Just a couple of decades ago, camels joyfully galloped along the dunes, and now the former desert is earing with glass towers of skyscrapers. The favorite brainchild of the Emir of Dubai Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the new business center of the city, 2 square kilometers of luxurious offices, apartments, hotel rooms, shops and entertainment facilities. The symbol of the new destiny of the capital of the emirate, which wished to turn from a provincial raw material appendage into the capital of the world, was to be the Burj Dubai skyscraper. Two years after the construction of the skyscraper was completed, it still remains only the personification of a monstrous bubble in the local real estate market, which almost let its creators go around the world. Blogger Darriuss talks about the difficult fate of the tallest building in the world.

Back in the 1960s, Dubai looked something like this, and it seemed that nothing foreshadowed the transformation of Allah's forgotten rundown town on the coast Persian Gulf to the trendy metropolis.

British imperialists ran the capital of an unknown emirate, electricity and telephone communications appeared here only in the 1950s, and the main content of the life of local residents was hatred for the neighboring, slightly more successful emirate of Abu Dhabi. Even pearls, on the production of which Dubai flourished somewhat in the 1920s, were no longer needed by anyone.

But in 1971, oil was found here. And although in much smaller numbers than in the same unloved Abu Dhabi, this was enough for the population of Dubai to more than triple from 1968 to 1975, mainly due to the influx of guest workers from India and Pakistan. After an initial period of capital accumulation, when suddenly rich local camel breeders actively joined the benefits of civilization and explored the world beyond their native tent, in the 1990s Dubai began to rapidly develop as the economic center of the region, which was facilitated by the general tension in the Persian Gulf, where Dubai remained an island stability, and successful friendships with well-chosen world gendarmes. Ultimately, thanks to the grand discovery of obscure bearded geologists with a guitar, just 40 years later, Dubai began to look strong and prosperous.

In 1998, Emaar Properties, a newly formed real estate development company whose main shareholder is the government of the Emirate of Dubai, began work on its most ambitious project. On two square kilometers of the desert, previously occupied by a military base, construction began on a new business center in Dubai, which, following the American model, received the name "Downtown". For $ 20 billion, they built here not a microdistrict of panel houses for those in need of better living conditions, but a number of residential complexes, business centers, high-rise hotels and, finally, the world's largest shopping and entertainment center Dubai Mall with a total area of ​​1.2 million ( !) square meters, of which 1200 stores occupied only 350 thousand "squares". This is what Downtown Dubai looked like on a model made in the workshops of the Dubaigrado Design Institute.

Plan of the new center of Dubai. The massive building on the right side of the render is the Dubai Mall.

The main character of "Downtown Dubai" was to be a skyscraper, designed on a peninsula in an artificial reservoir, where a huge fountain complex was later arranged. The high-rise building, which was planned to accommodate hundreds of thousands of square meters of offices, apartments, hotel rooms and public facilities, according to the investors' idea, should not only be the highest in the world, but also reliably and with a margin exceed the record height of 509 meters, moreover time for six years as held by the Taipei 101 tower in Taipei. Moreover, the Dubai sheikhs decided to walk like this: the new symbol of Dubai was supposed to, in principle, become the tallest structure ever built on planet Earth, overtaking the 646-meter Warsaw radio mast, which collapsed, however, along with socialism back in 1991.

Psychoanalysts could say a lot about such a passionate desire to surpass rivals in length, let's say, vertical dominant, but in some ways you can understand the Dubai sheikhs. Their emirate was completing the process of reorienting the economy from oil and gas production to the provision of various kinds of services, and some well-known symbol of the new existence of the city as a financial, cultural, entertainment, finally tourist center not just regional, but on a planetary scale, was necessary. Dubai now accounts for only 2% of the gas production of the United Arab Emirates, its oil reserves, according to generally accepted opinion, should be exhausted within the next 20 years. The emirate is also lucky that its government realized the extent of the imminent catastrophe in time and, while there are funds for this, took measures to prevent it.

To design a symbolic building, which received the simple name "Burj Dubai" (translated from Arabic as "Dubai Tower"), the bosses of Emaar Properties turned to the American company SOM. Skidmore, Owings and Merrill. Once a relatively small Chicago office, it has now become a real architectural transnational corporation with hundreds of projects, offices around the world and thousands of employees. The firm's senior partner, Adrian Smith, was appointed lead architect for the project. He immediately proposed for construction an 830-meter building, which is a trefoil in plan, into which several volumes of different heights are combined around the central core.

