Updated: November 9, 2024

The Burj Al Arab (Arabic: “Tower of the Arabs”, also known as “Arab Sail”) is a luxury hotel located in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. At 321 m (1,050 ft), it is the third tallest building in the world used exclusively as a hotel.[2] The Burj Al Arab stands on an artificial island 280 m (920 ft) out from Jumeirah beach, and is connected to the mainland by a private curving bridge. It is an iconic structure, designed to symbolize Dubai’s urban transformation and to mimic the sail of a boat.

The beachfront area where the Burj Al Arab and Jumeirah Beach Hotel are located was previously called Chicago Beach[3]. The hotel is located on an island of reclaimed land offshore of the beach of the former Chicago Beach Hotel The locale’s name had its origins in the Chicago Bridge & Iron Company which at one time welded giant floating oil storage tankers on the site[5].

The old name persisted after the old Hotel was demolished in 1997 since Dubai Chicago Beach Hotel as the Public Project Name for the construction phase of the Burj Al Arab Hotel until Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum announced the new name[6]. Some still refer to the hotel as the Burj Al Arab at Chicago Beach

Construction of Burj Al Arab began in 1994. It was built to resemble the sail of a dhow, a type of Arabian vessel. Two “wings” spread in a V to form a vast “mast”, while the space between them is enclosed in a massive atrium. The architect Tom Wright said “The client wanted a building that would become an iconic or symbolic statement for Dubai; this is very similar to Sydney with its Opera House, or Paris with the Eiffel Tower. It needed to be a building that would become synonymous with the name of the country.”

The architect and engineering consultant for the project was Atkins, the United Kingdom’s largest multidisciplinary consultancy. The hotel was built by South African construction contractor Murray & Roberts.

Dubai is more than Burj Al Arab despite of Dubai real estate property, it will stand still to find out more about Dubai Property and Abu Dhabi property for rent or for sale visit www.propertyfinder.ae to search and compare prices across the UAE.