Burj Khalifa: On the 124th floor of the world's tallest building
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates – Dubai loves breaking records.
With its towering skyscrapers, ultra-luxurious hotels and outlandish opulence, this city on the Persian Gulf fueled by tourism and oil money resembles a cross between Hong Kong and Las Vegas — hopped up on steroids.
Dubai is not shy about trumpeting its accolades and accumulating new ones. It has more than 100 Guinness World Records, including the largest shopping mall, largest man-made island, largest book, even the longest handmade gold chain (about 3 miles in length).
But no record earns Dubai more recognition and better epitomizes its extravagance than Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest manmade structure. Resembling a hypodermic needle, it soars 2,722 feet from the Arabian Desert, marking one of the most expensive square miles of real estate on the planet.
Burj, an Arabic word that means "tower," was named after Sheikh Khalifa, president of the United Arab Emirates. It took six years and $1.5 billion to build, opening five years ago. At that time, it surpassed the prior record-holder — a tower in Taiwan — by more than 1,000 feet.
In addition to holding the record as tallest building, Burj Khalifa owns more than a dozen other records, including the building with the most floors (163), the world's highest observation deck (148th floor), and the world's highest nightclub (144th floor).
It is twice as tall as the Empire State Building and about three times the height of the Eiffel Tower. To make a local comparison, Arizona's tallest building — Chase Tower in Phoenix — is a mere 483 feet tall. Standing the two buildings side by side is proportionally equivalent to comparing an average-height American woman with a Barbie doll.
Yep, the Burj is tall.
But size isn't everything. The Burj also is an engineering marvel and entertaining attraction. Several times a day, throngs of tourists are treated to a Bellagio-style fountain show set to Arabic, classical and international music on a 30-acre lake at the base of the building. Indeed, both sets of fountains were designed by the same company. The Burj's fountain shoots water jets as high as 50 stories.
The public entrance to the skyscraper — which houses offices, hotels, apartments and restaurants — is on the lower ground level inside the Dubai Mall, the world's largest shopping mall based on total area, with some 1,200 stores. The shops are as ritzy and pricey as you'll see on Rodeo Drive. The mall also houses the world's second-largest aquarium (the aquarium holds the world record for the largest acrylic glass panel) and an indoor ice-skating rink.
We visited the Burj early on a Sunday in March. Fortunately, we had made reservations — tickets for an elevator to the 124th-floor viewing platform were sold out for the day.
Before heading up, it's worth spending time at the interactive, multimedia museum where you can learn all sorts of facts about the history of Dubai and the United Arab Emirates, the construction of the Burj, and how it compares to the world's notable skyscrapers.
For instance, it took 12,000 workers from more than 80 countries to erect the Burj. The amount of concrete used would equal the approximate weight of 100,000 elephants.
Socorro Alberto, who has worked in the Burj's marketing department since the building opened, said that up to 10,000 tourists visit one of the building's upper viewing platforms each day during Dubai's busy winter season.
"It's like you're in the sky," she said. "You can see everything."
One of the fastest elevators in the world (surprisingly, this is one record the Burj does not hold) whisked us to the At the Top viewing platform on the 124th floor in just 60 seconds. There, in a 360-degree, glass-enclosed viewing platform, we could see about 60 miles in each direction. The views of the city skyline, the golden sand dunes of the Arabian Desert and the sparkling water of the Persian Gulf were stunning.
I especially enjoyed looking through a high-powered electronic telescope. With a push of a button, you can see what the same view looks like at different times of day. Finally, a "historic" setting shows what the views looked like 25 years ago, when Dubai's population was less than one-fourth of its current 2.1 million. Then, there were far fewer skyscrapers and a whole lot more sand.
The Burj also offers a great view of Dubai's other notable site, the Burj Al Arab, a hotel that resembles the billowing sail of a ship. Often referred to as the world's only seven-star hotel, Burj Al Arab was built on an artificial island and is connected to the mainland by a private bridge.
According to the hotel's website, a "panoramic one-bedroom suite" can be booked for about $3,300 per night, personal butler included. If you really want to go high end, the Royal Suite will set you back more than $18,000.
On the Burj Khalifa's 124th-floor platform, a framed certificate from Guinness World Records proclaims this the world's tallest building. The bottom of the certificate has a two-word sentence that concisely sums up the magnificence of the place: "Officially amazing."
From what felt like the top of the world, it was hard to argue.
Dan Fellner of Chandler is a freelance writer who is teaching at the American University in Bulgaria on a Fulbright Scholar grant. Visit his website at Global-Travel-Info.com.
Burj Khalifa
There are observation platforms on the 124th and 148th floors. You can buy tickets online, which is advisable because they often sell out. Sunset is the most popular time to visit. Prices start at about $34. On most days, you can buy a "fast-track" ticket on the spot, but it's pricey at about $82.
Details:www.burjkhalifa.ae/en.