The first thing you notice is the sound. It begins as a distant thrum and grows into a steady, muscular heartbeat that you feel in your chest as much as you hear in your ears. On the helipad, straps snug across your shoulders and a headset warming your temples, you taste the tang of sea air mixed with the sweet breath of warm concrete. Helicopter ride Dubai premium aerial experience The pilot's voice crackles in, bright and casual, as the rotors gather confidence. Then the ground leans back, the city tilts forward, and Dubai rises up to meet you-not as streets and sidewalks, but as a living diagram rendered in steel, glass, and sun.
From the first lift, there's an almost mischievous sense of being let in on a secret. Roads that felt endless on foot shrink into ribbons, braids of asphalt threading neighborhoods together with calligrapher's grace. The Persian Gulf becomes a slab of hammered turquoise, flecked with white where boats cut across it; the shore curls like a pale seam running the length of your vision. The helicopter banks, and there it is-the Burj Al Arab, a sail caught mid-breath, casting a crisp shadow over water that looks poured from a polished bottle.
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It is both familiar and foreign at altitude, less a hotel than a symbol, a punctuation mark in the grammar of the coast.
Then the geography turns playful. Palm Jumeirah unfurls beneath you, a geometry that's somehow both improbable and inevitable, a palm tree traced onto the sea. From the beach, you feel it; from above, you grasp it. The trunk runs like a spine, the fronds radiate with mathematical patience, and the crescent wraps around it all like a protective whisper. Homes and hotels all seem to nod in unison, their pools a scattered constellation, their gardens small strokes of green in an enormous blue canvas. People are there, you know it-families, couples, chefs behind kitchen doors-but from up here they become the idea of people, the sense that life is being lived in many small and private ways below your suspended seat.
You skate along the shoreline, and the city's skyline appears not as a single wall of glass but as a composition: towers stepping forward and back, mirroring each other, clashing and conversing. Burj Khalifa punctures the sky with such casual authority that it almost becomes quiet, as if height itself can be serene. Its shadow ticks across the desert like a measured hand on a sundial. The pilot tips a wing, and you see Downtown assemble-Dubai Fountain's looping lacework, the curve of the Dubai Canal, the precise geometry of gardens set like jewels at the feet of towers. In the headset, someone breathes an involuntary “wow,” which feels both inadequate and exactly right.
Light is the city's accomplice. In the early morning it is a pale wash that makes every surface dewy; in the late afternoon it's molten, heavy with gold, drawing long shadows that reveal the city's texture. If you're lucky enough to catch that hour, the skyscrapers become choruses of copper and orange, and the water reflects a sky that's learning how to burn. Even the freeways-those enormous, efficient rivers of motion-look soft and graceful, their interchanges spiraling like nautilus shells. You realize that engineering at this scale can be surprisingly tender.
The helicopter swings inland, and the modern sheen gives way to patterns older and more organic. You see the thread of Dubai Creek snaking into the city's heart, the abras crossing back and forth like ants ferrying dreams. The older districts-Deira, Bur Dubai-appear as tight weaves, a tapestry of rooftops, courtyards, and minarets angled toward a horizon that predates glass facades by centuries. Over Al Fahidi, wind-tower silhouettes rise like quiet guardians. You can't hear it from up here, but you remember the sound of pigeons in those lanes, the scrape of sandals, the smell of spices being measured into brown paper sacks. The helicopter grants you distance without erasing intimacy.
Beyond that, the desert begins-first as a pale suggestion at the city's hem, then as a patient ocean of sand. Dunes fall into one another with the softness of heavy fabric, catching and releasing the light in camel-skin tones. On some days, heat haze stitches the boundary between city and sand, and you realize that Dubai's most audacious trick is not height but contrast: water next to wilderness, glass next to grit, future pressed gently against memory. Helicopter ride Dubai iconic skyline Even the World Islands, scattered like a cartographer's private joke, look less like an extravagance and more like an idea the sea agreed to hold for a while.
In the cabin, small details anchor you to the experience: the vibration in the soles of your shoes, the way conversation becomes a choreography of nods and pointing fingers, the map on the pilot's screen scrolling with landmark names you recognize.
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There's a thrill, of course-a childlike delight that you can't fully camouflage behind grown-up poise. But there's also a curious sense of humility. From the ground, cities can make you feel important; from the sky, they make you feel connected. You don't disappear; you simply become a thread in a larger weave.
When the helicopter arcs toward the Marina, the towers crowd together like an ambitious forest. Balconies stack like hive cells; yachts draw white punctuation marks in the water. You think of all the lives overlapping here: sunrises from high windows, late-night taxis, forgotten coffee cups on desks, elevators stopping on dozens of floors to collect a day's worth of stories. You wonder what it's like to look out from those apartments and see a helicopter pass, a brief glitter of rotor and glass, the way you looked up as a child when a plane sliced a line in the sky.
Coming back to the helipad, the descent feels less like an ending and more like a deep breath. The world fills with once-familiar scales-cars reclaim their size; people become people again. Helicopter ride Dubai scenic city flight . The rotor's wind unspools your hair and wrinkles your shirt. The headset comes off, and the city's sound returns in layers: traffic, voices, a gull arguing with the air. You unbuckle and step down with a small wobble, as if the ground had briefly forgotten its responsibility to be solid.
