Fun-tastic Dubai

Dubai has its own seven wonders, I rate them in the following priorities of making wonders.

1. Burj Dubai:

This wonderful tower is going to be completed soon. Some interesting facts and information about this huge building will amaze everyone.

1. Upon completion, the Burj Dubai will be the world’s tallest building as well as the world’s tallest man-made structure. (more here on present tallest man-made structure)
2. The Burj Dubai spire will be visible from as far away as 95 kms.
3. At 5,500 kg capacity, the firemen/service elevator will be the world’s tallest service elevator.
4. First mega-rise to have elevators with specially programmed, permit-controlled evacuation procedures. (I wonder how they work? Weren’t we supposed Not to use evaluators in case of an emergency)
5. Highest publicly accessible observation tower at 442 meters. ( Go up and watch miles and miles of desert as well as ocean I guess!)
6. The curtain wall of Burj Dubai will be equivalent to 17 football fields.
7. The total glass requirement is 142K sq/m
8. Total concrete used is equivalent to 1900km sidewalk and weighs the equivalent to 100,000 elephants.
9. There will be 200 meters of “dancing” fountains at the foot of Burj Dubai.

And for the environmentally inclined person:

1. Power requirement is 36 KVA is equivalent of 36K lights bulbs of 100 watts each operating at the same time.
2. The cooling requirement is 10K tonnes of melting ice every day.
3. 15 Million gallons of supplemental water are collected and drained every day

And lastly, 33,236 Men in Blue work at the site on a regular basis.

Source: Official website of Burj Dubai.

2. Palm Islands: palm-shaped man-made island

The Palm Islands in Dubai are the three largest artificial islands in the world. They are being constructed by Nakheel Properties, a property developer in the United Arab Emirates, who hired the Dutch dredging and marine contractor Van Oord, one of the world’s specialists in land reclamation. The islands are The Palm Jumeirah, The Palm Jebel Ali and The Palm Deira. The Islands are located off the coast of The United Arab Emirates in the Persian Gulf and will add 520 km of beaches to the city of Dubai.

It has the most expensive hotel called as palm Atlantis;

For all its excesses Dubai’s Atlantis Hotel is a masterpiece of construction. Situated in a secluded spot on this artificial Palm Island, the 113-acre resort has an oceanic theme, with an aquapark which includes an aquarium, with dolphins flown in from the Solomon Islands. For its top floor suite –known as the Bridge Suite, the hotel charges $26,000 per night — and that’s just for bed and breakfast!

3. Dubailand: world’s largest amusement park

Dubailand is to be the largest amusement park collection in the world. Twice the size of Disney World, it is expected to be a full featured city divided into six theme worlds:

• Attractions & Experience World 13 km² (5.2 mile²)
  • Universal Studios Dubai
  • Tiger Woods Dubai
  • Bawadi
  • Global Village
  • Kids City
  • Giants World
  • Water Parks
  • Aquadunya
  • Dubai Snowdome, an indoor ski resort.
• Retail and Entertainment World 4 km² (1.6 mile²)
  • Flea Market
  • World Trade Park
  • Auction World
  • Factory Outlets
• Sports and Outdoor World 19 km² (7.4 mile²)
  • Dubai Sports City
  • Emerat Sports World
  • Plantation Equestrian and Polo Club
  • Dubai Autodrome
  • Dubai Golf City

Themed Leisure and Vacation World 29 km² (11.2 mile²)

• Women’s World
• Destination Dubai
• Desert Kingdom
• Andalusian Resort and Spa

Eco-Tourism World 75 km² (28.9 mile²)

• Al Sahra Desert Resort
• Sand Dune Hotel
• Al Kaheel

Downtown 1.8 km² (0.7 mile²)

• Mall of Arabia, which will be the world’s largest shopping mall
• City Walk
• The Great Dubai Wheel, which will be the world’s 2nd largest observation wheel after Shanghai Kiss
• Virtual Game World

4. Hydropolis: world’s first underwater luxury resort

Hydropolis, the world’s first underwater luxury resort, brings new meaning to the “ocean-view room.” Situated 66 feet below the surface of the Persian Gulf, Hydropolis will feature 220 guest suites. Reinforced by concrete and steel, its Plexiglas walls and bubble-shaped dome ceilings offer sights of fish and other sea creatures. It’s scheduled to open in 2009.

