DUBAI, United Arab Emirates -- Dubai has opened the world's tallest skyscraper, hoping to shift international attention away from the Gulf emirate's deep financial crisis and rekindle the optimism that once fueled its turbocharged growth.
Thousands of residents and tourists have crowded around the tapering half-mile high tower, which stands at least 160 stories high. The 828-meter-tall Burj Khalifa tower, named after the president of the UAE and ruler of emirate of Abu Dhabi Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed al-Nahayan, opened on 04 Jan 2010.
Dubai's hereditary ruler unveiled a plaque at the tower's base, kicking off inaugural festivities that included traditional Gulf Arab dance performances and skydivers landing parachutes emblazoned with the colors of the United Arab Emirates flag near the tower's base.
The developer of the newly opened tower said it cost about $1.5 billion to build the tapering metal-and-glass spire billed as a "vertical city" of luxury apartments and offices. It boasts four swimming pools, a private library and a hotel designed by Giorgio Armani.
The Burj's developers say they are confident in the safety of the tower, which is more than twice the height of New York's Empire State Building's roof. Greg Sang, Emaar's director of projects, said the Burj has "refuge floors" at 25 to 30 story intervals that are more fire resistant and have separate air supplies in case of emergency. And its reinforced concrete structure, he said, makes it stronger than steel-frame skyscrapers.
Thousands of residents and tourists have crowded around the tapering half-mile high tower, which stands at least 160 stories high. The 828-meter-tall Burj Khalifa tower, named after the president of the UAE and ruler of emirate of Abu Dhabi Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed al-Nahayan, opened on 04 Jan 2010.
Dubai's hereditary ruler unveiled a plaque at the tower's base, kicking off inaugural festivities that included traditional Gulf Arab dance performances and skydivers landing parachutes emblazoned with the colors of the United Arab Emirates flag near the tower's base.
The developer of the newly opened tower said it cost about $1.5 billion to build the tapering metal-and-glass spire billed as a "vertical city" of luxury apartments and offices. It boasts four swimming pools, a private library and a hotel designed by Giorgio Armani.
The Burj's developers say they are confident in the safety of the tower, which is more than twice the height of New York's Empire State Building's roof. Greg Sang, Emaar's director of projects, said the Burj has "refuge floors" at 25 to 30 story intervals that are more fire resistant and have separate air supplies in case of emergency. And its reinforced concrete structure, he said, makes it stronger than steel-frame skyscrapers.
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