Later, when you think of Dubai, you won't remember it as a list of attractions but as an arrangement of elements: a needle pricking the sky, a palm drawn on the water, an old creek folding into a new canal, the desert waiting with patient brightness.
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The helicopter ride gives you a panorama, yes, but also a vocabulary-a way to talk about a place that's often described with superlatives. From above, all that ambition reads less like bragging and more like a question the city keeps asking itself: what might be possible if we keep building with both daring and care?
You may return to the streets with a different walk, noticing how shadows fall at noon, how a breeze carries salt inland, how the distant hum above you sounds like a promise. The ride doesn't make the city smaller or larger; it makes it legible. And once you've read it from the sky, Dubai writes itself into you-a clean, glittering line where sea meets sand, and where a human idea lifts, just for a moment, into flight.
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About Burj Al Arab
Luxury hotel in Dubai, United Arab Emirates
For other uses, see Burj (disambiguation).
This article is about Burj Al Arab Jumeirah. For other uses, see Borg El Arab (disambiguation).
Burj Al Arab برج العرب
Jumeirah Burj Al Arab in 2007
Interactive map of the Burj Al Arab برج العرب area
The Jumeirah Burj Al Arab (Arabic: برج العرب, lit.'Arab Tower'), commonly known as Burj Al Arab, is a luxury hotel in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.[8] Developed and managed by Jumeirah, it is one of the tallest hotels in the world, although 39% of its total height is made up of non-occupiable space.[9][10][11] Burj Al Arab stands on an artificial island that is 280 m (920 ft) from Jumeirah Beach and is connected to the mainland by a private curving bridge. The shape of the structure is designed to resemble the sail of a dhow.[12] It has a helipad near the roof, at a height of 210 m (689 ft) above ground.
Site
[edit]
The beachfront area where Jumeirah Burj Al Arab and Jumeirah Beach Hotel are located was previously called Chicago Beach.[13] The hotel is located on an island of reclaimed land, 280 m (920 ft) offshore of the beach of the former Chicago Beach Hotel. The former hotel was demolished during the construction of the Burj Al Arab.[14] The locale's name had its origins in the Chicago Bridge & Iron Company, which at one time welded giant floating oil storage tanks, known locally as Kazzans, on the site.[13]
History
[edit]
The Burj Al Arab was designed by the British multidisciplinary consultancy Atkins, led by architect Tom Wright of WKA. He came up with the iconic design and signature translucent fiberglass facade that serves as a shield from the desert sun during the day and as a screen for illumination at night.[15] The design and construction were managed by Canadian engineer Rick Gregory, and construction managed by David Kirby also of WS Atkins. The Burj Al Arab's interior is by British-Chinese designer Khuan Chew. Construction of the island began in 1994 and involved up to 2,000 construction workers during peak construction. Two "wings" spread in a V to form a vast "mast", while the space between them is enclosed in a massive atrium. The setting of a high rise building on saturated soil and the novelty of the project required groundbreaking dynamic analysis and design to take into consideration soil-structure interaction, effect of water, high winds, and helipad among other loads, to help finalize the design and take the project into construction.[16][failed verification]
The hotel was built by South African construction contractor Murray & Roberts, now renamed Concor and Al Habtoor Engineering. The interior designs were led and created by Khuan Chew and John Carolan of KCA international and delivered by UAE based Depa Group.[17]
The building opened on 1 December 1999.[1] The New Year's Eve fireworks celebration originated in 2000 with the inauguration of the United Arab Emirates.
The hotel's helipad was designed by Irish architect Rebecca Gernon.[18] The helipad is at the building's 28th floor, and the helipad been used as a car race track, a boxing ring, has hosted a tennis match, and the jumping off point for the highest kite surfing jump in history.[19]
In 2017, the hotel hosted the wedding of Daniel Kinahan, head of the Kinahan Organized Crime Group.[20] The wedding was attended by several prominent drug traffickers, such as Ridouan Taghi, Edin Gačanin, 'Ricardo (El Rico) Riquelme Vega, and Raffaele Imperiale.[20]
Features
[edit]
An AgustaWestland A109E Power landing on the Burj Al Arab's helipad
Several features of the hotel required complex engineering feats to achieve. The hotel rests on an artificial island constructed 280 m (920 ft) offshore. To secure a foundation, the builders drove 230 40-metre-long (130 ft) concrete piles into the sand by drilling method.[21]
Engineers created a ground surface layer of large rocks, which is circled with a concrete honeycomb pattern, which serves to protect the foundation from erosion. It took three years to reclaim the land from the sea, while it took less than three years to construct the building itself. The building contains over 70,000 m3 (92,000 yd3) of concrete and 9,000 tons of steel.[21]
Inside the building, the atrium is 180 m (590 ft) tall.[22]
