Few skylines have evolved as quickly as those found in the Middle East, especially in the city of Dubai in the United Arab Emirates. The discovery of oil, followed by a huge boom in trade and tourism, transformed the city’s subtle skyline into a glittering metropolis complete with towering skyscrapers the likes of which the world had never seen.
The First Skyscraper In Dubai: Dubai World Trade Centre
Before Dubai became an internationally recognized tourist centre, its skyline had only one important function. The World Trade Centre was built in 1979 and was formerly known as the Sheikh Rashid Tower. Originally a single tower, the World Trade Centre has since expanded to include several exhibition halls, ballrooms, and the Trade Centre Arena.
It was the tallest building in the UAE at the time and is even featured on the local AED 100 banknote. The now-iconic skyscraper would have towered over the surrounding buildings had it existed at the time, but the 149-metre-tall, 39-storey office tower is surprisingly far from the vibrant commercial areas of Deira and Bur Dubai.
An Iconic Landmark: Palm Jumeirah
One of the most influential and important architectural achievements of Dubai is the construction of the artificial islands of Palm Jumeirah. Built-in the shape of a palm tree, The Palm directly follows another of Dubai’s architectural achievements, the Dubai Marina.
The buildings in Dubai Marina, part of a cluster of super-tall buildings collectively known as the “world’s tallest blocks”, have 6 of the 10 tallest residential towers on the planet. The massive Elite Residence skyscraper overlooks Dubai Marina and Palm Jumeirah. With a height of 380.5 meters and 87 floors, the building was the first addition to the new Dubai skyline, easily recognizable, and claimed the title of fourth tallest residential building in the world.
Home To Some Of The Tallest Hotels In The World
When it comes to hotels, Dubai abounds, and not just in quantity. Dubai is now home to all 4 of the tallest hotels in the world, all of which you can enjoy playing at Pakistan poker casinos online in. And while the tallest hotel in the world is The Ritz-Carlton, Hong Kong, the tallest buildings that function only as hotels can be found in Dubai.
Dubai is home to all four of the tallest hotels in the world. Burj Al Arab, one of the most famous hotels in the world and an iconic landmark of Dubai, is number 3 on the list, reaching a height of 210 meters. The shape of the structure is designed to mimic a sail and was designed by multidisciplinary consultancy Atkins under the guidance of architect Tom Wright, who has since become a co-founder of WKK Architects. Built on an artificial island, the iconic Burj Al Arab is the fourth tallest hotel in the world.
The JW Marriott Marquis Dubai Hotel is the tallest hotel in the world at 355 meters. Operated by Marriott International, the 76-storey twin-tower complex costs AED 1.8 billion and has 1,608 rooms. Originally designed to be 40 meters higher, the JW Marriott Marquis Dubai is still the tallest hotel in the world. It was originally supposed to be completed in 2008, but the design and location had to be changed due to the construction of the stream extension belonging to the Business Bay mega-project.
The “average” height of 355 meters was reduced from the original plans for the twins to 395 meters, with the addition of the towers in 2011, it reached its current height and won the title of the tallest hotel in the world.
