Posts in ‘Things to do in Dubai’

Burj Dubai from Jef

The Burj Dubai tower, the tallest building in the world, opened today in Dubai. Here you can find interesting Burj Dubai facts and figures in one place.

• Burj Dubai has actually changed name to Burj Khalifa on its opening day on Jan 4th, 2009;
• The Burj Dubai is  828 meters or 2,717 ft tall, making it the tallest building in the world;
• It is more than twice as high as the Paris Eiffel Tower;
• The Burj Dubai has 164 stories, the largest number of stories in the world;
• It also has the fastest elevators in the world at 60 km/h (40 mph), taking less than 60 seconds to 124th floor and 2 minutes to the top. There are 57 elevators.
• The Burj Dubai opening ceremony boasted the highest fireworks in the world;
• It cost about 1B EUR (1.5B US$, Dh 5.5B);
• Visitor tickest to the Burj Dubai are priced at Dh100 to go up to 124th floor (Dh75 kids, Dh210 VIP pass);
• The Burj Dubai has 500k square meters of living space sold at 30,000 EUR (40,000$) per square meter ($4,000 per sq ft);
• Despite the price, the Burj Dubai is mostly presold with only 26% vacant on its opening day;
• The Burj Dubai boasts the world’s highest swimming pool on level 76 and the world’s highest mosque on level 158;
• It only took 5 years of construction;
• It was build by Samsung Engineering Construction of Korea;
• The first Armani hotel will open in march 2009 on levels 38 and 39.

For more fun stuff:

• There are plenty of Burj Dubai pictures on Flickr;
• There are also plenty of Burj Dubai videos on Youtube;
• And of course, you can find Burj Dubai news on Twitter.

If you make it to Dubai, don’t forget to check out the best things to do in Dubai, for example:

• Desert Safari Dubai
• Romantic Dhow Dinner Cruise, Dubai
• Modern Dubai tour with Afternoon Tea at Burj al Arab

People who enjoy learning about the history of their holiday destination can visit a fascinating exhibition of photography during Dubai tours this year.

Entitled Dubai 1962, the display will be open at the Dubai Community Theatre and Arts Centre from May 6th to 26th.

It showcases a series of photographs that were taken by a Japanese reporter 47 years ago, offering a fascinating look at a location that would grow into one of the world’s most dynamic and groundbreaking cities.

The images provide a narrative for the reporter’s journey as he visited the local fish market, took a boat ride on the creek and encountered Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum, the former ruler of Dubai.

According to the Dubai Community Theatre and Arts Centre, a "harsh but vibrant way of life" is explored in the black and white pictures, presenting a stark contrast to the destination that so many travellers are familiar with today.

During their tours of Dubai, visitors can appreciate the scale of the city’s achievement in recent decades by taking in sights such as the iconic Burj al Arab hotel and the under-construction Burj Dubai, which is already the world’s tallest structure.

Dubai – A true modern metropolis Dubai boasts a fine range of tourist facilities including the refined Burj al Arab hotel.

Dubai tours are regularly enjoyed by people from all walks of life and not only the well-off, according to a travel guide writer.

Lara Dunston, author of the DK Eyewitness guide to Dubai, admitted that the destination has built up a reputation as a "playground for the rich", but pointed out that this is largely due to the media playing on the fact that "glamour sells".

People who visit the city will discover that there is much more to be seen and experienced than mere glitz and glamour, according to Ms Dunston.

"It also has a rich heritage and culture rooted in Bedouin traditions of hospitality and Islam, like the country it’s a part of – the United Arab Emirates, remember Dubai is just a city-state – and its Arabian peninsula neighbours," she said.

"People from all over the world, all walks of life, from Russian package tourists to Australian backpackers to English families [visit] Dubai."

Dubai tours will become even easier from September this year when the city’s Metro transport system begins operating.

Another attraction opening this year is the Dubai Fountain, which will be the centrepiece to the 12-hectare Burj Dubai lake area.

Dubai – A true modern metropolis Dubai boasts a fine range of tourist facilities including the refined Burj al Arab hotel.

Just when you thought your Christmas shopping adventure couldn’t get more adventurous!  If you’ve decided to take a Christmas shopping trip this year, why not opt for something a bit more exotic (and potentially less expensive) than New York?   Why not visit the plentiful, tax free, shops of Dubai!

And after you’ve indulged in a few days of bargain shopping in Dubai, you can soak up the Arabian sun on one of these exciting excursions: continue reading

As if it wasn’t hot enough, Dubai will see thousands of fit and lively people run themselves into oblivion at its annual marathon early next year, which is fast becoming a highlight on the world distance running calendar.

Of course, the January 16th timing of the race means the conditions are about as comfortable as they could be and the many professional and amateur runners who are set to take part will be hoping to use this to their advantage.

The course will send competitors clockwise around the city, taking in such famous sights as the World Trade Centre.

Big news for the forthcoming event is that world marathon record holder and reigning event champion Haile Gebrselassie will be competing again in 2009.

Gebrselassie recently became the first man to run under two hours four minutes at the Berling Marathon and will no doubt draw a huge crowd of visitors on Dubai tours, interested to see if he can better his remarkable achievement.