Given the height of the building, the Burj Al Arab is the world's fifth tallest hotel after Gevora Hotel, JW Marriott Marquis Dubai, Four Seasons Place Kuala Lumpur and Rose and Rayhaan by Rotana. But if buildings with mixed use were stripped off the list, the Burj Al Arab would be the world's third tallest hotel. The structure of the Rose Rayhaan, also in Dubai, is 333 metres (1,093 ft) tall,[23] 12 m (39 ft) taller than the Burj Al Arab, which is 321 metres (1,053 ft) tall.[23]The Burj Al Arab's helipad, located 210 meters above ground, has been the site of several high-profile events, including a tennis match between Roger Federer and Andre Agassi, and stunts by Red Bull athletes.[citation needed]
Rooms and suites
[edit]
The hotel is managed by the Jumeirah Group. The hotel has 199 exclusive suites each allocated eight dedicated staff members and a 24-hour butler service.[24] The smallest suite occupies an area of 169 m2 (1,820 sq ft), the largest covers 780 m2 (8,400 sq ft).[25]
The Royal Suite, billed at US$24,000 per night, is listed at number 12 on World's 15 most expensive hotel suites compiled by CNN Go in 2012.[26]
The Burj Al Arab is very popular with the Chinese market, which made up 25 percent of all bookings at the hotel in 2011 and 2012.[27]
Restaurants
[edit]
Al MuntahaAl Mahara
There are six restaurants in the hotel, including:
Al Muntaha ("The Ultimate"), is located 200 m (660 ft) above the Persian Gulf, offering a view of Dubai. It is supported by a full cantilever that extends 27 m (89 ft) from either side of the mast, and is accessed by a panoramic elevator.[citation needed]
Al Mahara ("Oyster"), which is accessed via a simulated submarine voyage, features a large seawater aquarium, holding roughly 990,000 L (260,000 US gal) of water. The wall of the tank, made of acrylic glass in order to withstand the water pressure, is about 18 cm (7.1 in) thick.[citation needed]
Rating
[edit]
While the hotel has sometimes been described as "the world's only 'seven-star' hotel", the hotel management claims never to have done so themselves. The term appeared due to a British journalist who had visited the hotel on a tour before it was officially opened. The journalist described Burj al Arab as "more than anything she has ever seen" and therefore referred to it as a seven-star hotel.[28] A Jumeirah Group spokesperson said "There's not a lot we can do to stop it. We're not encouraging the use of the term. We've never used it in our advertising."[29]
Reception
[edit]
Burj Al Arab has attracted criticism as "a contradiction of sorts, considering how well-designed and impressive the construction ultimately proves to be."[25] The contradiction here seems to be related to the hotel's decor. "This extraordinary investment in state-of-the-art construction technology stretches the limits of the ambitious urban imagination in an exercise that is largely due to the power of excessive wealth." Another critic includes negative critiques for the city of Dubai as well: "both the hotel and the city, after all, are monuments to the triumph of money over practicality. Both elevate style over substance."[25] Yet another: "Emulating the quality of palatial interiors, in an expression of wealth for the mainstream, a theater of opulence is created in Burj Al Arab ... The result is a baroque effect".[25]
In popular culture
[edit]
The last chapter of the espionage novel Performance Anomalies[30][31] takes place at the top of the Burj Al Arab,[32] where the spy protagonist Cono 7Q discovers that through deadly betrayal his spy nemesis Katerina has maneuvered herself into the top echelon of the government of Kazakhstan. The hotel can also be seen in Syriana and also some Bollywood movies.[which?]
Richard Hammond included the building in his television series Richard Hammond's Engineering Connections.
The Jumeirah Burj Al Arab serves as the cover image for the 2009 album Ocean Eyes by Owl City.
The Burj Al Arab was the site of the last task of the fifth episode of the first season of the Chinese edition of The Amazing Race, where teams had to clean up a room to the hotel's standards.[33][34]
The building is featured in Matthew Reilly's novel The Six Sacred Stones, where a kamikaze pilot crashes a plane into the hotel, destroying it in an attempt to kill the protagonist, Jack West Jr.
The building was the location of the main challenge of the ninth episode of the Canadian-American animated television series Total Drama Presents: The Ridonculous Race,[35] where contestants were tasked to either return a serve from a tennis robot on the hotel's helipad, or squeegee an entire column of the hotel's windows.
See also
[edit]
Hotels portal
W Barcelona (Hotel Vela) – skyscraper of similar appearance in Barcelona, Spain (sail)
Oman TiT – residential skyscraper of similar appearance in Taipei, Taiwan (sail)
Elite Plaza – a similar-shaped skyscraper in Yerevan, Armenia
JW Marriott Panama (Panama City) – similar structure
Spinnaker Tower, Portsmouth – similar structure in Portsmouth, UK
Vasco da Gama Tower – a skyscraper of similar appearance in Lisbon, Portugal (sail)
Sail Tower – a skyscraper of similar appearance in Haifa, Israel (sail)
List of tallest buildings in the United Arab Emirates
List of buildings in Dubai
List of tallest buildings in Dubai
References
[edit]
^ ab
"Media Fact File of Burj Al Arab" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 August 2018. Retrieved 28 May 2021.
^Swibel, Matthew (15 March 2014). "Forbes.com: Arabian Knight". www.forbes.com. Retrieved 2 July 2020.
^ abcd"Burj Al Arab Hotel – The Skyscraper Center". Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat. Retrieved 7 May 2023.
^"Emporis building ID 107803". Emporis. Archived from the original on 15 February 2020.
^"Burj Al Arab". SkyscraperPage.
^Burj Al Arab at Structurae
^"Stay at Burj Al Arab". Jumeirah. Archived from the original on 25 December 2018. Retrieved 4 January 2010.
