ALMAS TOWER, DUBAI, 360 metres: Part of Jumeirah Lakes Towers, Almas tower was briefly the tallest in Dubai when it was topped out in 2008. It is the headquarters of Dubai Multi Commodities Centre, with high security vaults and safe deposits to protect clients' assets. Gabriela Maj / Bloomberg
ADDRESS BOULEVARD, DUBAI, 370 metres: Opened in March 2017, Address Boulevard boasts sells itself as a "city lifestyle resort". Residents and guests do not need to step onto the balmy streets to access Dubai Mall, which is it connected to with an air conditioned bridge. Not to be confused with the 300 metre tall Address Downtown, which was built in a similar modernist Art Deco style and opened in 2008. Courtesy: Emaar Hospitality
ELITE RESIDENCE, DUBAI, 380 metres: Opened in 2012, at an estimated cost of Dh1bn, the 91 floors have nearly 700 flats with views over Palm Jumeirah. It boasts a distinctive design and is recognisable on the marina skyline. Chris Whiteoak / The National
BURJ MOHAMMED BIN RASHID, ABU DHABI, 381 metres: Abu Dhabi makes it into the top 10, with a building named in honour of the Ruler of Dubai. Completed in 2013, the capital’s tallest building is part of the World Trade Centre which includes a mall and souq. Mona Al Marzooqi/ The National
23 MARINA, DUBAI, 392 metres: Briefly the world’s tallest residential tower, 23 Marina opened in 2012. It includes 57 swimming and plunge pools, with 62 high speed lifts, including one for each of the 23 four bedroom duplexes, and boasts views over Media City's lake and amphitheatre. Chris Whiteoak / The National
AL HAMRA TOWER, KUWAIT CITY, 412 metres: Kuwait’s tallest building is marked by its curved sculpted concrete exterior, which is also the world’s tallest of its type. It was completed in 2011 with offices, a shopping mall and a rooftop restaurant. AFP
PRINCESS TOWER, DUBAI, 413 metres: The tallest residential building in the world until it was overtaken by 432 Park Avenue in Manhattan five years ago, Princess Tower was opened in 2012 with 763 residential units. There are 107 storeys, including six underground, with an observation deck on the 97th floor. Chris Whiteoak / The National
MARINA 101, DUBAI, 425 metres: The second tallest building in Dubai is also the 27th tallest in the world. Construction began in 2006 and, although it was completed in 2017, the building remains unfinished and unoccupied due to financing issues. Chris Whiteoak / The National
MAKKAH ROYAL CLOCK TOWER, MAKKAH, 601 metres: Part of the Abraj Al Bayt complex, the tower over looks the Great Mosque of Makkah and the Kaaba and was completed in 2012. It includes the highest and tallest clock faces in the world – the minute hands alone are 23 metres long. AFP
BURJ KHALIFA, DUBAI, 828 metres: The tallest building in the world when it was completed in 2010, Burj Khalifa actually took the title a year earlier when it surpassed Taiwan’s Taipei 101. It boasts several world records, including the building with the most floors (163), the world’s longest elevators at 504m, and the world's highest restaurant. It is so tall the sun sets three minutes later on the observation deck than on the ground. Tarek Fahmy / Reuters
For more than 3,800 years, the 146-metre Great Pyramid of Giza held the title of the tallest structure in the world.
It was eventually upstaged, in the 14th century, by England’s Lincoln Cathedral, whose wooden spire topped the pyramid by only 15 metres.
Seven centuries later, the title returned to the Middle East, with the completion of Dubai’s Burj Khalifa in 2009 at an astonishing 829.8 metres, or nearly six times the height achieved by the ancient Egyptians.
It was modern construction methods that allowed for truly tall structures.
Armed with steel and concrete, they rose ever higher, from the Eiffel Tower in 1889 to the Empire State Building in New York and, far later, Burj Khalifa.
Even now, the builders and architects dream bigger. Saudi Arabia's Jeddah Tower is planned to be the first structure of more than a kilometre in height.
Since 2018 its construction has been on hold, stalled at a mere 252 metres after a dispute with the contractors. Dubai’s title is safe for a while longer.
Burj Khalifa is nearly 100 metres taller than the second-place Shanghai Tower, with China now taking half the places in the top 10 of the world’s loftiest structures.
Where once New York was seen as the capital of skyscrapers, now increasingly it is Dubai that stands tall. Seven of the 10 biggest buildings in the Mena region are in the emirate. All are taller than the Eiffel Tower.
A rendering of Jeddah Tower, expected to become the first kilometre-tall building. EC Harris / Mace
Its ambitions date back to 1979, when Dubai World Trade Centre became the Arab world’s tallest building.
At 149 metres, it broke the old record for the Mena region, then still held by the Great Pyramid, by a mere three metres.
Here are the top 10 tallest buildings in the Middle East:
Burj Khalifa, Dubai, 828 metres
Makkah Royal Clock Tower, Makkah, 601 metres
Marina 101, Dubai, 425 metres
Princess Tower, Dubai, 413 metres
Al Hamra Tower, Kuwait City, 412 metres
23 Marina, Dubai, 392 metres
Burj Mohammed bin Rashid, Abu Dhabi, 381 metres
Elite Residence, Dubai, 380 metres
Address Boulevard, Dubai, 370 metres
Almas Tower, Dubai, 360 metres
1. Burj Khalifa, Dubai
Height: 828 metres
The tallest building in the world when it was completed in 2010, Burj Khalifa actually took the title a year earlier when it surpassed Taiwan’s Taipei 101. It boasts several world records, including the building with the most floors (163), the world’s longest elevators at 504m, and the world's highest restaurant. It is so tall the sun sets three minutes later on the observation deck than on the ground.
