World's tallest tower closed a month after opening

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates – The world's tallest skyscraper has unexpectedly closed to the public a month after its lavish opening, disappointing tourists headed for the observation deck and casting doubt over plans to welcome its first permanent occupants in the coming weeks.

Electrical problems are at least partly to blame for the closure of the Burj Khalifa's viewing platform — the only part of the half-mile high tower open yet. But a lack of information from the spire's owner left it unclear whether the rest of the largely empty building — including dozens of elevators meant to whisk visitors to the tower's more than 160 floors — was affected by the shutdown.

The indefinite closure, which began Sunday, comes as Dubai struggles to revive its international image as a cutting-edge Arab metropolis amid nagging questions about its financial health.

The Persian Gulf city-state had hoped the 2,717-foot (828-meter) Burj Khalifa would be a major tourist draw. Dubai has promoted itself by wowing visitors with over-the-top attractions such as the Burj, which juts like a silvery needle out of the desert and can be seen from miles around.

In recent weeks, thousands of tourists have lined up for the chance to buy tickets for viewing times often days in advance that cost more than $27 apiece. Now many of those would-be visitors, such as Wayne Boyes, a tourist from near Manchester, England, must get back in line for refunds.

"It's just very disappointing," said Boyes, 40, who showed up at the Burj's entrance Monday with a ticket for an afternoon time slot only to be told the viewing platform was closed. "The tower was one of my main reasons for coming here," he said.

The precise cause of the $1.5 billion Dubai skyscraper's temporary shutdown remained unclear.

In a brief statement responding to questions, building owner Emaar Properties blamed the closure on "unexpected high traffic," but then suggested that electrical problems were also at fault.

"Technical issues with the power supply are being worked on by the main and subcontractors and the public will be informed upon completion," the company said, adding that it is "committed to the highest quality standards at Burj Khalifa."

Despite repeated requests, a spokeswoman for Emaar was unable to provide further details or rule out the possibility of foul play. Greg Sang, Emaar's director of projects and the man charged with coordinating the tower's construction, could not be reached. Construction workers at the base of the tower said they were unaware of any problems.

Power was reaching some parts of the building. Strobe lights warning aircraft flashed and a handful of floors were illuminated after nightfall.

Emaar did not say when the observation deck would reopen. Ticket sales agents were accepting bookings starting on Valentine's Day this Sunday, though one reached by The Associated Press could not confirm the building would reopen then.

Tourists affected by the closure are being offered the chance to rebook or receive refunds.

The shutdown comes at a sensitive time for Dubai. The city-state is facing a slump in tourism — which accounts for nearly a fifth of the local economy — while fending off negative publicity caused by more than $80 billion in debt it is struggling to repay.

Ervin Hladnik-Milharcic, 55, a Slovenian writer planning to visit the city for the first time this month, said he hoped the Burj would reopen soon.

"It was the one thing I really wanted to see," he said. "The tower was projected as a metaphor for Dubai. So the metaphor should work. There are no excuses."

Dubai opened the skyscraper on Jan. 4 in a blaze of fireworks televised around the world. The building had been known as the Burj Dubai during more than half a decade of construction, but the name was suddenly changed on opening night to honor the ruler of neighboring Abu Dhabi.

Dubai and Abu Dhabi are two of seven small sheikdoms that comprise the United Arab Emirates. Abu Dhabi hosts the federation's capital and holds most of the country's vast oil reserves. It has provided Dubai with $20 billion in emergency cash to help cover its debts.

Questions were raised about the building's readiness in the months leading up to the January opening.

The opening date had originally been expected in September, but was then pushed back until sometime before the end of 2009. The eventual opening date just after New Year's was meant to coincide with the anniversary of the Dubai ruler's ascent to power.

There were signs even that target was ambitious. The final metal and glass panels cladding the building's exterior were installed only in late September. Early visitors to the observation deck had to peer through floor-to-ceiling windows caked with dust — a sign that cleaning crews had not yet had a chance to scrub them clean.

Work is still ongoing on many of the building's other floors, including those that will house the first hotel designed by Giorgio Armani that is due to open in March. The building's base remains largely a construction zone, with entrance restricted to the viewing platform lobby in an adjacent shopping mall.

The first of some 12,000 residential tenants and office workers are supposed to move in to the building this month.

The Burj Khalifa boasts more than 160 stories. The exact number is not known.

The observation deck, which is mostly enclosed but includes an outdoor terrace bordered by guard rails, is located about two-thirds of the way up on the 124th floor. Adult tickets bought in advance cost 100 dirhams, or about $27. Visitors wanting to enter immediately can jump to the front of the line by paying 400 dirhams — about $110 apiece.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/ml_dubai_tallest_building

Mary Des tera kia haal ha?