^Eytan, Declan. "Milan: Inside the World's Only Certified 7 Star Hotel". Forbes. Retrieved 5 April 2018.
^"Vanity Height: the Use-less Space in Today's Tallest". CTBUH. Archived from the original on 17 November 2013. Retrieved 25 November 2013.
^"Study: Skyscrapers Topped by Wasted Space". World Property Channel. 6 September 2013. Archived from the original on 13 November 2013. Retrieved 25 November 2013.
^Solon, Olivia (6 September 2013). "Report names and shames vanity skyscrapers with unnecessary spires". Wired. Archived from the original on 15 November 2013. Retrieved 25 November 2013.
^"Burj Al Arab". www.atkinsglobal.com. Retrieved 3 July 2020.
^ abKrane, Jim City of Mud: Dubai and the Dream of Capitalism, page 103, St. Martin's Press (15 September 2009)
^"Dubai's Chicago Beach Hotel". Dubai As It Used To Be. Retrieved 25 November 2013.
^Chalhoub, Michel Soto (1993). "Structural Design and Deep Foundation Soil-Structure Interaction of Burj-Al-Arab - A Comparison of Two Alternatives". Parsons Engineering.
^Pantin, Travis (17 February 2009). "Depa announces strong growth". The National. Retrieved 2 July 2020.
^"From the inside out". Construction Week Online Middle East. March 2011.
^"Global Gateway". CNN. 1 July 2020. Retrieved 8 July 2020.
^ abCaesar, Ed (20 October 2025). "The Cocaine Kingpin Living Large in Dubai". The New Yorker. ISSN 0028-792X.
^ ab"Burj Al Arab". EgyptEng.com engineering directory. 2000. Archived from the original on 17 January 2007. Retrieved 24 January 2007.
^"VIDEO: Burj Al Arab's 15th anniversary 'dream'". HotelierME. 28 November 2014.
^ ab"The world's 17 tallest hotels – for the ultimate room with a view". The Telegraph. 11 February 2016. ISSN 0307-1235. Archived from the original on 12 January 2022. Retrieved 8 July 2020.
^"Burj Al Arab". www.jumeirah.com. Retrieved 21 September 2022.
^ abcdDamluji, Salma Samar, The Architecture of the U.A.E.. Reading, UK: 2006.
^Arnold, Helen "World's 15 most expensive hotel suites" Archived 2 November 2012 at the Wayback Machine CNN Go. 25 March 2012. Retrieved 11 April 2012
^"Jumeirah gets ravenous for China". TTGmice. Archived from the original on 5 June 2013. Retrieved 27 March 2013.
^Parr, Christopher. "Burj Al Arab Jumeirah, Dubai: Inside The 7 Star Luxury Hotel". Business Insider. Retrieved 23 July 2020.
^Bundhun, Rebecca (14 July 2009). "Hotel star ratings standards long overdue". The National. Retrieved 10 December 2010.
^"Performance Anomalies". Goodreads. Retrieved 15 May 2017.
^Lee, Victor Robert (20 December 2012). Performance Anomalies. USA: Perimeter Six. ISBN 978-1-938409-22-6.
^Lee, Victor Robert (15 January 2013). Performance Anomalies: A Novel. Perimeter Six Press. p. 327. ISBN 978-1-938409-20-2.
^"Burj Al Arab hotel stars in Chinese reality TV show". Arabian Business. 18 November 2014. Retrieved 7 January 2020.
^"卓美亚集团与「极速前进」首次合作" [Jumeirah Group collaborates with The Amazing Race for the first time]. Neeu (in Chinese). Archived from the original on 27 July 2020. Retrieved 7 January 2020.
^"Press Release". corusent.com. Archived from the original on 15 July 2014. Retrieved 16 June 2014.
Further reading
[edit]
Rose, Steve (28 November 2005). "Architecture: Sand and freedom". The Guardian.