According to Smith, the artistic image of the Burj Dubai was inspired by traditional Islamic architecture, and the plan in the form of the letter Y is supposed to resemble a hymenocallis flower, a plant found around Dubai.

For comparison - the source of inspiration for the architect.

Architectural experts, in turn, immediately drew attention to the external similarity of the Burj Dubai with the Illinois project by the prominent American architect Frank Lloyd Wright. This utopian mile-high (1600 meters) skyscraper was conceived by Wright back in 1956, but, of course, could not be realized at that time due to the lack of building technologies corresponding to the scale of the idea.

Legends are legends, but the plan in the form of a shamrock with a very simple structure allows you to most effectively deal with wind loads on the building, which are a serious problem for structures of this height. Their additional reduction is also facilitated by the spiral layering of the skyscraper, the area of ​​​​the floors of which consistently decreases as the tower moves up. In addition, the Y-shape is ideal for maximum interior spaces had panoramic views of the Persian Gulf and the city.

The construction site of the Dubai downtown is still empty, only the foundation of the Dubai Tower has been completed. The main contractor of the work was the construction division of the Korean corporation Samsung.

So, Samsung, with the help of mainly Indians and Pakistanis, had to build an 830-meter building with 163 floors with a total area of ​​310,000 square meters. The first 39 floors of the Burj Dubai, the largest in terms of area, were given over to Armani Hotel rooms and apartments, then private apartments were designed up to and including the 108th floor, the upper, smallest levels were given over to offices. These three large groups The premises were diluted with special technical floors, as well as floors for public purposes, where everyone has access: several observation platforms, restaurants, a swimming pool.

The diagram below clearly shows how the floor area of ​​the Dubai Tower decreases as its number of floors increases. Above is a typical plan of a hotel floor, in the center - an apartment floor, below - an office floor. The three wings of the skyscraper are united by a clearly visible central hexagonal core, where stairs, elevators and other engineering are located.

And so the plan from the diagram above looked in real life. Next to the foundation of the future skyscraper, figures of builders are noticeable, according to which one can roughly imagine the general scale of the building. Only 45 thousand cubic meters of concrete were poured into the foundation, 192 piles were used, each with a diameter of 1.5 and a length of 43 meters.

Structurally, the building is a monolithic frame made of reinforced concrete with continuous cladding with glass panels. In total, 330 thousand cubic meters of concrete, 55 thousand tons of reinforcement and 22 million (!) Man-hours were spent on its construction. The latest achievement, provided by the labor of several thousand builders, who were usually on the construction site at the same time, as well as the low assessment of this work by Arab customers, periodically caused revolutionary seething among the working people.

At the same time, 3 tower cranes, hoisted to the top of the tower, with a lifting capacity of 25 tons each, worked on the construction of the building.

The glazing of a skyscraper, as is customary for such skyscrapers, took place in parallel with the construction.

In total, it took to install more than 26 thousand glass panels (the photo shows the process of installing one of them) with a total area of ​​142 thousand square meters. Day and night, this important task was carried out by more than 300 specialists discharged from China.

Separate fragments of the building required not just glass cladding, but also filling the walls with silicate blocks, which is popular in Belarus.

As the skyscraper climbed, the floor area was successively reduced, and eventually the upper levels were essentially just a central hexagonal core without the shamrock petals. To harmoniously complete the artistic image of the skyscraper, it was also necessary to hoist a steel spire weighing 4,000 tons onto this core. The spire has 46 additional technical floors. Thus, the total number of storeys of the building reaches 209 (plus two underground parking levels).

The construction of the Burj Dubai lasted exactly six years and ended with a grand opening ceremony on January 4, 2010. Due to the crisis that erupted in Dubai in 2009, the construction of the tallest building in the world dragged on for an extra year. The ambitious projects of the leadership of the emirate almost buried him (the emirate). The Burj Dubai alone cost $1.5 billion, and had it not been for financial assistance from neighboring Abu Dhabi, which graciously lent a rescue $20 billion at a critical moment, Dubai would have faced financial collapse. One of the conditions for providing support was, apparently, a rather humiliating renaming of the "Dubai Tower" into the "Burj Khalifa" ("Kalifa Tower") in honor of the ruler of Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed al-Nahyan.

So the main high-altitude accent of the Dubai skyline, the pride of the emirate and a symbol of its bright future, was named after the Emir of Abu Dhabi. Given the long tradition of rivalry between the two Arab emirates, the decision was probably not easy for the Dubai sheikhs.

