2 by 4.9 nmi) and is surrounded by an oval-shaped breakwater island. Roughly 232 km (144 mi) of shoreline has been created. The World's overall development costs were estimated at $13 billion CAD in 2005.^{[citation needed]}

The archipelago consists of seven sets of islands, representing the continents of Europe, Africa, Asia, North America, South America, Antarctica, and Oceania.^[6] Each artificial island is named after its representative country, landmark, or region, such as France,^[7] California,^[8] Rio de Janeiro, Mount Everest,^[9] Australia,^[10] New Mexico,^[11] Upernavik,^[12] Buenos Aires,^[13] New York,^[14] Mexico,^[15] Saint Petersburg,^[16] São Paulo, and India.^[17]

History

[edit]

The project was unveiled in May 2003 by Al Maktoum,^[18] and dredging began four months later.^[18] By January 2008, 60% of the islands were sold, with 20 being bought in the first four months of 2007.^[1][18] On 10 January 2008, the final stone on the breakwater was laid, completing development of the archipelago.^[18] As of July 2012, a second island, the Lebanon Island (1.5 hectares, or 3.7 acres and 482.21 metres of perimeter) was developed and was 'the only island that has so far been developed commercially, is used for private corporate events and public parties'.^[19]

Difficulties

[edit]

The Times reported in September 2009 that work on the World had been suspended due to the effects of the 2008 financial crisis.^[20][21] Nakheel denied 2010 reports that the islands were sinking into the sea as wholly inaccurate.^[22] Despite the denial, The Daily Telegraph reported in January 2011 that an independent company, Penguin Marine, provided verification on the erosion of the islands and the silting of the passageways between the islands.^[23] Due to financial and technical problems, Penguin Marine, contracted to provide transportation to the archipelago, attempted to get out of the annual fees of $1.6 million paid to Nakheel properties.^[23]

Until early 2012, only one of the islands had been occupied by a building (a show home),^[2] and commercial or residential properties were not being constructed on any of the other islands. Property prices in the Emirates had fallen 58% from their peak in the fourth quarter of 2008.^[24] The world economic recovery from the Great Recession resulted in a rebound for the Dubai real estate market: it was reported that "residential prices [in Dubai] rose by 17.9% from August 2012 to 2013, while rents soared by 14.9% in the same period".^[25]

Purchase and development plans

[edit]

The World was supposed to be serviced by four major transportation hubs linked by waterways. Land parcels were supposedly zoned for various uses: estate, mid-density, high density, resorts, and commercial.^[26]

The plan was for utilities to be routed underwater, with pumping stations at each of the hubs pumping fresh water to the islands. Power was to be supplied by the Dubai grid and distributed through underwater cables. However, as of May 2025, no cables had been laid, and developers had to provide their own power using diesel generators. Wastewater and refuse systems are an individual concern for each island.^[26]

Nakheel Group is itself further developing a resort named Coral Island, covering over 20 islands that make up the North American part of the World. The low-rise development will include a marina and hotel village.^[27] The second largest confirmed development is the purchase of 14 islands that make up Australia and New Zealand by Investment Dar of Kuwait. The islands are being developed as a resort named OQYANA.^[28]

The Irish business consortium Larionovo had plans to develop the Ireland island into an Irish-themed resort.^[29] The plans included a large internal marina, apartments and villas, a gym, hotel, and an Irish-themed pub. In July 2007, it was announced that the island would feature a recreation of Northern Ireland's Giant's Causeway. However, on 25 November 2008, a provisional liquidator was appointed for Larionovo. As of October 2022, this has not happened.^[30]

In April 2008, Salya Corporation announced that it had acquired the islands of Finland and Brunei and planned to develop them into fashion-themed resorts. Salya spent about Dh800 million (US$218 million) to purchase the islands and plans to spend a further Dh2.4 billion (US$654 million) on development. Brunei Island will be turned into a Fashion TV resort and Finland Island into a fashion community called FTV palace.^[31]

Safi Qurashi^[32] at the head of Premier, and his business partner Mustafa Nagri, paid an estimated US$64 million for the 4.5-hectare (11-acre) piece of land; he was later convicted for non-payment of cheques and sentenced to seven years in jail.^[33] However, on appeal, he was later found not guilty and released from prison in July 2012, when he was declared innocent of two of the three charges.^[34][35]

Josef Kleindienst and his firm JK Properties are developing the Heart of Europe, a collection of seven islands (Germany, Netherlands, Sweden, Ukraine, Main Europe, Switzerland, and Monaco) in the European section of the World, into an island luxury resort.^[36] It is meant to create a fully immersive European experience, with outdoor snow^[37] and stores accepting only the Euro as a currency.^[38] It was set to open in 2020 but was delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic.^[39]

