Yes, you read it right! The tip of the tallest skyscraper of the world a.k.a Tip of Burj Khalifa can be seen from 95km far away!
The building was opened on January 2010, after it took six long years to complete it. The empty building weighs 500,000 tonnes and is 162-floors tall. The building was designed by architect Adrian Smith and engineer William Baker.
One of the fastest escalators in the world you will ever see is with a speed of up to 10 meters per second which runs through the 800 meters tall building. Concrete used for the manufacture of Burj Khalifa is equivalent to the weight of around 100,000 elephants. Amount of steel bar used is 31,400 metric tonnes. If the steel bar were to be laid end to end, it would extend over a quarter of the way around the world.
Security is tight and large bags need to be stored on arrival and collected on the way out. Smaller bags and cameras were scanned, like at the airport. The lift is fast enough to make your ears popped at around 90th floor. The observation deck known as ‘At the top’ on the 124th floor is opened for people to look around through this magnificent structure.
The windows are floor to ceiling and if it is a clear day, you will be able to see an astonishing view around the Dubai, Arabian Gulf and beyond.
The high-rise buildings that we craned our necks from the bottom looked like miniature Lego buildings from above. A network of roads transported cars and in distance is the Burj Al Arab – The World’s first 7-star hotel, Jumeira Beach and the World Islands.
At some of the windows are moveable telescopes which offer more detail on LCD screens. The high-tech devices can zoom in and switch to a pre-recorded version so the user can see what the view looks like on a clear day, or at night no matter what the weather outside is doing. There’s also a history button which shows how the landscape looked before it was built on.
The ideal time to visit Burj Khalifa is around 10 AM in the morning as the skies are clear and also the Dubai Fountain – the world’s largest choreographed fountain system, accompanied by classical and contemporary music and illuminated by 6,600 lights and 25 coloured projectors. At 275 m (902 ft) long it shoots water up to 152.4 m (500 ft) into the air and is visible from all around the promenade – evening performances take place daily 6 pm – 11 pm every 30 minutes.
It is well informed that pre-bookings are done to access Burj Khalifa whose costs vary. Before 15:30 and after 19:30 the cost is 125 Dirhams (around £22) for adults, 95 Dirhams for children between 4 and 12, and is free for infants under 4. For prime times i.e. 16:00 – 19:00 hrs the cost goes up to 200 Dirhams for adults and 160 for children aged between 4 and 12 – under 4 years go free. For fast-track tickets, it’ll cost 300 Dirhams.
So, if you are looking for an ideal vacation place or if you are in Dubai, Burj Khalifa is made for you!