5. The World Islands: man-made islands in the form of a world map

Ever wish the world was smaller? The World is a man-made archipelago of 300 islands in the shape of a world map. The World is being built primarily using sand dredged from the sea. Each island ranges from 23,000 m2 to 84,000 m2 (250,000–900,000 square feet or 5.7–21 acres) in size, with 50–100 m of water between each island. The development will cover an area of 9 km in length and 6 km in width, surrounded by an oval breakwater. The only means of transport between the islands will be by boat and helicopter. Prices for the islands will range from $15-45 million (USD). The average price for an island will be around $25 million (USD). Dredging started in 2004 and as of March of 2007 The World is around 90% complete. According to the National Geographic Channel (The Best of Megastructures) the overall price for the World is $14 Billion US Dollars.

6. Dubai Mall: largest mall in the world

The Dubai Mall claims to be the largest mall in the world when completed. It will cover a total area of more than 12 million ft², with 10 – 15 individual smaller malls built inside it, consisting of 9 million ft² of shopping retail space (comprising of a total of more than 1000 stores).

Featured attractions include the world’s largest gold souk; the 850,000 ft² Fashion Island; one of the world’s largest aquariums; an Olympic-sized ice skating rink; Oasis Fountain Waterfall; WaterFront Atrium; a view of the (soon to be completed) world’s tallest building, Burj Dubai. The mall has already won five awards. It won two awards at the Retail Future Project Awards at MAPIC, Cannes, in 2004, for Best Retail Development Scheme (Large), Best Use of Lighting in a Retail Environment. And the Dubai Mall brochure has won three awards at the Summit Creative Awards 2005, in Portland, Oregon; Gold award for Best Art Direction / Graphic Design, Silver award for Best 4-colour B2B Brochure, and Judges Special Recognition award. The mall is being built by a Joint Venture of Dutco Balfour Beatty and AGCCC for client Emaar Properties and was scheduled to be completed in 2006, claiming to be the size of 50 “international-sized football(soccer) pitches”. It is now expected to be completed in 2008.

7. Ski Dubai: largest indoor ski resorts in the world

Ski Dubai, which is already open, is claimed to be the largest indoor ski resorts in the world, with 22,500-square metres of indoor ski area. It is a part of the Mall of the Emirates, which is one of the largest malls in the world.
An extremely efficient insulation system is the key to maintain the temperature of -1 degrees Celsius during the day and -6 degrees during the night when the snow is produced.

My other recommendations to the new visitors of UAE are:

1. Sharjah Acquarium

 

Sharjah aquarium is home to 30 different species, including sharks, and gives visitors a rare glimpse into the marine life of the United Arab Emirates.

The world-class aquarium, located in Al Khan, was inaugurated by His Highness Dr Shaikh Sultan Bin Mohammad Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah.

It takes visitors on a journey from the west coast to the east coast of Sharjah.

The main aim of the aquarium is educational as it focuses on the characteristics of marine life in the UAE. The plan is to increase the number of species in the aquarium from 30 to more than 50 in the next few months, said Ismail Al Hamadi, assistant curator of the aquarium.

“The aquarium is also dedicated to the preservation of marine life and to teach more about reproductive and environmental issues,”

2. Qanat Al Qasba:

The ‘Eye of the Emirates’ is part of Qanat Al Qasba, Sharjah’s ambitious entertainment and cultural hub which was inaugurated in mid-April, commissioned by the Qasba Development Authority. Standing proudly on Sharjah’s Qasba canal, the ‘Eye of the Emirates’ is expected to become a key attraction at Qanat Al Qasba which was conceived by reputed regional leisure consultants Thomas Klein International, who are confident that the ‘Eye of the Emirates’ will prove a popular springboard to the area’s extensive cultural and entertainment attractions.

The wheel was built in the Netherlands according to the latest technology and highest safety standards. It features 42 fully air-conditioned passenger cabins, or gondolas, attached to its external rim, with each gondola accommodating eight people at a time. Passengers can enjoy a panoramic view of 25-30 miles, including breathtaking aerial views of Sharjah and Dubai. The capsules are aerodynamically shaped for least wind resistance and tuned mass dampers are attached to the outer rim to prevent the wheel from vibrating at its natural frequency. The large glass windows that surround passengers ensure that the views are magnificent and, because the capsules are secured to the outer rim, the views are unobstructed.

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