External links
[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Burj Al Arab (category)
Official website
Records
Preceded by
Dubai World Trade Center
Tallest building in Dubai
1999 – 2000
Succeeded by
Emirates Office Tower
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Facilities
Burj Al Arab
The Emirates Academy of Hospitality Management
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Jumeirah Carlton Tower
Jumeirah Emirates Towers Hotel
Madinat Jumeirah
Palais Quartier
Wild Wadi Water Park
Related
Dubai Holding
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Timeline of the world's tallest hotels
Hotel New Netherland (71m, 1893)
Hotel Manhattan (76m, 1896)
Westin Book Cadillac Hotel (111.9m, 1924)
Waldorf Astoria Hotel (191m, 1931)
Hotel Ukraina, Moscow (198m, 1953)
Westin Peachtree Plaza Hotel (220m, 1973)
Westin Renaissance Center Detroit (221.5m, 1977)
Westin Stamford Hotel (226m, 1986)
Baiyoke Tower II (304m, 1997)
Burj Al Arab (321m, 1999)
Le Royal Méridien Shanghai at Shimao International Plaza (333m, 2006)
Rose Tower (333m, 2009)
JW Marriott Marquis Dubai (355m, 2012)
Gevora Hotel (356m, 2017)
Ciel Tower (377m, 2025)
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Supertalls
> 350 m
Burj Khalifa (828 m)
Marina 101 (425 m)
Princess Tower (414 m)
23 Marina (392.8 m)
Elite Residence (381 m)
Ciel Tower (377 m)
Address Boulevard (370 m)
Almas Tower (360 m)
Gevora Hotel (356 m)
Il Primo Dubai (356 m)
JW Marriott Marquis Dubai (355 m)
Emirates Office Tower (355 m)
The Marina Torch (352 m)
300-350 m
Uptown Tower (340 m)
DAMAC Residenze (335 m)
Rose Rayhaan by Rotana (333 m)
Big Ben Tower, Dubai (328 m)
The Index (326 m)
Burj Al Arab (321 m)
HHHR Tower (318 m)
Ocean Heights (310 m)
Jumeirah Emirates Towers Hotel (309 m)
Amna Tower (307 m)
Noora Tower (307 m)
Cayan Tower (306 m)
One Za'abeel (305 m)
Address Downtown (302 m)
Skyscraper
250-300 m
Emirates Crown (296 m)
Khalid Al Attar Tower 2 (294 m)
Sulafa Tower (288 m)
Opera Grand (288 m)
Millennium Tower (285 m)
Al Hekma Tower (282 m)
Marina Pinnacle (280 m)
D1 (277.5 m)
Burj Vista Tower 1 (272 m)
Central Park Towers (270 m)
Radisson Royal Dubai (269 m)
21st Century Tower (269 m)
DAMAC Towers by Paramount Hotels & Resorts (268.1 m)
Al Kazim Towers (265 m)
Ubora Towers (263 m)
Vision Tower (260 m)
Paramount Tower Hotel & Residences (258 m)
Conrad Dubai (255 m)
Dubai Marriott Harbour Hotel & Suites (254 m)
Chelsea Tower (250 m)
200-250 m
Al Tayer Tower (249 m)
Rolex Tower (247 m)
Al Fattan Marine Towers (245 m)
AAM Tower (244 m)
Sama Tower (240 m)
Churchill Residence (235 m)
Burj Daman (235 m)
Park Place (234 m)
Mag 218 Tower (232 m)
Carlton Hotels & Suites (221 m)
Jumeirah Bay (218 m)
Jumeirah Beach Residence (216 m)
Al Seef Towers (215 m)
Grosvenor House (210 m)
Al Rostamani Maze Tower (210 m)
The One Tower (209 m)
Executive Towers (208 m)
Tamani Hotel Marina (207 m)
Dubai Mixed-Use Towers (201 m)
Shangri-La Hotel (200 m)
150-200 m
Al Salam Tecom Tower (195 m)
Concorde Tower (190 m)
Al Sahab Tower 1 (187 m)
Dubai World Trade Centre (184 m)
Armada Tower 2 (167 m)
Four Points by Sheraton Sheikh Zayed Road, Dubai (167 m)
Sky Gardens (160 m)
Al Attar Business Tower (158 m)
World Trade Centre Residence (158 m)
Clusters
Jumeirah Lake Towers
Marina 1
The Residences
See also: Future Dubai skyscrapers and List of tallest buildings in Dubai
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Dubai Marina (Arabic: مرسى دبي), also known as Marsa Dubai, is a district in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. It is built around an artificially constructed canal along a 3-kilometre (2 mi) stretch of the Persian Gulf shoreline. In 2024 it had a population of 70,550.[2][3]
The district can accommodate over 120,000 people,[4] and is located on Interchange 5 between Jebel Ali Port and the area which hosts Dubai Internet City, Dubai Media City, and the American University in Dubai. The Dubai Marina was inspired by the Concord Pacific Place development along False Creek in Vancouver, Canada.[5] There have been many instances of marine wildlife, especially whales and sharks, entering the marina because of its proximity to the open sea.[6]
Development
[edit]
An aerial view of Dubai Marina towers, with Jumeirah Lake towers in the background
To create the marina, the developers brought the waters of the Persian Gulf into the site of the Dubai marina, creating a new waterfront. There is a large central waterway excavated from the desert and running the length of the 3-kilometre (1.9 mi) site.[4] More than 12% of the total land area on the site has been given over to this central public space.[4] Although much of this area is occupied by the marina water surface, it also includes almost 8 kilometres (5.0 mi) of landscaped public walkways.[4]
The marina is entirely human-made and has been developed by the real estate development firm Emaar Properties of the United Arab Emirates and designed by HOK Canada.[4] There is a publicly accessible foreshore-way around the marina and some sections of public ocean way along the beach with views to Palm Jumeirah. Its largest development is the Jumeirah Beach Residence. In October 2013, Dubai Marina opened its first mosque, Masjid Al Rahim, which is situated at the southern end of the Marina; its second mosque, Mohammed Bin Ahmed Almulla Mosque, opened in December 2016.[citation needed][7]
Phase I
[edit]
The first phase of Dubai Marina covers 10 hectares (25 acres), which includes six freehold apartment buildings called the Dubai Marina towers. Phase I of Dubai Marina cost more than AED 1.2 billion.[4] Three of the towers are named after precious stones: Al Mass, Fairooz, and Murjan; the other three are named after Arabic scents: Mesk, Anbar, and Al Yass. The scheme was designed by HOK and the contractors were Al-Futtaim Carillion and Nasah Multiplex.[4]
Phase II
[edit]
Phase II of Dubai Marina consists of high rise buildings which are mainly clustered into a block, known as Tallest Block in the world,[8] with the majority of the skyscrapers ranging between 250 metres (820 ft) to 300 metres (984 ft) in height. This includes Cayan Tower,[9] Ocean Heights,[10] Marina Pinnacle,[11] Sulafa Tower,[12] and Ciel Dubai Marina which rises to 366 metres (1,201 ft).