In June 2020, a street called Raining Street was being built as part of the Heart of Europe project, with plans to create artificial rainfall once the outdoor temperature exceeds 27 degrees Celsius, with the objective to make a close copy of southern European climate.^[40]

In December 2022, it was announced that the first hotel within the project, Cote d'Azur Monaco, had opened.^[41]

Timeline of construction

[edit]

See also: List of Developments on The World Islands

This section needs to be updated. The reason given is: timeline past 2022 is missing. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information. (October 2023)

• May 2003: The World development was announced by Nakheel, total completion scheduled for 2008. It was initially to have 200 islands and an area of 5,600,000 square metres (60,000,000 sq ft).^[42]
• February 2004: It was announced that the World would comprise 260 islands, and its area would be 6 km by 9 km, with an area of 23–83,613 square metres (250–900,000 sq ft) for each island, with 50–100 m (160–330 ft) of water between each island.^[42]
• August 2004: It was announced that land reclamation would cost AED 7.3 billion ($2 billion).^[42]
• April 2005: Sand dredging 55 percent complete, 88 islands completed.^[42]
• 30 March 2006: Richard Branson appeared at a media conference on the Great Britain island. However, this was to announce direct London-to-Dubai flights by Virgin Atlantic and was not related to his investing in the project.^[43]
• December 2006: The World reclamation 90 percent complete.^[42]
• October 2007: Nakheel announced the sale of Ireland and Shanghai in October 2007.^[42]
• January 2008: The World breakwater is completed.^[42]
• 19 February 2008: Cinnovation Group acquired a 37,000-square-metre (400,000 sq ft) island as part of a project valued at $200 million USD. Guest and residential villas and a hospitality complex are planned.^[44]

• 25 February 2008: Dubai Multi Commodities Centre announced that it will establish a 6,000-square-metre (65,000 sq ft) pearling and marine entertainment center in association with Paspaley Pearling Corporation. It will be located on an island in the Antarctic region of the World.^[45]
• September 2008: Dubai's Limitless announced plans to develop a $161 million USD wellness resort on an island in "Siberia". Pearl Dubai paid US$27.2 million for a 150,000-square-metre (1,600,000 sq ft) island nearby.^[46]
• 28 December 2008: Turkey Island was bought by MNG Holding in June 2008 for US$19 million.^[46]
• 28 December 2008: China's Zhongzhou International announced that it will be developing a hotel resort on Shanghai island.^[46]
• 28 December 2008: Nakheel said 70 percent of the World had been sold.^[42]
• October 2009: An Emirates Business report on 13 October 2009 stated that two islands were sold in July and August 2009.^[42]
• December 2009: Dubai-based Kleindienst Group said they would start construction of the Heart of Europe in early 2010. Islands include Austria, Germany, Netherlands, Ukraine, Sweden, and Switzerland.^[42]
• January 2010: On 28 January 2010, Emirates Business reported that Major Trade had started development of their projects on an island in the Greenland area, a villa and hotel resort.^[42]
• 23 February 2010: Kleindienst Group started work on the Germany island of the World.^[47]
• 17 July 2012: The Royal Island Beach Club opened on Lebanon Island.
• 6 May 2013: Nakheel announced that an out-of-court settlement had been reached between itself and Kleindienst Group, allowing construction on "The Heart of Europe" to resume.^[48]
• 10 June 2013: Construction began on "Taiwan".^[49]
• 2 July 2013: Nakheel announced that settlements "with São Paulo Development Ltd for São Paulo Island and a GCC investor for the purchase of Nord Island", totaling "AED 185 million", along with the earlier settlement with Kleindienst Group (valued at AED 622 million), have "put The World back on the map".^[50]

• 10 December 2013: Nakheel announced plans to connect the islands with a road.^[51]
• January 2014: Kleindienst Group's JK Properties announced that "work has commenced on The Heart of Europe".^[52]
• January 2014: Website "The Heart of Europe" publishes monthly construction updates for the project.^[53]
• February 2014: JK Properties announced that the "Heart of Europe" islands construction is "well underway".^[54]
• 7 December 2016: The Heart of Europe project makes major progress when the Dubai-based company JK Bauen, part of the Kleindienst Group, appointed Chinese-based companies Wuchang Ship Building Industry Group and Sino Great Wall International Engineering in a joint venture to develop facilities on the six islands.^[55]
• January 2022: Anantara World Islands opens.^[56]

• List of developments of The World (archipelago)
• Palm Islands
• The Universe
• Dubai Waterfront

Wikimedia Commons has media related to The World.

• Nakheel.com: The World (Web archive)
• "The Heart of Europe" website
• List of islands in The World by Nakheel, Dubai (DubaiFAQs)