2. Makkah Royal Clock Tower, Makkah
Height: 601 metres
Part of the Abraj Al Bayt complex, the tower over looks the Great Mosque of Makkah and the Kaaba and was completed in 2012. It includes the highest and tallest clock faces in the world – the minute hands alone are 23 metres long.
3. Marina 101, Dubai
Height: 425 metres
The second tallest building in Dubai is also the 27th tallest in the world. Construction began in 2006 and, although it was completed in 2017, the building remains unfinished and unoccupied due to financing issues.
4. Princess Tower, Dubai
Height: 413 metres
The tallest residential building in the world until it was overtaken by 432 Park Avenue in Manhattan five years ago, Princess Tower was opened in 2012 with 763 residential units. There are 107 storeys, including six underground, with an observation deck on the 97th floor.
5. Al Hamra Tower, Kuwait City
Height: 412 metres
Kuwait’s tallest building is marked by its curved sculpted concrete exterior, which is also the world’s tallest of its type. It was completed in 2011 with offices, a shopping mall and a rooftop restaurant.
6. 23 Marina, Dubai
Height: 392 metres
Briefly the world’s tallest residential tower, 23 Marina opened in 2012. It includes 57 swimming and plunge pools, with 62 high speed lifts, including one for each of the 23 four bedroom duplexes, and boasts views over Media City's lake and amphitheatre.
7. Burj Mohammed bin Rashid, Abu Dhabi
Height: 381 metres
Abu Dhabi makes it into the top 10, with a building named in honour of the Ruler of Dubai. Completed in 2013, the capital’s tallest building is part of the World Trade Centre which includes a mall and souq.
8. Elite Residence, Dubai
Height: 380 metres
Opened in 2012, at an estimated cost of Dh1bn, the 91 floors have nearly 700 flats with views over Palm Jumeirah. It boasts a distinctive design and is recognisable on the marina skyline.
9. Address Boulevard, Dubai
Height: 370 metres
Opened in March 2017, Address Boulevard boasts sells itself as a "city lifestyle resort". Residents and guests do not need to step onto the balmy streets to access Dubai Mall, which is it connected to with an air conditioned bridge. Not to be confused with the 300 metre tall Address Downtown, which was built in a similar modernist Art Deco style and opened in 2008.
10. Almas Tower, Dubai
Height: 360 metres
Part of Jumeirah Lakes Towers, Almas tower was briefly the tallest in Dubai when it was topped out in 2008. It is the headquarters of Dubai Multi Commodities Centre, with high security vaults and safe deposits to protect clients' assets.
A version of this article was first published on October 2, 2020
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
FINAL SCORES
Fujairah 130 for 8 in 20 overs
(Sandy Sandeep 29, Hamdan Tahir 26 no, Umair Ali 2-15)
Sharjah 131 for 8 in 19.3 overs
(Kashif Daud 51, Umair Ali 20, Rohan Mustafa 2-17, Sabir Rao 2-26)
The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East
May 2017
The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts
September 2021
Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act
October 2021
Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence
December 2024
Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group
May 2025
The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan
July 2025
The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan
August 2025
Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision
October 2025
Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange
The two riders are among several riders in the UAE to receive the top payment of £10,000 under the Thank You Fund of £16 million (Dh80m), which was announced in conjunction with Deliveroo's £8 billion (Dh40bn) stock market listing earlier this year.
The £10,000 (Dh50,000) payment is made to those riders who have completed the highest number of orders in each market.
There are also riders who will receive payments of £1,000 (Dh5,000) and £500 (Dh2,500).
All riders who have worked with Deliveroo for at least one year and completed 2,000 orders will receive £200 (Dh1,000), the company said when it announced the scheme.
Blockchain is a form of distributed ledger technology, a digital system in which data is recorded across multiple places at the same time. Unlike traditional databases, DLTs have no central administrator or centralised data storage. They are transparent because the data is visible and, because they are automatically replicated and impossible to be tampered with, they are secure.
The main difference between blockchain and other forms of DLT is the way data is stored as ‘blocks’ – new transactions are added to the existing ‘chain’ of past transactions, hence the name ‘blockchain’. It is impossible to delete or modify information on the chain due to the replication of blocks across various locations.
Blockchain is mostly associated with cryptocurrency Bitcoin. Due to the inability to tamper with transactions, advocates say this makes the currency more secure and safer than traditional systems. It is maintained by a network of people referred to as ‘miners’, who receive rewards for solving complex mathematical equations that enable transactions to go through.
However, one of the major problems that has come to light has been the presence of illicit material buried in the Bitcoin blockchain, linking it to the dark web.
Other blockchain platforms can offer things like smart contracts, which are automatically implemented when specific conditions from all interested parties are reached, cutting the time involved and the risk of mistakes. Another use could be storing medical records, as patients can be confident their information cannot be changed. The technology can also be used in supply chains, voting and has the potential to used for storing property records.