Jumeirah Beach Residence
[edit]
The Walk at Jumeirah Beach Residence is a 1.7-kilometre (1.1 mi) strip at the ground and plaza level of the complex, developed by Dubai Properties. Completed in 2007, since opening officially in August 2008[13] it has become a tourist attraction.[14]
Al Sahab
[edit]
Al Sahab is a residential high-rise development that consists of two towers; the complex is on the waterfront and directly overlooks the largest bay of water at Dubai Marina.[15] The buildings are in the northern end of the marina across from the Al Majara towers near the Marina Quays.[16]
Marina Quays
[edit]
Marina Quays is a complex designed by Arif & Bintoak, also responsible for the Concorde Tower. As of 2016[update], luxury penthouses in the buildings have sold for more than 10 million Dirham.[relevant?][17] In 2018, 5 million tonnes (11 billion pounds) of rock was added to create a breakwater for Marina Quays.[18]
Dubai Marina Mall
[edit]
Interior view in the mall
Dubai Marina Mall is a shopping mall located in the centre of Dubai Marina. It features 140 retail outlets, spread over 3.6 hectares (9.0 acres) of gross leasable space. Opened in December 2008, the mall is linked to the 5-star JW Marriott Hotel Marina.[19][citation needed]
Transportation
[edit]
Sobha Realty (Dubai Metro)
[edit]
Main article: Sobha Realty (Dubai Metro)
Sobha Realty
Sobha Realty (شوبا العقارية), originally called Dubai Marina, then Damac Station, is a rapid transit station on the Red Line of the Dubai Metro in Dubai. It was opened on 30 April 2010 as part of an extension to Ibn Battuta. Sobha Realty is located near Interchange 5 of Sheikh Zayed Road, around 20 kilometres (12 mi) southwest of downtown Dubai; to the east of the northern half of the Dubai Marina and the west of the northern portion of Jumeirah Lake Towers. The elevated station lies on a viaduct paralleling the eastern side of Sheikh Zayed Road.[20] Pedestrian access to the station is aided through walkways above Sheikh Zayed Road, connecting to developments on either side of the road. In September 2014, it was renamed to Damac Station.[21] The station's name was changed back to Dubai Marina in November 2020,[22] before it was renamed to Sobha Realty on August 9, 2021.[23]
Dubai Tram
[edit]
Main article: Dubai Tram
Al Sufouh Tram operates in Al Sufouh, Dubai Marina, running 14.5 kilometres (9.0 mi) along Al Sufouh Road from Dubai Marina to the Burj Al Arab and the Mall of the Emirates. It interchanges with two stations of Dubai Metro's Red Line. The Sufouh Tram also connects with the Palm Monorail at the entrance of the Palm from Sufouh Road. Since completing in 2014, it has served the residences of Dubai Marina and Jumeirah Beach.[24]
Attractions
[edit]
A zipline was installed which links Dubai Marina with the Dubai Marina Mall.[25] The take-off platform is located at the top of a Amwaj Tower and is 170 metres (560 ft) above ground level. It has a top speed of 80 kilometres per hour (50 mph). XLine is a two-row ride where two people can ride side by side at the same time.[26] There can only be one adult per row. XLine is located in the Dubai Marina Mall on level P. Another attraction is the Dubai Marina Walk, situated along the shoreline. The Dubai Marina Mall is a shopping and entertainment centre. In addition, Dubai Marina has a 3.5 kilometres (2.2 miles) long marina that is serviced by the Dubai Marina Yacht Club for yacht and dhow tours.[27][28] Another major attraction in Dubai Marina is Skydive Dubai,[29] which is arranged to give skydivers a bird's-eye view of Palm Jumeirah.[30][31]
Education
[edit]
Emirates International School is close to Dubai Marina.[32]
Incidents
[edit]
On 27 April 2006, a protest broke out among workers in Al Ahmadiya Contracting. During the protest, workers blocked the company's construction site at Dubai Marina and destroyed office property and documents. They also damaged eight cars and two buses and battered a site engineer. The crowd was later dispersed by the riot control wing of Dubai Police.[33]
In August 2015, people including police officers were arrested after they were caught with prostitutes and illegal alcohol on a boat in Dubai Marina.[34]
In 14 June 2025, a huge fire broke out in the 67-storey Marina Pinnacle, causing 4,000 people to flee.[35]
Gallery
[edit]
Dubai Marina panorama
The tallest block
Another view
View of Dubai Marina from the 64th floor of the Marina Torch Tower
Graffiti in Marina Promenade
View from the harbor
See also
[edit]
United Arab Emirates portal
Architecture portal
Bluewaters Island
List of tallest buildings in Dubai
List of tallest residential buildings in Dubai
References
[edit]
^
"Dubai Statistics Centre" (PDF). Dubai Statistics Centre. 2024. Retrieved 3 July 2025.