Complex "Burj Khalifa" on the situational plan. The numbers indicate: 1 - the main entrance, 2 - the entrance of the Armani Hotel, 3 - the entrance for the residents of the skyscraper, 4 - observation platform, 5 - promenade, 6 - gardens, 7 - fountains, 8 - children's playground, 9 - recreation area, 10 - technical area, 11 - entrance for workers in the building.

The area around the skyscraper looks something like this. You can even temporarily forget that there is a lifeless desert around.

Burj Khalifa in all its glory.

Some grandiose "dancing" fountains cost the owners $ 200 million.

The Burj Khalifa is served by 57 elevators and 8 escalators. Each elevator can accommodate 12-14 people and moves at a speed of up to 18 meters per second. For every fireman (literally) a staircase was also arranged up to the height of the 160th floor. Those who wish to walk along it will have to master 2909 steps.

The lower 39 floors of the building are occupied by the rooms and suites of the Armani Hotel, the first hotel designed by the famous Italian fashion designer. So minimalistic, for example, looks like a hotel corridor on the 39th floor.

The interior of one of the rooms.

The Burj Khalifa is one of the must-see sights for every visitor to Dubai. The point is that the highest this moment the building in the world is visible from anywhere in Dubai, so it is simply impossible not to see it.

We dedicate this huge article to the most iconic object in Dubai. But before moving on to the story about this building, we will present you with the basic facts regarding the Burj Khalifa tower.

Burj Khalifa Facts:

Cost: $1.5 billion

Developer: EmaarProperties

Design: Skidmore, Owings & Merrill

Type: Skyscraper

Height: 829.84 meters

How many floors: 162

Construction of the Burj Khalifa

The Burj Khalifa, formerly known as the Burj Dubai, is located in the center of Dubai, UAE and has a height of 829.84 meters. It is the tallest man-made structure in the world. The Burj Khalifa is a stunning work of art and an incomparable feat of engineering.

Burj Khalifa is part of new development called Downtown Dubai. It is located on Sheikh Zayed Road, very close to Dubai's main business district. The tower was designed by Emaar Properties and built by Skidmore and Owings & Merrill. Samsung C&T of South Korea, which also built the Taipei 101 and Petronas Twin Towers, was the main contractor for the project. The Belgian group Besix and Arabtec from the UAE were the main subcontractors.

Construction of the project began on September 21, 2004. The $1.5 billion tower has been renamed the Burj Khalifa, in honor of UAE President Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, who provided decisive support.

Earthworks on the Burj Khalifa tower began in January 2004, and after 1325 days from the start of earthworks, Burj Khalifa became the tallest building in the world.

Over 45,000 cubic meters of concrete weighing over 110,000 tons were used to build the foundation, which has 192 piles buried to a depth of over 50 meters. The construction of the Burj Khalifa required over 22 million man hours, 380 skilled engineers, over 330,000 cubic meters of concrete and 39,000 tons of steel reinforcement.

The construction of the Burj Khalifa was carried out using special mixtures of concrete in order for the building to withstand extreme loads. The consistency of the concrete used in the project was a very important aspect, as one should not forget about the high temperatures that are observed in the UAE in the summer, when the thermometer sometimes creeps up to 50 ° C. Therefore, the concrete could not be poured during the day - it was necessary to wait until the night, when the air got cooler and the humidity got a little higher.

Burj Khalifa world records

The Burj Khalifa has set a number of world records. In July 2007, upon completion of the 141st floor, the tower received the title of the tallest building in the world, while in September 2007, upon completion of the 150th floor, it was named the tallest free-standing structure in the world. After that, in April 2008, upon completion of the construction of the 160th floor, the tower was named the tallest man-made structure in the world, and in January 2009, the construction of the Burj Khalifa tower was completed with the installation of the spire.

Although the tower was completed in January 2009, work on the outer cladding took almost a year, so the official opening ceremony of the tower did not take place until January 2010.

The Burj Khalifa also holds several other world records to its credit, such as "highest installation of a glass facade", "highest floor in the world", "highest viewpoint outdoors in the world", "the elevator with the longest travel distance in the world".

The Burj Khalifa has the world's tallest outdoor observation deck, the world's tallest mosque, the world's tallest night club, the world's tallest restaurant and the second largest swimming pool in the world.

The Burj Khalifa has won numerous awards such as "Best High Rise in the Middle East and Africa" ​​and "Best Project of the Year in the Middle East".

Residences at Burj Khalifa

Residences in the Burj Khalifa are one of the most prestigious types of real estate. This tower has over 900 residences, including studios, one-, two-, three- and four-bedroom apartments.

