Khaleej Times

Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building, has been picked by the GCC Civil Defence General Managers as an ideal example for high rise structures in terms of fire protection systems and safety measures taken in emergency cases. The civil defence managers team, which concluded its 23rd meeting in the UAE, agreed to circulate the fire protection system installed in Burj Khalifa to the member states

Dubai’s buoyant hotel industry sustained its upturn in the first six months of 2012 with a 10 per cent surge in hotel guests compared to the corresponding period in 2011. Dubai’s hotels and hotel apartments played hosts to 5,027,223 guests in the first half of this year, the Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing in Dubai has said.

Welcome to One World, One Family, One Festival. Welcome to Dubai, the Shopping Paradise. Entertain yourself with hundreds of options. Go for a dash of culture, custom and tradition. Then, perhaps drive and laugh as you collect your winnings from the bank.

Did you know that the maximum occupancy of the Burj Khalifa is 35,000 people, almost the population of a small town! And did you know that during the hot summer months or in the cool winters, the temperature at the top of Burj Khalifa is six degrees cooler than at ground level.

A new mosque covering an area of 40,000 square feet is being built in Downtown Dubai, near The Old Town development. The mosque will be set in an immaculately landscaped area that will complement the design elegance of The Old Town. The mosque will be designed to reflect the rich traditional architectural heritage while serving as a haven of peace and serenity and is set to become a modern day cultural landmark for Dubai.

Emaar Hospitality Group, the hospitality & leisure subsidiary of global property developer Emaar Properties PJSC, won six awards at the World Travel Awards 2010 with Emaar Hospitality being voted as the ‘Middle East’s Leading Tourism Property Development Company,’ and The Address Hotels + Resorts winning awards for all its properties in Dubai.

Sculptured by Syrian artist Lutfi Romhein, ‘Together’ features an Arab couple dressed in the iconic white dish-dasha and black kandoora in typical Emirati style, made from Italian Carrara marble and Swedish black granite. Commissioned by the owner of the Courtyard Gallery, Samia Saleh, the 4.25 metre-high sculpture rest on a granite base, near the entrance to Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building.

Meet the man who designed the building that has smashed all world records. The chief architect for the Burj Dubai, Adrian Smith, speaks to David Light about his achievement. Adrian Smith, creator of the Burj Dubai and other iconic structures worldwide, has been a practising architect for over 40 years.

Getting a view from the world’s highest observatory deck will now cost one quarter more, Khaleej Times has learnt. Burj Khalifa’s viewing deck At the Top has increased the ticket prices for early purchase dated and timed general admission for adults from Dh100 to Dh125 and for children (aged between four and 12) from Dh75 to Dh95.

Two aerobatics teams participating in this year’s Al Ain Aerobatic Show have made a spectacular fly-past over the southern emirates at the start of the second day of the internationally acclaimed event. At 9.50am, the seven L-39 Albatros Breitling Team jets joined forces with the four BAC 167 Strikemasters of Team Viper, flying over Al Ain before heading towards Dubai. They passed over Burj Khalifa and Atlantis Hotel and then headed to the coast of Abu Dhabi, circling over the Emirates Palace Hotel and Grand Mosque and finally returning to Al Ain.