^"UAE: Division of Dubai (Sectors and Communities) - Population Statistics, Charts and Map". www.citypopulation.de. Retrieved 5 March 2021.
^"Digital Dubai" (PDF). dsc.gov.ae. Retrieved 26 October 2025.
^ abcdefg"The Dubai Marina in Dubai Designed by Architects HOK Canada Inc". Design Build Network. Retrieved 15 October 2010.
^Brody, Trevor (24 December 2021) [2006]. "False Creek, Dubai". CharterClick. Retrieved 2 November 2024.
^"Whale shark spotted in Dubai Marina". GulfNews.com. 27 August 2015. Retrieved 20 January 2018.
^Khan, Mohammed N. Al. "Dubai Marina community grows with new mosque". The National. Retrieved 21 November 2024.
^"The World's Tallest Residential City Block Dubai Off-Site Program | CTBUH 2018 Conference". Retrieved 25 August 2024.
^"Beyond Infinity: World's tallest twisted tower in Dubai gets new name". Emirates 24/7. 11 June 2013. Retrieved 17 August 2013.
^"Ocean Heights". SkyscraperPage.com. Retrieved 26 September 2007.
^"Tiger ready to hand over new Marina Pinnacle Tower to owners". Gulf News. 19 December 2010. Retrieved 14 May 2015.
^"Fire breaks out at luxury Dubai tower". Yahoo News. 20 July 2016. Archived from the original on 31 December 2022. Retrieved 20 January 2018.
^Published: 14:56 August 17, 2008 (17 August 2008). "The Walk opens at Jumeirah Beach Residence". GulfNews.com. Retrieved 20 January 2018.cite web: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
^"The Walk at JBR | Dubai Marina & Palm Jumeirah, Dubai | Attractions". Lonely Planet. Retrieved 8 October 2024.
^Gillett, Katy (18 October 2019). "The evolution of a city: when Dubai Marina broke ground nearly 20 years ago". The National. Retrieved 9 November 2019.
^"Al Sahab Towers (Dubai Marina)". vistadubai.com. Visit Dubai. Archived from the original on 1 January 2020. Retrieved 1 January 2020.
^"Five of the best Dubai penthouses for sale – in pictures". thenational.ae. The National. Retrieved 9 November 2019.
^Sadaqat, Rohma (20 February 2018). "First look: Sharjah's Dh25 billion Waterfront City on track for 2019 completion". Galadari Printing and Publishing LLC. khaleejtimes. Retrieved 9 November 2019.
^"Emaar Announces AED 1.5 billion Expansion of Dubai Mall". www.dubaichronicle.com. 4 June 2024. Retrieved 1 December 2024.
^Haq, Qazi Raza Ul (20 June 2024). "How to Go Marina Beach by Metro – Living in UAE". Living in UAE.
^"Dubai Marina station is now Damac". Lookup.ae. 17 September 2014. Archived from the original on 28 January 2015. Retrieved 14 January 2015.
^Tesorero, Angel (17 December 2020). "Roads and Transport Authority to update Dubai Metro platforms addressing system". Gulf News. Retrieved 8 April 2025.
^Abbas, Waheed (9 August 2021). "Dubai Marina Metro Station renamed Sobha Realty". Khaleej Times. Retrieved 8 April 2025.
^Dubai FAQs. "Dubai Metro & Tram System - Getting Around". discover-dubai.ae. Retrieved 9 April 2019.
^"Xline Zipline Dubai - The World's Longest Urban Zipline". Visit Dubai. Retrieved 26 January 2020.
^"Frequently Asked Questions". XDubai. 2020. Retrieved 18 December 2024.
^"Boat tours, watersports: Explore Dubai's marine activities to keep cool in summer". Khaleej Times. 23 July 2022. Retrieved 8 April 2025.
^Pile, Tim (6 March 2025). "6 marinas around the world that are destinations in themselves". PostMag, by South China Morning Post. Retrieved 8 April 2025.
^"Pilot fine as Skydive Dubai plane crashes off runway". Khaleej Times. 4 October 2015 [3 October 2015 – Original publication date]. Retrieved 8 April 2025.
^"Why you need to check out Skydive Dubai". Time Out Abu Dhabi. 16 September 2019. Retrieved 8 April 2025.
^Wilson, Chris; Neath, Amelia (21 February 2025). "8 best things to do in Dubai Marina and where to stay in 2025". The Independent. Retrieved 8 April 2025.
^"Home". Emirates International School – Meadows. Archived from the original on 17 August 2019. Retrieved 15 November 2015. Conveniently located in the heart of the beautiful Meadows community within easy access of the Lakes and Dubai Marina developments [...].
^"Al Ahmadiya Contracting workers to be prosecuted for violent protest". Khaleej Times. 4 April 2015 [10 May 2006 – Original publication date]. Retrieved 29 December 2019.
^"Police officers jailed over Dubai Marina yacht sex parties". The National. 6 April 2015. Retrieved 20 January 2018.
^"Fire breaks out in Dubai Marina building; successfully extinguished". Gulf News. 14 June 2025. Retrieved 14 June 2025.
