UAE then and now: Burj Al Arab, the hotel that introduced Dubai to the world


John Dennehy
  • English
  • Arabic

Today, life in the Emirates moves in the fast lane. In a new regular series to mark the 50th anniversary of the UAE we take a little trip back in time and see just how much the country has changed.

The brief was simple: deliver a building that would introduce Dubai to the world. Just as Sydney had its Opera House and New York the Empire State Building, Dubai needed a structure that would become synonymous with the city. That was the task handed to British architect Tom Wright in the early 1990s.

The site chosen for the new building was about 20 kilometres out of town and far from the action. The area had been informally known as Chicago Beach, named after the Chicago Bridge and Iron Company, which built oil storage tanks there. It was also home to the 1970s-era Chicago Beach Hotel. While still popular, it had become jaded by the 1990s.

Abu Dhabi residents residents Omeir Nasir, left, and Owais Nasir, right, visit the Burj Al Arab between 1999 and 2002. Courtesy: Sarwat Nasir
Abu Dhabi residents residents Omeir Nasir, left, and Owais Nasir, right, visit the Burj Al Arab between 1999 and 2002. Courtesy: Sarwat Nasir

Wright, then in his 30s and working for the Atkins design firm, delivered a sail-inspired structure that reflected Dubai′s maritime heritage. It was approved in 1993 and dredging work to create the man-made island it would sit on started almost immediately. By 1996 the hotel was starting to rise. The entire project was a complex feat of engineering. Scores of concrete piles were driven into the sand to support the hotel, while a honeycomb collection of rocks ring-fenced it against sea intrusion.

The pace of construction was staggering. In the older photograph from 1997, the hotel is already almost complete, while some workers take a rest on the beach. A mere two years later Burj Al Arab – Tower of the Arabs – opened its doors in time for the new millennium. People from across the UAE came to view the new attraction.

The 321-metre high hotel has 202 rooms and one of the world's tallest atriums. The Burj Al Arab's architectural height is taller than the Eiffel Tower. The interiors are gilded in 24-carat gold, while its helipad has also been put to good use. In 2004, Tiger Woods teed off from there, while a year later, Andre Agassi and Roger Federer faced off on a makeshift tennis court. Along with Jumeirah Beach Hotel, it has become synonymous with Dubai.

As for the Chicago Beach Hotel, it was finally demolished in 1997 and the Wild Wadi Waterpark stands on the spot today. In the years since, Dubai has built the world's tallest building and a host of other super structures but the hotel remains a modern symbol of Dubai's ambition.

Burj Al Arab: the global landmark of Dubai – in pictures

Tax authority targets shisha levy evasion

The Federal Tax Authority will track shisha imports with electronic markers to protect customers and ensure levies have been paid.

Khalid Ali Al Bustani, director of the tax authority, on Sunday said the move is to "prevent tax evasion and support the authority’s tax collection efforts".

The scheme’s first phase, which came into effect on 1st January, 2019, covers all types of imported and domestically produced and distributed cigarettes. As of May 1, importing any type of cigarettes without the digital marks will be prohibited.

He said the latest phase will see imported and locally produced shisha tobacco tracked by the final quarter of this year.

"The FTA also maintains ongoing communication with concerned companies, to help them adapt their systems to meet our requirements and coordinate between all parties involved," he said.

As with cigarettes, shisha was hit with a 100 per cent tax in October 2017, though manufacturers and cafes absorbed some of the costs to prevent prices doubling.

Trippier bio

Date of birth September 19, 1990

Place of birth Bury, United Kingdom

Age 26

Height 1.74 metres

Nationality England

Position Right-back

Foot Right

While you're here
The bio

Favourite food: Japanese

Favourite car: Lamborghini

Favourite hobby: Football

Favourite quote: If your dreams don’t scare you, they are not big enough

Favourite country: UAE

ELIO

Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett

Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina

Rating: 4/5

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Jetour T1 specs

Engine: 2-litre turbocharged

Power: 254hp

Torque: 390Nm

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German intelligence warnings
  • 2002: "Hezbollah supporters feared becoming a target of security services because of the effects of [9/11] ... discussions on Hezbollah policy moved from mosques into smaller circles in private homes." Supporters in Germany: 800
  • 2013: "Financial and logistical support from Germany for Hezbollah in Lebanon supports the armed struggle against Israel ... Hezbollah supporters in Germany hold back from actions that would gain publicity." Supporters in Germany: 950
  • 2023: "It must be reckoned with that Hezbollah will continue to plan terrorist actions outside the Middle East against Israel or Israeli interests." Supporters in Germany: 1,250 

Source: Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution

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How to wear a kandura

Dos

  • Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion 
  • Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
  • Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work 
  • Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester

Don’ts 

  • Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal 
  • Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
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Sole survivors
  • Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
  • George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
  • Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
  • Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
BeIN Sports currently has the rights to show

- Champions League

- English Premier League

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- Italian, French and Scottish leagues

- Wimbledon and other tennis majors

- Formula One

- Rugby Union - Six Nations and European Cups

 

UPI facts

More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions

Stage results

1. Julian Alaphilippe (FRA) Deceuninck-QuickStep  4:39:05

2. Michael Matthews (AUS) Team BikeExchange 0:00:08

3. Primoz Roglic (SLV) Jumbo-Visma same time 

4. Jack Haig (AUS) Bahrain Victorious s.t  

5. Wilco Kelderman (NED) Bora-Hansgrohe s.t  

6. Tadej Pogacar (SLV) UAE Team Emirates s.t 

7. David Gaudu (FRA) Groupama-FDJ s.t

8. Sergio Higuita Garcia (COL) EF Education-Nippo s.t     

9. Bauke Mollema (NED) Trek-Segafredo  s.t

10. Geraint Thomas (GBR) Ineos Grenadiers s.t

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