Dubai wants to build one of the wonders of the earth – a massive flat-topped pyramid where a million people can live in a self-sustaining environment.
A city within a city, dubbed Ziggurat after the temples of ancient desert peoples who first lived in the Middle East, the base will be almost a mile square.
With roots in history, the building is definitely at the cutting edge of science with green technologies that do not run on fossil fuels and a transport system that runs vertically and horizontally.
The futuristic building is expected to be open in time for the Cityscape Dubai exhibition in October 2013.
Cityscape is the region’s largest and most prestigious real estate event that attracts thousands of delegates from around the world each year.
Meanwhile, Dubai’s soaring 828 metre Burj Khalifa skyscraper, the world’s tallest building, is the first for Google to capture on street view.
A Google team with specially designed backpacks crammed with high-definition camera gear spent several days walking around the building – and scaling the outside on window cleaning gantries to film the inside and outside of the building.
Google puts Burj Khalifa on the map
The hi-tech cameras recorded a 360 degree view inside and around the building.
Google had already captured other iconic landmarks on Street View, like the Eiffel Tower, Paris, France, the White House, Washington DC, USA and the Mount Everest base camp.
Burj Khalifa is a tourist landmark luring thousands to Dubai every year to climb the tower and take in the views of the modern glass and steel city rising from the desert.
Dubai’s ruler and United Arab Emirate’s prime minister UAE Shaikh Mohammed tweeted:
“Glad to launch virtual tour of Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world, for more than a billion internet users”.
Distinctive skyline
“The virtual tour of this landmark includes stunning details. Burj Khalifa embodies the aspirations of the UAE people.”
From humble beginnings as a fishing village, Dubai has grown into one of the world’s leading cities and economies.
The oil rich city has one of the tallest and most distinctive skylines in the world – including the two tallest hotels.
Millions of tourists flock to Dubai every year, lured by the glitz and glamour of the designer shops and the excitement of major sporting events, including horse racing, an F1 grand prix and top flight tennis.