External links
[edit]
Official website
Media related to Dubai Marina at Wikimedia Commons
‹ The template below (Neighborhoods in Dubai) is being considered for merging with Dubai. See templates for discussion to help reach a consensus. ›
v
t
e
Neighbourhoods and communities in Dubai
Deira and the
northwestern sector of Dubai
(Sector 1)
Abu Hail
Al Baraha
Al Buteen
Al Corniche
Al Dhagaya
Al Hamriya Port
Al Khabisi
Al Mamzar
Al Muraqqabat
Al Murar
Al Muteena
Al Ras
Al Rigga
Al Sabkha
Al Waheda
Ayal Nasir
Corniche Deira
Hor Al Anz
Naif
Port Saeed
Rigga Al Buteen
Mushrif and the
northern sector of Dubai
(Sector 2)
Al Ayas
Al Garhoud
Al Khawaneej
Al Mizhar
Al Rashidiya
Al Nahda
Al Qusais
Al Twar
Al Warqa
Dubai Airport
Mirdif
Muhaisnah
Mushrif
Nad Shamma
Oud Al Muteena
Umm Ramool
Wadi Alamardi
Bur Dubai and the
western sector of Dubai
(Sector 3)
Al Bada
Al Barsha
Al Hamriya
Al Hudaiba
Al Jaddaf
Al Jafilia
Al Karama
Al Kifaf
Al Manara
Al Mankhool
Al Merkad
Al Quoz
Al Rifa
Al Safa
Al Satwa
Al Shindagha
Al Souk Al Kabir
Al Sufouh
Al Thanyah
Al Wasl
Business Bay
Downtown Dubai
Dubai Marina
Jumeirah
Jumeirah Bay
Jumeirah Island 2
Madinat Dubai Al Melaheyah
Nakhlat Jumeirah
Oud Metha
Trade Centre 1
Trade Centre 2
Umm Al Sheif
Umm Hurair
Umm Suqeim
World Islands
Zabeel
Ras Al Khor and the
north-central sector of Dubai
(Sector 4)
Al Khairan First
Al Kheeran
Al Warqaa
Nad Al Hammar
Ras Al Khor
Wadi Alshabak
Jabal Ali and the
southwestern sector of Dubai
(Sector 5)
Al Wajeha Al Bahriah
Dubai Investment Park
Hessyan
Jabal Ali
Madinat Al Mataar
Mena Jabal Ali
Nakhlat Jabal Ali
Saih Shuaib
Hadaeq Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid and the
central sector of Dubai
(Sector 6)
Al Barsha South
Al Hebiah
Bu Kadra
Hadaeq Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid
Me'aisem
Nadd Al Shiba
Nadd Hessa
Ras Al Khor Industrial Area
Wadi Al Safa
Warsan
Al Awir and the
northeastern sector of Dubai
(Sector 7)
Al Awir
Al Meryal
Al Wohoosh
Enkhali
Lehbab
Nazwah
Hatta and the
eastern sector of Dubai
(Sector 8)
Al Maha
Al Rowaiyah
Hatta
Le Hemaira
Margab
Margham
Mereiyeel
Remah
Umm Al Daman
Umm Al Mo'meneen
Umm Eselay
Yaraah
Al Marmoom and the
southern sector of Dubai
(Sector 9)
Awesome Helicopter tour of Dubai and the world Islands. We got to see everything we wanted to see. Tour left on time and everything was very organized.
We booked this as a surprise for my son's birthday and we nailed it - he loved the thrill of the helicopter ride itself, but also the spectacular views from above. The pilot was very friendly and knowledgeable. We learned so much more about Abu Dhabi than we would have ever done from walking around - and the views from above of the Mosque and of the palaces are unmatched.It is MUST experience in Abu Dhabi.
Helicopter Ride and Tours Dubai, Al Warsan Building - near Media Rotana, Ground Floor - Al Thanyah First - Barsha Heights - Dubai - United Arab Emirates
Helicopter Ride and Tours Dubai, Al Warsan Building - near Media Rotana, Ground Floor - Al Thanyah First - Barsha Heights - Dubai - United Arab Emirates
Helicopter Ride and Tours Dubai, Al Warsan Building - near Media Rotana, Ground Floor - Al Thanyah First - Barsha Heights - Dubai - United Arab Emirates
Helicopter Ride and Tours Dubai, Al Warsan Building - near Media Rotana, Ground Floor - Al Thanyah First - Barsha Heights - Dubai - United Arab Emirates
Helicopter Ride and Tours Dubai, Al Warsan Building - near Media Rotana, Ground Floor - Al Thanyah First - Barsha Heights - Dubai - United Arab Emirates
Helicopter Ride and Tours Dubai, Al Warsan Building - near Media Rotana, Ground Floor - Al Thanyah First - Barsha Heights - Dubai - United Arab Emirates
Helicopter Ride and Tours Dubai, Al Warsan Building - near Media Rotana, Ground Floor - Al Thanyah First - Barsha Heights - Dubai - United Arab Emirates
Helicopter Ride and Tours Dubai, Al Warsan Building - near Media Rotana, Ground Floor - Al Thanyah First - Barsha Heights - Dubai - United Arab Emirates
Helicopter Ride and Tours Dubai, Al Warsan Building - near Media Rotana, Ground Floor - Al Thanyah First - Barsha Heights - Dubai - United Arab Emirates
Helicopter Ride and Tours Dubai, Al Warsan Building - near Media Rotana, Ground Floor - Al Thanyah First - Barsha Heights - Dubai - United Arab Emirates