_____________________________________________________________________________

mana keh meray des main mushkalain hain hazar

khushiyoon ki baraat ko youn nah dhondha kegiay

mana key surkh pholon say muhababat hai tujhay

zard pholon ko youn na raundha kejiay

mana keh meri zaban peh pehray hain hazar

ankhon ki tarawat say meray dill ki dharkan samjha kejiay

meray watan ki azadi ik nia mor lay gi aab

zanjeerian toot gain gi thora fikray farda kejiay

------------------******************---------------------

Han main nay mana keh musibat main mera des hai

daryaon kay dill jis say dehal jaain who mehvay tanay gosh hai

bedaar jald ho ga musalman woh din bahot jald ana hai

islam ki agosh main akhir zamano ko saman hai

mayous   nah   ho a JAAN  who   waqat   anay wala hai

koi ghazi koi mehmood parcham-e-islam lehrainay wala ha

by Azhar Ahmed

UAE firms cancel 2,000 visas daily

Wednesday, February 11, 2009 6:26 PM IST

UAE firms cancel 2,000 visas daily

Pradeep Pillai First Published : 07 Feb 2009 05:36:00 AM IST Last Updated : 07 Feb 2009 11:57:27 AM IST THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Uncertainty among Indian expats in the UAE is reaching maddening heights as jobs vanish by the day. An average of 1,500 to 2,000 visas are cancelled in the white collar sector every day, according to an analyst with a leading Dubai firm. Schools are flooded with applications for transfer certificate as families get ready to return home. There would be an exodus to India by March. Though there are only a total of 3,200 declared job losses by seven companies in Dubai, estimates from market sources put this at 20,000. Unofficial figures hint at 30,000 white collar jobs lost in the past three months. This is in addition to the tens of thousands of labourers rendered jobless every week. Sudhir Kumar Azhakath, Partner & Head of Corporate Communications and Public Relations, Morison Menon Chartered Accountants, a leading audit firm in the West Asia, told Express that companies were re-evaluating strategies and restructuring resources to cope up with the global and local challenges. Most of the companies have stopped giving pink slip figures as it might land them in trouble with the Ministry of Labour. Emirates NBD (merged entity of Emirates Bank International and National Bank of Dubai) had fired 1,800 employees. Another 1,700 pink slips are in the pipeline. This means 32 percent of a total workforce of 11,000 would be jobless in what the company terms ‘shedding of extra fat.’ Standard Chartered had cut 500, HSBC 250 and ADCB 750. One major Indian school has a got transfer certificate applications for 900 students till last week, which is 10 percent of the school’s student population. There are more than 10 major Indian schools in Dubai alone. This is due to various reasons including job loss, high cost of living and tuition fees and high rentals. The proposal to raise the minimum salary to 10,000 Dirhams for family visa status would make it impossible for a large chunk of expatriates to retain their families in the UAE. A recommendation to this effect has already gone from the Federal National Council to the Federal Government. Sudhir Kumar warned that by March/April there will be a huge flow of Indian expatriates. ``Out of this 70 percent will be Keralites going back for good or deciding to stay alone and send their families for good. And there are a lot of other expatriates who will also be moving out - Pakistani, Egyptian, Sri Lankan, UK, Germany etc. Recently 70 UK expatriates left their luxury cars in the airport and left the country. And more than 100 expatriates from India and other countries left similarly. It is officially estimated that Dubai’s 2008 population of 1.3 million will come down by 8 percent this year. But according to me it will go down by more than 25 percent.’’

The 80-storey "Dynamic Tower,"

will be a shifting skyscraper of luxury apartments on spinning floors, which will be attached to a central column.

Plans for the project were unveiled in New York by Italian architect David Fisher, who said: "This building will have endless different shapes".

The 420-meter (1,378-foot) building features 80 apartments that spin a full 360 degrees around a central column by means of 79 power-generating wind turbines located between each floor.

The apartments will take between one and three hours to make a complete rotation, and at 30,000 dollars (£15,254) per square meters, will cost between 3.7 million (£1.8 million) to 36 million dollars (£18 million).

Mr Fisher said the skyscraper, which would be energy self sufficient and cost about 700 million dollars (£355 million) to build, was due to be completed in Dubai by 2010.

The Mirax group plans to build a similar, 70-story skyscraper in Moscow. "We look forward to build a third one in New York and maybe in other cities," said Fisher.

"These buildings will open our vision all around, to a new life," he added.

Travel to Dubai, UAE

Dubai-Unite
View from Al-Qasr Hotel, Madinat Jumeirah. Hotel Bourj-Al-Arab

The windtowers were the most distinctive architectural element of the houses in the early twentieth century. They had been used by Arabs for many years. Windtowers have four open sides, each of which is hollowed into a concave v-shape, which deflects the wind down, cooling the rooms below. Water thrown on the floor beneath the tower cools the house as the water evaporates. When cool air is not necessary, the vents can be closed.

High rise construction in Dubai. The unfinished construction is the Burj
Dubai Tower intended to be the tallest building in the world with a height of
more than 808 m. On the picture it is app. 80 stories high.

Aerail of Dubai City downtown. You can see the axis of the Sheikh Zayed Road,
the business center of the city and condensed with tall buildings in the area.

Ramadan Calender

ramadan_2008_world

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From The Top of the Burj (Internal)‏

Now see this stuff………………….
This is taken from world's tallest building 'Burj Dubai' @ 2,620 ft / 801m!!!

What do you think guys…………………




Really amazing

Look at the edge (uppermost right corner) of the picture, you can almost see the turn of the earth

The persons who are working on the upper most Girders can see the 'ROTATION OF EARTH'
So terrifying…..

sheikh hamdan named crown prince of dubai

Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum (born on November 14, 1982) was named Crown Prince of Dubai by his father, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai. The announcement was made on February 1, 2008.

Sheikh Hamdan, 25, is head of the emirate’s Executive Council. He is also holding current positions as Head of the Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid center for Young Business Leaders and the President of Dubai Sports Council.

Sheikh Hamdan was schooled in Dubai and then countinued his studies in Sandhurst military academy in UK.

Alongside his announcement was also the appointment of his brother



Sheikh Maktoum, 24, as Dubai Deputy Ruler.