The residences are located on floors 19 to 108 and offer a rich range of amenities. For example, it has a huge fitness room, indoor/outdoor pools, hot tubs, a meeting and event lounge, a resident library, a cigar club, a gourmet market, a gourmet shop, a meeting point for residents, and a parking service for guests and visitors. Residences at the Burj Khalifa offer an urban living experience in at its best. They offer all the comforts of a metropolis, complemented by the amenities and security systems of an exclusive community.

The fitness club of the Burj Khalifa tower is open not only to residents of the residences, but also to the general public. The four-story fitness club includes amenities such as two luxurious pools (indoor and outdoor), two gyms, a women-only gym and a state-of-the-art spa.

Each suite at the Burj Khalifa is equipped with the most advanced digital and telecommunications amenities. There are special fiber-optic lines here that can offer Internet access speeds of up to 10 gigabits per second. In addition, visitors can expect uninterrupted cellular service even while riding the elevator.

Security at Burj Khalifa

The Burj Khalifa is protected by a proprietary security system and a team of well-trained security professionals who are ready to ensure safety, privacy and peace of mind. Security leaders and guards patrol the floors of the building and the streets around it around the clock. Thanks to security technologies, access to elevators is sometimes restricted.

In addition, the Burj Khalifa has a home automation system that allows residents to access an automated environment for home lighting, temperature, security, and more. The system helps to access various services, view account statements and pay for services.

Downtown Dubai

The world's tallest building, the Burj Khalifa, is located amid Dubai's flagship Emaar community, namely Downtown Dubai.

Downtown Dubai, located on Sheikh Zayed Road close to the Toyota Flyover building, offers an unparalleled lifestyle for guests and local residents with a variety of retail facilities ranging from the world's largest shopping and entertainment center Dubai Mall to the atmospheric Souq al-Bahar market. All in all, Downtown Dubai is a place to live with a great mix of traditional and modern facilities.

Visitors can use the Dubai Metro or taxis to get to the city centre. The period from November to March is best time to visit Dubai CBD as the weather is more pleasant at this time. However, if you decide to go here during the hot summer months, then there is air conditioning on almost every corner, and even on buses.

Top attractions around Burj Khalifa

Burj Khalifa park

Designed by the leading architects of the SWA Group, the park has six water features, paths under palm trees, gardens and flowering trees. The Burj Khalifa sits in the heart of this park, and at the base of this tower you will see a series of pools and fountains. All railings, benches and signs depict images of the Burj Khalifa and the desert flower.

Plants and shrubs in the park are watered by a condensation collection system that the building uses for its cooling system. Hot and humid air during cooling forms water, which is stored in the basement of the car park. Nearly 15 million gallons of water are produced from the air each year, the equivalent of 20 Olympic swimming pools.

On the territory of the Burj Khalifa you will also find two tennis courts, a splash pool and a playground.

Dubai Mall

Dubai Mall is the largest shopping center in the world by total area, but it is also the fifth largest mall in terms of total rentable area. Part of the Burj Khalifa complex, the shopping center offers 1,200 stores. Among the attractions that can be found in this mall are the world's largest Gold Souk with over 220 stores, Galeries Lafayette, interesting waterfall, an indoor SEGA theme park, a 22-screen Cineplex, which is the largest in Dubai, a retractable roof and much more. The mall also includes a 250-room luxury hotel, 120 restaurants and cafes, and 14,000 parking spaces.

Dubai Aquarium and Underwater Zoo

Strategically located in the center of the Dubai Mall, the Dubai Aquarium is one of the largest indoor aquariums of its kind in the world. It even officially entered the Guinness Book of Records, as it has the largest acrylic panel in the world.

The Underwater Zoo at the Dubai Mall offers visitors the chance to see one of the most diverse collections marine life in the world. The Dubai Aquarium and Underwater Zoo has over 33,000 aquatic animals, including many sharks and rays.

Dubai Ice Rink

The Olympic-sized ice rink at the Dubai Mall is a multi-purpose venue that can accommodate over 2,000 guests. There is even an ice skating accessory store next to this rink.

SEGA Republic

SEGA Republic is Dubai's first indoor theme park located inside the Dubai Mall. The huge theme park offers attractions such as a sound bunker, free fall and over 150 activities and games spread across five themed zones namely Adventure Zone, Speed ​​Zone, Sports Zone, Redemption Zone and Cyberpop Zone.

Designed by Emaar Retail and SEGA Corporation, the SEGA Republic theme park offers visitors an exciting and unforgettable experience. It is located on the 2nd floor, between Reel Cinemas and Kidzania, and is open from 10am to 1am.