Why not book the Overnight Safari (Incl Dinner & B/Fast) in advance?

Dubai is a place now more readily associated with the building of ever higher skyscrapers, even bigger shopping malls and hotels more grand and exclusive than the last.

But for the yearly National Day festival, or Al-Eid Al Watani in Arabic, all of the construction work is pushed down the agenda as the emirates celebrates their independence from Britain.

The buzz and excitement which characterises this destination is added to by the daily firework displays and colourful street parades during the festival.

The day is a national holiday, in which local families often dine out and enjoy the festivities together.

December 2nd is the day which official marks the formation of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). On this day in 1971 Britain left the Persian Gulf and Dubai, Abu Dhabi and five other emirates, so called because of their particular dynastic style of government, formed the country as it is today.

Dubai – A true modern metropolis Dubai boasts a fine range of tourist facilities including the refined Burj al Arab hotel.

Sevens rugby has grown in profile in recent years, thanks in no small part to events like the iRB World Sevens Series, which kicks off in Dubai this November at the Dubai Exiles Rugby Club.

Featuring sixteen national sides, the event showcases some of the best up-and-coming talent in world rugby, alongside some veteran players who have made the reduced version of the game their own.

For those uninitiated in the way the game is played, the tournament takes place over a weekend and the matches are timed at seven minutes per half. Groups of teams compete to win a place in one of three finals, at which point the length of the halves is extended to ten minutes.

The Sevens tournament began life in 1975 as the brainchild of the Hong Kong Rugby Union, but did not initially gain any credence with the sport’’s governing body and was a club competition until it was upgraded to an international event.

Its appearance at the Commonwealth Games in Manchester in 2002 further raised the sport’’s stature, and it continues to grow in popularity and participation numbers today.

Dubai – A true modern metropolis Dubai boasts a fine range of tourist facilities including the refined Burj al Arab hotel.

One of the world’’s most costly hotels opened on the Palm Jumeriah in Dubai this month.

With a construction bill of $1.5 billion (£800 million), Atlantis covers some 114 acres and includes over 1,500 rooms.

Its setting is a newly created island just off the coast of Dubai city, which has been conceived specifically for the hotel.

While its name might recall the numerous themed hotels some 8,000 miles away in Las Vegas, the resort’’s first priority is luxury.

Double rooms start at a relatively affordable £230 a night, but the finest suite will set you back £15,000. It does boast a gold leaf-lined dining table, however.

As with any good resort, the in-house attractions are just as impressive as the accommodation. The aquapark includes a 1.5 mile lazy river, with another seven rides and numerous swimming pools and other facilities.

Seventeen restaurants will cater to any taste of palette and their list reads like the contents page from the annual Michelin guide: there are 11 of its famous stars accompanying the names of the respected chefs with locations in the complex.

World-famous hotels are no rarity in this part of the world, but the emergence of the Atlantis has raised the bar for the rest.

Dubai – A true modern metropolis Dubai boasts a fine range of tourist facilities including the refined Burj al Arab hotel.

Paul Weller will be making his way to Dubai at the end of this year’’s UK tour for a headline performance on the opening night of the Desert Rhythm Festival.

Taking place between October 31st and November 1st, this year’’s line up also features the Caribbean group Kassav.

The Desert Rhythm Festival will be family-orientated, with a special Halloween fancy dress theme to mark the occasion.

A competition will also be held to decide the best costume.

The festival hopes to unite international audiences with exposure to a wide range of different musical styles.

However, the remaining line up has yet to be announced for the festival.

Meanwhile, Dubai’’s tourism authorities recently announced that they will be focusing on making the emirate the region’’s main destination for Eid celebrations.

Laila Suhail, chief executive of the Dubai Shopping Festival told the Gulf Times: "We will be highlighting some of the true traditions of celebrating Eid in addition to presenting a comprehensive festivities programme to attract celebrating families locally and regionally."

Dubai – A true modern metropolis Dubai boasts a fine range of tourist facilities including the refined Burj al Arab hotel.

Dating back to 1896, the house was once the seat of local government, and the centre of political and social movements and organisations of the time.

It was also the official residence of Sheikh Saeed Al Maktoum, the ruler of Dubai from 1912 to 1958.

This two-storey building is characterised by vaulted, high beamed ceilings, arched doorways, sculpted windows and exquisite trellis screens, which were fashionable in the late 1800s.

Four elegant wind towers (Barjeel), which were the traditional means of cooling the interior during the summer months, dominate the facade of the house.

Today, the house has on display a rare collection of historic photographs, coins, stamps and documents that record Dubai’’s history.

It is open to the public from Saturday to Thursday between 8:00 and 20:30 daily, and on Fridays it is open between 15:00 and 21:30.

Timings during the holy month of Ramadan are 9:00 to 17:00 between Sunday and Thursday, and 14:00 to 17:00 on Friday.

The museum is closed on Saturday.

Dubai – A true modern metropolis Dubai boasts a fine range of tourist facilities including the refined Burj al Arab hotel.