• Fireworks are shot from Burj Khalifa during its opening ceremony on January 4, 2010. Jeff Topping / The National
    Fireworks are shot from Burj Khalifa during its opening ceremony on January 4, 2010. Jeff Topping / The National
  • Tom Cruise climbs Burj Khalifa in ‘Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol’. Photo: Paramount Pictures
    Tom Cruise climbs Burj Khalifa in ‘Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol’. Photo: Paramount Pictures
  • Downtown Dubai as taken in 2012 by the Pleiades satellite. Photo: European Space Agency
    Downtown Dubai as taken in 2012 by the Pleiades satellite. Photo: European Space Agency
  • A web of lightning forms over Burj Khalifa on January 14, 2009. Paulo Vecina / The National
    A web of lightning forms over Burj Khalifa on January 14, 2009. Paulo Vecina / The National
  • A shot of Burj Khalifa from the City Walk shopping district on April 2, 2016. Jeffrey E Biteng / The National
    A shot of Burj Khalifa from the City Walk shopping district on April 2, 2016. Jeffrey E Biteng / The National
  • The Moon, in its first quarter phase, starts to set on August 16, 2010. Jeff Topping / The National
    The Moon, in its first quarter phase, starts to set on August 16, 2010. Jeff Topping / The National
  • A misty morning in Dubai. Getty
    A misty morning in Dubai. Getty
  • Window cleaners lower themselves from the 111th floor to the 73rd. Chris Whiteoak / The National
    Window cleaners lower themselves from the 111th floor to the 73rd. Chris Whiteoak / The National
  • Since its completion, Burj Khalifa has held the record as the world’s tallest building. Chris Whiteoak / The National
    Since its completion, Burj Khalifa has held the record as the world’s tallest building. Chris Whiteoak / The National
  • Rawda Al Abrar Mosque in the foreground at sunset. Chris Whiteoak / The National
    Rawda Al Abrar Mosque in the foreground at sunset. Chris Whiteoak / The National
  • Burj Khalifa lights up to celebrate the Hope probe going into orbit around Mars on February 9. Chris Whiteoak / The National
    Burj Khalifa lights up to celebrate the Hope probe going into orbit around Mars on February 9. Chris Whiteoak / The National
  • The skyscraper is barely visible on a rare overcast day. Chris Whiteoak / The National
    The skyscraper is barely visible on a rare overcast day. Chris Whiteoak / The National
  • Burj Khalifa as seen across the creek, from the InterContinental hotel in Dubai Festival City in 2011. Pawan Singh / The National
    Burj Khalifa as seen across the creek, from the InterContinental hotel in Dubai Festival City in 2011. Pawan Singh / The National
  • A view of the tower from Downtown Dubai in 2020. Pawan Singh / The National
    A view of the tower from Downtown Dubai in 2020. Pawan Singh / The National
  • Lasers light up the sky in Dubai. Christopher Pike / The National
    Lasers light up the sky in Dubai. Christopher Pike / The National
  • Fireworks are released from the building’s surface to mark the new year. EPA
    Fireworks are released from the building’s surface to mark the new year. EPA

Opinion

Editorial

Has Expo 2020 made Burj Khalifa the new Eiffel Tower?

  • English
  • Arabic
Insight and opinion from The National’s editorial leadership

September 21, 2021

Since its inception 170 years ago, the World Expo, an event that showcases humanity's most important inventions, has been associated with advanced engineering. In 1851, it was held in London's Crystal Palace, a glass structure so impressive that an entire area in the UK capital is named after it. In 1889, France commissioned the Eiffel Tower for its Exposition Universelle. Its worldwide fame and the genius of the entrepreneur behind it, Gustave Eiffel, makes it the most popular tourism destination in France, which is still the world's most visited country.

But after decades at the top, the Eiffel Tower has a rival in the UAE. According to new data from the luxury travel company Kuoni, Dubai's Burj Khalifa is now the most desirable landmark to visit in the world.

The timing could not be more symbolic. The news comes less than a fortnight before the UAE opens Expo 2020 Dubai, part of the same tradition behind the Exposition Universelle that led to the creation of the Eiffel Tower more than 130 years ago.

