United Arab Emirates: Dubai Skyline

Seemingly out of nowhere emerges a city in the middle of a desert. This is Dubai, a city that produces only the best modern architecture in the world. Dubai is one of 7 emirates in the United Arab Emirates. The city has a population of 2.2 million.  

The earliest recorded mention of Dubai is in 1095, and the earliest settlement known as Dubai town dates from 1799. Dubai was formally established in the early 19th century by the Al Abu Falasa clan of Bani Yas, and it remained under clan control when the United Kingdom assumed the protection of Dubai in 1892. Oil was discovered in the region in 1966. This led to the city growing by 300% and caused an influx of foreigners.  

Already home of the world’s tallest all-hotel building, and the 2nd tallest all-residential building in the world, AND currently building the world’s tallest structure, this skyline might just leap to the number 1 spot in the near future. Well, maybe not. Although there is a lot of hype around the city, experts agree it still lacks that certain mature socio-cultural infrastructure and a pattern to the skyline that gives a city that certain fingerprint. As a skyline it can’t compete with the larger cities, however the individual buildings in this city are by far the greatest examples of modern architectural accomplishments. All 33 structures in this city over 200 meters tall were built in 1999 or later, that’s how new this city is!