KidZania

Kidzania is an educational and entertainment center that invites children aged 4 to 15 to have fun in this mini-city, which has an area of ​​​​about 80,000 square meters. There are real streets, shops, buildings in which children can live in their dreams. They can choose for themselves one of 70 professions, such as a race car driver, pilot, policeman, fireman, doctor, etc.

In other words, Kidzania is a small copy real city for kids.

Cinemas

With 22 screens, the Dubai Mall's cinema complex is one of the largest in Dubai. Here you can see a selection of the latest international blockbusters, including 3D movies.

As one of the largest THX-certified cinema complexes in the UAE, Dubai Mall Cinema Complex offers visitors the experience of the next dimension in cinema. In addition, it has a special hall where you will find luxurious armchairs.

Hotels near Burj Khalifa

In addition to the ultra-luxurious Armani Hotel in the Burj Khalifa, you will find several other great hotels near the tower. All of these hotels offer the necessary facilities for meetings and event planning.

Armani Hotel

Housed in the world's tallest building, the iconic Burj Khalifa, high above the Dubai CBD, the Armani Hotel is the world's first hotel designed by Giorgio Armani.

Every detail in the hotel is signed by Armani. The hotel is located in the famous Burj Khalifa skyscraper and occupies the 8th, 38th and 39th floors. The Armani Hotel in Dubai offers stunning views of the city. This hotel is easy to get to as it offers its own dedicated tower entrance and is within walking distance of the largest shopping center in the world.

Armani Hotel offers its customers eight restaurants with a wide range of cuisines from the Indian and Japanese cuisines to authentic Italian cuisine. In addition, in this hotel you will find a large and very famous spa center that offers a unique and excellent service for personalized treatment, personal trainer services and many other services and amenities.

Address Downtown Dubai

Address Downtown Dubai is a 5-star hotel located close to the Burj Khalifa, the stunning fountain and the renowned Dubai Mall.

Address Downtown Dubai offers 196 rooms, 626 serviced apartments and 25 suites across its 63 floors. In addition, this Burj Khalifa hotel offers a wide range of fine dining options, state-of-the-art meeting rooms, a fully equipped fitness center, swimming pools, a health club and many other amenities.

The Palace

The Palace Hotel is located in close proximity to the Dubai Fountains and the Burj Khalifa. It has 242 rooms, 3 restaurants and bars serving regional and international cuisines. Managers in every restaurant Hotel The Palace make sure that guests are satisfied and offer personalized services.

The Palace features a full-service spa, health club, outdoor pool, Russian bath and sauna, pool bar, fitness center and many other amenities.

Al Manzil

Located in the prestigious Downtown area, Al Manzil Hotel is popular place among business people who come to Dubai to do business. Located in downtown Dubai, Al Manzil Hotel is just a 5-10 minute walk from Burj Khalifa. It features several luxury restaurants, a Parisian-style sidewalk, an outdoor decked pool, a state-of-the-art fitness center and more.

Qamardeen

Relatively close to the Burj Khalifa, Qamardeen offers a wide range of amenities and entertainment for its guests, including 13 Executive Suites, 123 Queens and 48 Doubles. Facilities at the Qamardeen include TV and internet services, meeting rooms, fully equipped rooms and a 24-hour business centre.

In terms of relaxation, Qamardeen Hotel offers an outdoor pool, a fitness center, a bar and cafe, a rooftop terrace and a concierge desk.

Burj Khalifa observation deck

The outdoor observation deck, called At the Top, was opened on January 5, 2010 on the 124th floor of the Burj Khalifa skyscraper. This is the third highest open observation deck in the world, which is located at an altitude of 452 meters. You are probably asking why we then said at the beginning of the article that the tower has the highest observation deck? The fact is that there really is such a platform in the Burj Khalifa tower. It was opened relatively recently on the 148th floor. The height of this site is 555 meters, which makes it the highest in the world.

The observation deck of the Burj Khalifa tower has a telescope, complemented by a special device that allows visitors not only to look at the surrounding landscape in real time, but also to view previously saved images.

The journey to the observation deck begins at the first level of the Dubai Mall. Throughout the journey, visitors will be able to watch a multimedia presentation of the history of Dubai and the marvelous Burj Khalifa building. A standard site visit lasts almost an hour, so you will have plenty of time to enjoy the view of the area.

Visitors can purchase tickets in advance for a specific date and time and receive discounts. The observation deck is open from 10 am to 10 pm from Sunday to Wednesday and from 10 am to midnight from Thursday to Saturday.