  • Delayed for a year by Covid-19 restrictions, Expo 2020 Dubai will open on October 1 and run for 182 days. Pictured is the canopy of the Sustainability Pavilion, one of the impressive buildings to have been built for the event.
    Delayed for a year by Covid-19 restrictions, Expo 2020 Dubai will open on October 1 and run for 182 days. Pictured is the canopy of the Sustainability Pavilion, one of the impressive buildings to have been built for the event.
  • Alif – The Mobility Pavilion blurs the boundaries between the physical and digital world.
    Alif – The Mobility Pavilion blurs the boundaries between the physical and digital world.
  • Hjayceelyn Quintana, the Philippines’ ambassador to the UAE, visits the Bangkota Pavilion at the Expo 2020 site.
    Hjayceelyn Quintana, the Philippines’ ambassador to the UAE, visits the Bangkota Pavilion at the Expo 2020 site.
  • Multi-coloured tubes wrapped around the Russian Pavilion will draw visitors into the three-storey structure.
    Multi-coloured tubes wrapped around the Russian Pavilion will draw visitors into the three-storey structure.
  • The Finland Expo Pavilion resembles an Arabic tent made of snow
    The Finland Expo Pavilion resembles an Arabic tent made of snow
  • 'Hugs' by Mohammed Ahmed Ibrahim. One of the artworks installed in Terra – The Sustainability Pavilion.
    'Hugs' by Mohammed Ahmed Ibrahim. One of the artworks installed in Terra – The Sustainability Pavilion.
  • ENOC Group announces the construction of its pavilion at Expo 2020 is complete.
    ENOC Group announces the construction of its pavilion at Expo 2020 is complete.
  • A replica of the Space X Falcon 9 rocket outside the USA Pavilion.
    A replica of the Space X Falcon 9 rocket outside the USA Pavilion.
  • Construction work on the French Pavilion at the Expo 2020 Dubai was finished in April.
    Construction work on the French Pavilion at the Expo 2020 Dubai was finished in April.
  • Dubai Cares Pavilion focuses on the transformative power of education on children.
    Dubai Cares Pavilion focuses on the transformative power of education on children.
  • Scores of stylised metal birds depict the migratory route taken from Poland to the Arabian Peninsula and form the centrepiece of the country's Expo 2020 Dubai Pavilion.
    Scores of stylised metal birds depict the migratory route taken from Poland to the Arabian Peninsula and form the centrepiece of the country's Expo 2020 Dubai Pavilion.
  • The Austria Pavilion will be a striking addition to the sprawling Expo 2020 site
    The Austria Pavilion will be a striking addition to the sprawling Expo 2020 site
  • The Morocco Pavilion under construction in the Opportunity District
    The Morocco Pavilion under construction in the Opportunity District
  • The Italy Pavilion features an innovation observatory.
    The Italy Pavilion features an innovation observatory.
  • Solar cells will be placed in the skylight of the Dutch Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai to provide electricity. The skylight will allow sunlight to filter through to help grow edible plants.
    Solar cells will be placed in the skylight of the Dutch Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai to provide electricity. The skylight will allow sunlight to filter through to help grow edible plants.
  • The outside of the Oculus at the Ireland Pavilion.
    The outside of the Oculus at the Ireland Pavilion.
  • Early construction photos of work on the Luxembourg Pavilion.
    Early construction photos of work on the Luxembourg Pavilion.
  • The Swiss Pavilion reflects the Alpine country’s diversity – from magnificent landscapes to innovative projects and ideas for a sustainable future.
    The Swiss Pavilion reflects the Alpine country’s diversity – from magnificent landscapes to innovative projects and ideas for a sustainable future.

The international fame of Emirati landmarks is an aspect of the country's identity that won it the candidacy to hold the event. More than just the Burj Khalifa, visitors will be a short journey from the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, one of the largest places of worship on the planet, which was named after Sheikh Zayed, the Founding Father of the UAE. The Louvre Abu Dhabi, now one of the Middle East's most famous examples of modern architecture, as well as the emirate of Sharjah's House of Wisdom, a library that is home to more than 300,000 books, also have growing international reputations. There are many more examples across all seven emirates.

Buildings at the Expo 2020 site itself are feats of engineering. The Dutch pavilion, for example, will comprise a giant cone covered with edible plants and a solar-powered rain shower to highlight the issue of water and food scarcity.

The Eiffel Tower in Paris. Photo: Fabien Maurin
The Eiffel Tower in Paris. Photo: Fabien Maurin

The heart of the Expo 2020 site is Al Wasl Plaza which will host its opening ceremony. The list of performers has recently been announced. They include opera singer Andrea Bocelli, Golden Globe-winning actress, singer and songwriter Andra Day, platinum-selling British pop star Ellie Goulding, Chinese pianist Lang Lang and four-time Grammy winning singer-songwriter Angelique Kidjo. There will also be performances by regional artists including the "Artist of Arabs" Mohamed Abdu, much-loved Emirati singing sensation Ahlam Alshamsi and Emirati artist and Expo 2020 Dubai ambassador Hussain Al Jassmi, a trendsetter on the Khaleeji music scene. It will be one of the biggest concerts the world has seen since the beginning of the pandemic.

All this is happening at a site with hundreds of modern architectural concepts, in a city that can now lay claim to the world's most desirable landmark, in a country that over recent years has commissioned some of the world's most ambitious buildings. The core of World Expo has always been a sense of global spectacle, and the UAE's built environment is well placed to give it just that.

Updated: September 21, 2021, 10:07 AM
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