It may seem that Dubai has the largest everything at this point. Dubai’s enormous mall, which has a total area of 1,124,000 square meters and holds 1200 stores, is the Dubai Aquarium. The aquarium is located on the ground level of the mall and is the world’s largest indoor aquarium. Further, the world’s largest acrylic aquarium panel is located inside the Dubai Aquarium. The panel is in the Guinness Book of World Records.
The Dubai Aquarium holds many amazing features including a glass-bottomed boat which you can ride and view over 33,000 aquatic animals. There’s even a cage diving activity you can do in order to swim with sharks. Other features surrounding the aquarium include the world’s largest candy store: Candylicious, a store spanning over 10,000 square feet, and an Olympic-sized ice skating rink.
Human-Made Landscapes
You might not realize it, but Dubai has multiple manmade islands in its territory. In fact, the city of Dubai has two such islands: Palm Jumeirah and Palm Jebel Ali. Both islands are made to look like palm trees, which is pretty amazing if you can get a birds-eye view of them. However, neither of the islands is completely finished. As you might imagine, it’s quite a job to make an island. The process of making these islands is called the World Islands Project and is currently underway.
The World Islands Project is actually a project in which 300 small islands will be laid and created to form a world map from above. Amazingly, every country, region, and many notable landmarks will be rendered into an island throughout this incredible project. In 2008, the World Islands Project had to take a break due to major financial issues. However, when the project began in 2005 the islands were estimated to cost $13 billion. At this time, not very many islands have been completed yet, but the project continues to move forward and one day we just might be able to see it!
Recent Growth
If you saw a picture from Dubai just a few years ago, you probably wouldn’t recognize it. In 2005, the city was still mostly open desert with a few buildings peppered throughout the landscape. In the last decade, there has been massive growth in Dubai. The city looks completely different from what it was just a few years ago.
If you compare the picture below to one from a few years ago, you’ll see what an incredible difference there truly is. The once mostly empty landscape is now a flourishing city equipped with housing, gardens, fountains, islands, and countless skyscrapers. It’s amazing to think about how quickly a place can transform.
The World’s Highest Tennis Court is in Dubai
While many professional tennis matches will have spectators on the edges of their seats, this incredible tennis court will have everyone literally on the edge of a 1,000-foot-tall building!
The top of the Burj Al Arab hotel has an amazing green roof that doubles as a tennis court. Before the Dubai Duty-Free Men’s Open, tennis giants Andre Agassi and Roger Federer were invited to play a match a giant feat against anyone with a fear of heights for a friendly tennis match! Though the court isn’t regularly used, it’s still an incredible place to watch a game. Just make sure you stay very aware of your surroundings!
Gold Machine
When you think of approaching a vending machine you probably think about types of soda or chips, but some places are taking vending to the next level. As types of vending machines continue to expand—for example, you can find vending machines in Japan that dispense everything from umbrellas to puppies—the realm of possibilities seems to be endless. In line with its extravagant ways comes one of the most opulent vending machines you could ever imagine.
If you’re an impulsive buyer, you might want to avoid Dubai’s solid gold vending machine. Using cash or credit, anybody who approaches this incredible machine can purchase authentic 24-carat gold. Purchasers can choose a variety of amounts, from solid gold bars to 2.5 grams. Due to the price of gold constantly being in flux, prices at this machine vary. A computer inside the machine updates the prices of each gold item about every 10 minutes. Imagine going to a vending machine looking for a Coca-Cola and returning with a solid gold bar! Only in Dubai.