Fountains near Burj Khalifa

The world-famous fountains are located right in a large artificial lake near the Burj Khalifa tower. Designed by California-based WET Design, the fountains cost AED800 million. They are illuminated with 6600 lights and 50 colored spotlights. During the fountain show, water jets here can fly up to a height of over 200 meters. These "dances" of the fountains are accompanied by classical, modern or Arabic music.

The world's largest fountains near the Burj Khalifa have attracted more than 50 million visitors since their launch in May 2009. The Dubai Fountains can spray about 22,000 gallons of water into the air at one time. Dubai Fountains' main control room is located on the top level of the adjacent Dubai Mall.

The fountain show usually takes place at 13:00 and 13:30, and every 30 minutes from 18:00 to 22:00 on weekdays and from 18:00 to 23:00 on weekends (Thursday, Friday and Saturday).

is a famous skyscraper with a height of more than 800 meters, built in Dubai in 2010. According to experts, this stalagmite-like tower is currently the tallest in the world.

The Khalifa Tower is one of the most famous sights of the city, which is always popular with tourists from all over the world. This is truly a building masterpiece, demonstrating the power and wealth of the Emirates.

The cost of this skyscraper in total is $ 1.5 billion. This is a truly unique building, which is a real autonomous city in the metropolis. The Burj Khalifa even has its own streets and parks with evenly cut lawns.

The project was developed under the guidance of the world famous architect from the USA Adrian Smith, who has vast practical experience in creating this kind of high-rise buildings.

And the general contractor for the construction was the well-known Samsung from South Korea, which also participated in the construction of a number of well-known skyscrapers in the USA, China and other countries.

Interestingly, the Burj Khalifa was built from the very beginning with the intention of making it the tallest in the world. Therefore, its final height was kept secret until the end, so that someone would not find out and build the building even higher.

In addition, in preparation for the construction of the Tower, a special concrete was invented that can withstand a constant temperature. environment more than +50 C, and the concrete mixture was poured using ice.

During the entire construction process, public interest in this unique building was extremely high and gave rise to a lot of rumors and newspaper ducks. In addition, it is known that the builders were paid very little, which is why they periodically rebelled.

What's inside?

Today the Khalifa Tower is the most important element of the business part of the city. Inside it houses offices and offices, hotels and restaurants, apartments and apartments, shops and boutiques, as well as swimming pools, gyms, jacuzzis, etc.

Inside the skyscraper even its own atmosphere. Purified, cooled and flavored air enters the premises through grates in the floor. The fragrance was also created by perfumers especially for this Tower.

The skyscraper is glazed with energy-saving glass, which does not let the sun's rays in, reflecting them. This allows you to maintain the coolness inside the building, which is so needed by people in this sultry country. Glasses are washed every day.

More than five dozen elevators operate in the Khalifa Tower. Moreover, people who live or work here have to ride elevators with transfers, the architecture of the entire building is so complex.

Near the skyscraper on the street there is a huge pond with a beautifully illuminated musical fountain, the height of which reaches 150 m. The fountain works to Arab national music, as well as world modern and classical hits.

It is known that rains are very rare in the Emirates, a small amount of precipitation falls only in winter. Therefore, in the Burj Khalifa, there is a system for collecting not rainwater, but condensate that falls on the surface of the building from the air.

This condensate is sent through the plumbing system to a special tank in the basement and is subsequently used inside the building to water flowers and other plantings throughout the entire complex.

The Tower has the most floors in the world - 163. Previously, the record for the number of floors was held by the New York Twin Towers, notorious for being completely destroyed as a result of the September 11, 2000 terrorist attack.

Inside the skyscraper on the 122nd floor there is a famous restaurant "Atmosfera". It ranks above all restaurants in the world. And on the 148th floor there is an observation deck, which is also the highest in the world - the height is more than 500 m.

Excursions to the Khalifa Tower

Tourists love to visit this unique skyscraper and not only for sightseeing purposes. Here you can stay in one of the hotels and have a great time traveling through the floors and visiting local restaurants, saunas, places of entertainment, etc., although pleasure is not cheap.

Burj Khalifa is the highlight of Dubai and one of the most recognizable buildings in the world. majestic skyscraper ascended to 828 meters and 163 floors, for the past seven years being the tallest of the structures. It is located on the shores of the Persian Gulf and can be seen from anywhere in the city, introducing tourists into dumb shock.

Burj Khalifa: history

Dubai has not always been as modern and luxurious as it is now. In the 1980s, it was a modest city with traditional two-story buildings, and in just twenty years, the influx of petrodollars made it a giant of steel, stone and glass.

