PALM JUMEIRAH

Description

Essentials about Palm Jumeirah in brief

Some call it the eighth wonder of the world and it can even be seen from space: The Palm Jumeirah. The 560-hectare artificial sand island in the shape of a palm tree is definitely one of the architectural masterpieces in the entire world and one of the highlights of a visit to Dubai.

The idea for Palm Jumeirah

The background to the creation of the “Palm Island” was the explosion in tourist numbers in Dubai at the turn of the millennium. The emirate was confronted with the question of offering its guests significantly more hotels, but above all even more coastline and beaches. Allegedly, none other than Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum had the vision to build an artificial island in the shape of a palm tree crown into the sea in order to achieve maximum coastal extension. In fact, The Palm Jumeirah extends Dubai’s coastline by a whopping 100 kilometers. The island’s fill required the gargantuan amount of an estimated 200 million cubic meters of sand and stone. The total cost of developing the island, including all transportation and building construction, can only be roughly estimated at around $10 billion.

The construction and architecture of Palm Jumeirah

Construction work on The Palm Jumeirah began in 2001. The island consists of three sections: The “trunk,” which is about 4 kilometers long and 600 meters wide, the 16 “palm fronds” extending from it, and the “crescent moon” surrounding it to protect against storm surges. The base of the palm is connected to the mainland by a bridge about 300 meters long. At the end of the trunk, the palm-shaped main island is connected to the almost 12-kilometer-long outer ring (crescent moon) by a submarine tunnel about 800 meters long. Another way to reach the outer ring is the Dubai Monorail, which has been in operation since 2009.

The buildings on Palm Jumeirah

On the palm fronds of The Palm Jumeirah were built several thousand villas and vacation homes in different styles. On the trunk and the outer ring, several apartment blocks and more than 30 major hotels were built. At the apex of the Palm stands the most famous of them all: The Atlantis, The Palm. At 100 meters high, with more than 1,500 rooms and a gigantic archway connecting the two residential towers, the Atlantis is visible from afar.