Dubai: a paradise in the desert
Rent:
Dubai is an emirate of the United Arab Emirates and the city of Dubai is the largest city in the UAE. Dubai is to the east of Saudi Arabia and lies on the Persian Gulf. The country is approximately 1,600 square miles or 4,100 square kilometers. That would make the total area three times the size of New York City, New York. The land is covered in sand dunes, with no bodies of water, and is located in the Arabian desert.
History:
Dubai’s earliest records date back to 1095, and Dubai City records only date back to 1799. Due to the geographical location, the city was used as a port of call for merchants and merchants from India. The first major industry was the export of pearls until the 1930s, followed by the discovery of oil in the late 1960s. In the 1950s, the British moved their local administrative offices to the city, bringing with them electricity and phones. The British also built the city’s first airport. Between 1968 and 1975, the city grew by more than 300% due to foreign workers, mostly Indians and Pakistanis, who came to the area to work on the oil rigs.
During the Persian Gulf War (1990), trading communities moved their businesses to Dubai and the Jebel Ali port was used as a refueling base for allied forces. The port is the largest man-made harbor in the world and has been a free zone since 1979. The city now depends on trade and tourism, as well as private real estate for its growing economy.
Demography:
The population of the emirate in 2006 was recorded as 1,422,000, 1,073,000 male and 349,00 female. The median age is 27 years, with a birth rate of approximately 14% and a death rate of only 1%.
The official language of Dubai is Arabic and English is another main language.
Economy:
The $37 billion (US) economy was built by the oil industry, but now depends on real estate, construction, business and financial services. The Dubai Financial Market is worth $95 billion (US) and trades local and foreign securities and bonds.
Buildings and Urbanizations:
Dubai is home to some of the tallest skyscrapers in the world, as well as the Burj Al Arab hotel, the world’s tallest and most expensive, and other projects such as the Palm Islands, the Emirates Towers and the Burj Dubai.
1.) Burj Al Arab
– luxury hotel built by Said Shalil.
– the name translates as “Tower of the Arabs”
– highest hotel at 1,053 tf
– built on an artificial island and connected to the mainland by a bridge
– the structure imitates the shape of the sail of the traditional Arab dhow sailboats
– construction started in 1994
– Architect Tom Wright designed the building in the hope that it would make a symbolic statement, like the Eiffel Tower in Paris and the Sydney Opera House.
– built by Murray & Roberts (South Africa)
– cost $650 million (US)
2.) emirates mall
– largest mall in the middle east
– 2,400,000 square feet of stores
– the entire mall is 6.5 million square feet
– located in Al Barsha area
– opened at the end of 2005
Attractions:
– a movie theater with 14 screens
– play arena
– dramatic theater
– indoor ski slope (Ski Dubai)
– shops, shops and food courts
3.) The world
– archipelago of 300 artificial islands
– designed to look like a map of the earth
– located 2.5 miles from the coast
– 144 miles of coastline
– built using dredged sand from the sea
– planned by Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Maktoum
– built by Nakheel Properties
– islands are between 150,000 and 450,000 square feet
– average of 328 feet between islands
– cost: estimated 14 billion (US)
– islands sell for 15 to 50 million (USA)
– with some islands with a price close to 250 million (US)
– started in September 2003
– 60% of the islands were sold in 2008
– the development of the islands ended in January 2008
– Coral Island Resort is being developed in “North America”
– OQYANA resort in “Australia” and “New Zealand”
– Irish-themed resort in “Ireland”
– “Antarctica” will house a 65,000-square-foot entertainment center
– Fashion TV resort in “Brunei”
– FTV Palace a trendy community in “Finland”
4.) Dubai-Marina
– man-made marina
– Emaar Properties is developing the project
– once completed, it will be larger than Marina del Rey in California, USA, which is currently the largest
5.) business bay
– Business district
– downtown Dubai
– skyscrapers, commercial and residential developments totaling about 230 buildings
5.) dubai metro
– fully automated metro network
– the lines are underground in the city center and elevated outside the center
– scheduled to open in 2009
– will be the longest fully automated rail system in the world
– contract of approximately $12 billion (US) to design and build
– works began on March 21, 2006
– developed by Dubai Rail Link
– first phase of 22 miles at a cost of $4.2 billion (US) to be completed in May 2009
– the second phase will include initial route extensions
– Red line it will be 31 miles, 35 stations
– Green Line it will be 12 miles with 22 stations
– blue line will be 29 miles along Emirates Rd
– purple line it will be a 30-mile long express route between Dubai International and Al Maktoum
International Airports
– is expected to carry 1.2 million passengers/day
– trains have accommodation in Gold, Women and Childrens and Silver Class
– the trains are designed for 643 passengers
– trains have no driver
– Dubai got its first train in March 2008
6.) dubailand
– entertainment complex
– 4 planned phases
– phase 1 will be completed in early 2008
– final phase to be completed between 2015 and 2018
– expected to be larger than Walt Disney World
– Dubai Autodrome and The Global Village are operational
6 worlds:
– World of attractions and experiences (5.2 square miles)
– Retail and Entertainment World (1.6 square miles)
– Theme World of Leisure and Holidays (18 km2)
– Eco-Tourism World (28.9 square miles)
– Sports and Outdoor World (7.4 square miles)
– Downtown (0.7 square miles)
7.) The Burj Dubai “Tower of Dubai”
– skyscraper under construction
– located in “New Towntown”
– expected to finish in 2009
– will cover 22 million square feet of development
– centerpiece of large-scale development (30,000 homes, 9 hotels, 6 acres of green space, 19 residential towers, Dubai Mall and Burj Dubai Lake 30 acres of constructed wetlands
– completed development of 500 acres will cost $20 billion (US)
8.) palm islands : – The 3 largest artificial islands in the world
– The Palm Jumeirah, The Palm Jebel Ali and The Palm Deira
– built to increase tourism to the city
Palm Jumeirah:
– in the shape of a palm tree
– 5 for 5km
– adds 78 km to the coastline
– created 4,000 residents
– connected to the mainland by bridge and tunnel
– more than 30 beachfront hotels for 2009, including Atlantis, The Trump Internation Hotel and Tower, The Taj Exotica Hotel and Resort, Tiara Hotel, Oceana Resort and Spa, The Fairmont Palm Hotel and Resort, Hitel Missoni Dubai and Radisson SAS Hotel Dubai
– 2 F-100 Super Saber fighter jets sink near Palm to create artificial reef
– construction started in June 2001
– 94 million cubic meters of sand and 7 million tons of rock
Palm Jebel Ali:
– construction started in October 2004
– expected completion date mid-2008
– will have 6 marinas, a water theme park, Sea Village Busch Gardens, houses and boardwalks
Palm Deira:
– development started in October 2004
– expected to be completed in 2015
– it will be the largest of the 3 palms
– the construction will use more than one billion cubic meters of rock and sand
– 8.7 miles long
– 5.3 miles wide
– 861 million square feet
– It will have 8,000 semi-detached two-story residential houses, marinas, shopping centers, clubs and sports facilities
9.) Hydropolis Hotel and Underwater Resort
– planned underwater luxury resort
– 66 feet below the surface of the Persian Gulf
– in front of the Jumeirah beach
– estimated costs $500 million (US)
– 220 suites
– developed by Crescent Hydropolis Holdings LLC
– 1.1 million square feet
– will include suites, a ballroom, a shopping mall, a wedding chapel, and an anti-missile defense system
– costs up to USD $5,500/night
– originally expected to be completed by the end of 2007, now expected to be completed in 2009