The Burj Khalifa skyscraper was built over six years. Construction began in 2004 with amazing speed: two floors were built in one week. The shape was specially made asymmetrical and reminiscent of a stalagmite, so that the building was stable and did not sway from the winds. It was decided to sheathe the entire building with special thermostatic panels, which significantly reduced energy costs.

The fact is that in the United Arab Emirates the temperature often rises to 50 degrees, so saving money on air conditioning played an important role. The foundation of the building was a foundation with hanging piles, which were 45 meters long.

It was decided to entrust the construction to the well-known Samsung corporation, which took into account all the climatic and geological features of the area. Especially for the Burj Khalifa, a special concrete solution was developed that can withstand high temperatures. It was kneaded exclusively at night with pieces of ice added to the water.

The company hired about twelve thousand workers who agreed to work in appallingly unhygienic conditions for a measly sum of four to seven dollars a day, depending on qualifications. The planners knew the golden rule that no building is on budget, so they decided to save on labor costs.

The total cost of building the tower cost more than one and a half billion dollars. For a long time, the planned height was kept secret. Many were sure that the Burj Khalifa would reach a kilometer, but the developers were afraid of difficulties with the sale of retail space, so they stopped at 828 meters. Perhaps now they regret their decision, because, despite the economic crisis, all the premises were purchased in a very short time.

Internal structure

Burj Khalifa was created as a vertical city. It contains within itself:

• hotel;
• residential apartments;
• office rooms;
• restaurants;
• observation deck.

Entering the tower, it is hard not to feel the pleasant microclimate created thanks to the special structure of ventilation and air conditioning. The creators took into account all the features of the human body, so staying inside is pleasant and comfortable. The building is filled with an unobtrusive and light aroma.

The hotel with 304 rooms is designed for tourists who are not concerned about their own budget. The interior design is amazing, because for a long time it was developed by Giorgio Armani himself. Made in warm colors with unique furniture and unusual decor items, the interior is an example of Italian elegance.

The hotel has 8 restaurants with Mediterranean, Japanese and Arabic cuisine. Also present: a nightclub, a swimming pool, a spa center, banquet halls, boutiques and a flower salon. Room rates start at $750 per night.

Burj Khalifa has 900 apartments. It is curious that the Indian billionaire Shetty completely bought out the 100th floor with three huge apartments. Eyewitnesses note that the room is immersed in luxury and chic.

observation decks

On the 124th floor of the skyscraper, there is a unique observation deck that opens a picturesque panorama of the UAE capital. It is called "At the Top". As travelers say, "If you haven't been to the site, you haven't been to Dubai."

Getting there is not so easy - tickets sell out very quickly. You need to keep this in mind and book a seat in advance, a ticket will cost approximately $27. In addition to the beauty of the ultra-modern city, you can enjoy the view of the night sky with the help of telescopes located on the site. Climb to a viewing height of 505 meters and enjoy an incredible view from above, as well as take a memorable photo from the pearl of Dubai. Feel the freedom and majesty of the human hands that erected this masterpiece.

The popularity of the place led to the fact that four years later a second observation deck was opened. It is located higher - on the 148th floor, and has become the highest in the world. There are screens that allow tourists to take a virtual walk around the city.

Tours

Remember that pre-purchased tickets will significantly save your budget and will cost you three times cheaper. It is best to buy them on the official website of the skyscraper or at the main passage to the Burj Khalifa elevators, as well as with the help of agencies that organize excursions. The latter option may be easier, but somewhat more expensive.

It is worth buying a telescope card: with its help, you will get the opportunity to see any corner of the city up close and get acquainted with the historical eras of Dubai. If you plan to visit the tower with a group of friends, then it is enough to buy only one card, as you can use it several times.

After saving money, spend it on an audio tour of the creation of a skyscraper. You can listen to it in one of the available languages, including Russian. The tour to Burj Khalifa lasts an hour and a half, but if this time is not enough for you, you can easily stay there longer.

• The building has 57 elevators, they move at a speed of up to 18 m/s.
• The average temperature in the rooms is 18 degrees.
• Special tinted thermal glasses help maintain an acceptable temperature and reflect the sun's rays, preventing the ingress of dust and unpleasant odors.
• An autonomous power supply system is provided by huge solar panels and wind turbines.
• The building has 2957 parking spaces.
• Due to poor working conditions during construction, workers staged pogroms and caused damage to the city for half a billion dollars.
• Restaurant "Atmosphere" is located at a record altitude - 442 m.

