Dubai tower breaks world record…

The Arab Emirate of Dubai seems to enjoy the limelight, when they’re not causing international consternation and causing financial ripples across the world, they’re often building things – giant mahoosive, unrivalled and unprecedented things. As incredibly rich Emirates go, Dubai is not exactly the richest oil-blessed nation in the Arabian Peninsula; so instead of relying solely upon natural resources, the Emirate has, within the last 10 years, decided to concentrate on making itself the hottest tourist and commercial destination in the Mediterranean, with a great deal of success I must add.

In the last decade Dubai has undergone a vast and rapid transformation which has seen the city skyline altered beyond recognition. A once quiet desert town has become a vast metropolis containing some of the world’s most unique and technologically advanced developments. Dubai’s latest triumph is the Burj Khalifa, the world tallest building measuring at 828m, a massive 2,716ft that dwarfs the previous record holder by over 400m. Anyone taking a flight into Dubai cannot help but notice a variety of incredible developments such as the Burj Khalifa, The Palm Jumeriah and the still incomplete World Islands.

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The tower was originally going to be named the Burj Dubai, but in an astute political move Sheikh Mohammed decided to dedicate the tower to Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahayan and name it in his honour after a $10bn handout was given to Dubai by the Sheikhs Emirate, Abu Dhabi. In his address Sheikh Mohammed said “This great project deserves to carry the name of a great man. Today I inaugurate Burj Khalifa.”

The tower which can be seen from 95km away comprises of 49 office floors, 1,044 residential apartments and contains a staggering 57 lifts. Some parts of the inside are still incomplete such as the 160 room Armani hotel, but much of the tower is due to completed within the coming year. Construction originally began in 2004 and it has taken 6 years to complete the exterior, costing an estimated $1.5bn dollars.