At the foot of the Burj Khalifa is the most powerful fountain in the world, the jets of which rise 100 meters up.

Climbing the tallest building in the world - the Burj Khalifa in Dubai! How much does a tour to the observation deck cost? Where to buy tickets and how to save? Read our review and tips.

It seems that the Arabs, during the construction of the Burj Khalifa skyscraper, decided to collect all the titles of "the most": this is the tallest ground structure in the history of mankind, the building with the largest number of floors, the fastest elevator, the highest observation deck, etc.

Information about the Burj Khalifa

The height of the Burj Khalifa tower in Dubai is 828 meters, the number of floors is 163, the elevator speed is 18 m / s (according to other sources - 10 m / s). The elevator raises to the 124th floor in a minute, there is a scoreboard in the cabin with a countdown of floors.

The blue dream of almost all tourists in Dubai is to climb this luxurious and breathtaking building. True, no one will let mere mortals to the very top. The maximum height accessible to tourists is 555 meters, or the 148th floor. But the most visited floors are 124 and 125 (456 meters). It is on these three floors that observation decks are located. At the top and At the Top Sky where tickets are sold.

Burj Khalifa is a city within a city: there are offices, apartments, a hotel, restaurants, shopping centers and so on. In front of the building is the famous dancing fountain, which draws crowds with its performances. The equally famous shopping center Dubai Mall adjoins the skyscraper.

(Photo © tucotuti / flickr.com / Licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0)

Where to buy tickets for Burj Khalifa in Dubai?

Advantages of buying on the official website: cheap (from 135 dirhams), you can buy tickets to the 148th floor or choose a promotion. For example, buy skyscraper + aquarium combo tickets. Site in English.

Benefits of buying on Sputnik: more expensive (from 180 dirhams), but in Russian. Unable to select combos.

We bought tickets for Burj Khalifa on the official website. We took a combo - a tower (124th and 125th floors) + an aquarium. For two it turned out 390 dirhams.

Here are the ticket prices for Burj Khalifa on the official website:

Interesting video! TV presenter and blogger Anton Ptushkin gives a video tour of rich life in Dubai:

Buy tickets for Burj Khalifa in advance, and not at the box office in Dubai Mall - it's much cheaper! After payment, the voucher will be sent to your email. It must be printed out and exchanged for a ticket at the box office.

What time to choose? If you want to visit the skyscraper during the daytime, we advise you to take tickets for 8:30 or 9:00 - there are still few people at this time. At 10 and 11 in the morning, the sites are already crowded: all the windows are plastered with tourists taking selfies, someone is broadcasting live on Instagram, queues are lining up.

Prime time from 16:00 to 18:00 - busiest time(and most expensive tickets). You can see the sunset, the dancing fountain and the lights of the city at night. However, can you imagine what kind of pandemonium on the sites? And the fountain is beautiful from below. If you really want to look at the fountain not from the ground, go up to the balcony of the Apple Store in Dubai Mall.

Come early. We arrived half an hour before they let us in. In the daytime and evening, it is better to arrive at least an hour in advance, as there is a queue to the ticket office and separately to the elevator.

How to get to Burj Khalifa in Dubai?

The exact address of the skyscraper is 1 Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Boulevard, Dubai. You can take the metro to the station Burj Khalifa/Dubai Mall. Then follow the signs to the Dubai Mall - through the covered walkway. At the mall, follow the signs for Burj Khalifa again. Next, you will reach the cashier and go up to the elevator.

There is a small queue at the elevator, about 10 people are allowed to enter. In a minute you will go up to the 124th floor, where there is an open terrace with glazed walls. On the 125th floor there is also an observation deck, but closed. We weren't on the 148th floor.

Hotel in Burj Khalifa in Dubai

If you want to splurge, then settle in a 5-star (who would doubt) hotel Armani Hotel Dubai 5 *. It occupies 11 floors of a skyscraper. He has excellent reviews - 9.1 out of 10. A double standard costs only 35 thousand rubles!

Our review of the skyscraper

Is it worth visiting? Undoubtedly! It's expensive, but you won't regret it. It is so tall that it hurts your neck when you look at it. To take a photo of a skyscraper, you have to contrive.

If you don't like to be in the crowd, come early in the morning - we did just that. After 10 a.m., haze appears and visibility decreases. Beautiful at sunset and at night, but expensive and crowded. Someone in the reviews complained that the night view is inferior to the morning one - the lights are like lights, the view is almost like from the window of an airplane.

Photo of the Burj Khalifa in Dubai