The world’s tallest skyscraper, Burj Khalifa (formerly known as Burj Dubai), was launched in Dubai last night by the ruler of Dubai. The height of this record breaking tower is 828 meters, which is a good 300 meters taller than its closest competitor, the Taipei 101.
And it was the grandest, the brightest, the loudest and the most spectacular of launches ever. The fireworks, lights and lasers could be seen from almost anywhere in Dubai.
The tower has 168 floors, 54 lifts with 911 luxury condominiums, 144 hotel condominiums, 160 hotel guest rooms and 3000 parking spaces. It has the highest observation deck in the world at the 128th floor. The total cost of construction was more than $1.5 billion. At peak construction activities, over 12000 people were working on the tower every day. And on a clear day, the spire can be seen from 95 km away.
A superstructure of such magnitude was never attempted by man ever. All boundries of technological advancements in construction have been crossed. All possible records have been scaled. Burj Khalifa is the highest man-made structure on the planet.
Hats off to Dubai government and the visionary leadership of Shaikh Mohammad for this record breaking venture. Truly bringing Dubai on the world map. Here are some photos of this marvel, starting and ending with my personal favorites…
Image courtesy: Google images, Gulf News, The Gaurdian & The Telegraph
amazing!
me first!!!
yes it is.
And yes you are
me second!
amazing pics!!
and awesome engineering!
Oh yes, it is breathtaking…..
AWESOME !
Sure it is.
But what Dubai needs now is a financial genius .
Yes, agree 100%. That’s their biggest requirement today
No, they need a Godfather and they’ve got one by naming the tallest tower – Burj Khalifa.
PS. For those who do not know, Sheikh Khalifa is the name of the ruler of Abu Dhabi
LOL
Not fair na. For 5 yrs, Dubai marketed the tower as their very own..even gave it their name and just when it was time to bask in the glory, this happens! I feel bad and sorry for them.
But as you rightly said, it was the need of the hour. A very strategic and tactical decision for sure.
All News Channels singing its glory
Simply superb 
hehe…it’s worth it
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WOW, One more place to see, when I visit next time !!!! hehehehehe
Just love the bldng – the pic – 6th from top is just tooo gud !!!!!
Oh yes, its gonna be the tallest for atleast the next 4 yrs. So definitely worth a visit…and ofcourse you can meet all Dubai bloggers as well
I m listening this news only from yesterday night….
amazing pics….
Yes, its all over the news. They kept the real height of the tower a secret all this while…
Finally it was unveiled last night at the launch…
looks grand
Yes, absolutely
Amazing! The height is mind boggling! It is amazing how we keep stretching the limits of imagination, don’t you think?
Masood – I can’t decide which pic I like most – all of them capture one or other amazing facet of the sky scraper!
Yes, just when we think we’ve reached the pinnacle, something else comes up and raises the bar…
I wonder how much higher can we get. I heard they announced the 1KM tower..which will be atleast 200 meters taller than Burj. Unbelievable!
Yes, it took me a while to choose a favorite, so no complaints! :p
Boy Dubai is obsessed with gathering all the tallest/biggest thing in the world on their small little land…sobs!! I think first they need to look out for someone who has the tallest bank vault in the world to bail them out of this financial crisis
I hate the way they changed the name from Burj Dubai to Burj Khalifa
…….pahhh sounds like those relatives who sing praises when a long lost Uncle comes back with a fortune!!! 
Well all said and done it’s definitely a technological wonder and I was trying to look for it while our plane was about to land in Dubai Airport
Oh yes, Dubai on its quest to be recognized globally, wanted the biggest/tallest/costliest etc so that the world takes notice…and they did…but whatever goes up comes down eventually. And now they are struggling to make ends meet.
Yes, I felt sorry for them. Surely they deserved to take credit but i guess they are out of options now. And they need that long lost uncle
You were in Dubai? For how long? And when?
I was in Dubai last week only for a day to meet cousins on our way back from India
But I have spent a real good chunk of my life in Dubai as that is where I grew up and became a mental case like I am now 
Aah…so you do have a Dubai connection! Good to know. I did my schooling here too…though not in Dubai but in Abu Dhabi. Infact me was born here as well….whose a bigger mental case now?
while the pictures impress.. i have to say this.. such large structures freak me out a bit!!!!
hehe…trust me..the tower in real is so bloody imposing….its crazy!!
yeah caught that on tv the other day….wow wonderful pics and my jaw just dropped to my chest by the time I checked all da pics, fireworks were amazing……world class or must say…class apart….
yup I managed to catch this yumm chinese food in Abu Dhabi at Oasis Garden Chinese Restaurant, but why you querying it, you live in Dubai Masood where you are spoilt with choices, am I right?? I am sure you have Mainland China up there??? am still discoverin and tryin in UAE so am the one who can do with all the help and clue’s….keep’em comin…..
Hey, I only work in Dubai but I stay in Abu Dhabi. Commute daily. And yes, I have eaten at Oasis. The food is amazing there. When you first mentioned that you eat the best chinese food in Auh, a few places came to mind. And because over the years we’ve covered almost all chinese places in Auh, I was sure it would be some place where I’ve already eaten. But still wanted to confirm
Btw, which Oasis branch? The one in Madinat Zayed or Muroor?
It was a nice opening. The pathetic part is that after 5 yrs of marketing it had to be called Burj Khalifa. It really shows how bad is Dubai’s situation.
Hey. Good to see you here bro. ‘Bout time, no?
Oh yes, its just unbelievable to think. If they had to resort to this, what the ground reality really is.
Spectacular! Yet another wonder of the world!
And worth a visit
Hee hee eh … nw if only someone sponsors our visit too
hehe…if you can go to Singapore, you can go to Dubai too
The TOI today tells me its cheaper buying property at 38000/sqft in Burj Khalifa than in Delhi and Mumbai where the rates are going till 1lac/sqft!!!
Whats the world coming to!! But the Khalifa is awesome…saw the opening on TV. Way to go!
LOL Yes, I saw that article online too. Unbelievable no?
don’t know… I really don’t know.. why I don’t like tall buildings
You don’t like tall buildings? Why? Any reason? Are you scared of heights?
WOW!! It’s amazing…i believe there are amazing architecture we can witness in some parts of middle east!! Royal and ecstatic
Great pics..
Yes, absolutely. Another great example of unbelievable architecture is the Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi…it just takes your breath away!!!
Guess what..in sum fwd emails i gt to see the interiors..and my head ws spinning!! It’s awesome dude!!!!
Yes it is
Super Speechless.
wonder when we will get over our 85 floor mindset !
India can easily have such buildings…but for some reason they dont.
85 floors? Do we even have a 85 floor building in India?
Oh yes, If china can do it, India can too. I read a statistic some place saying that China completed the most number of 200m tall buildings in 2009 as compared to any other country in the world – 13. And that’s just in 2009. I don’t think India figures in that list.
Majestic views of this grand skyscraper
Loved the night shot and the picture with fireworks
Keep up the good work.
Cheers!!
Thanks though the shots were not taken by me. I just did a good job in collating them
Feel sorry for ther building around Burj some of them are quiet beautiful
. But definitely no one come near to it in terms of architecture and technology involved. Masood: lets set up a widow cleaning company and try and win a contract there. 
hehe…yes, they will never get the credit they deserve. But just by being in the vicinity of Burj, atleast they will be amongst the most photographed bldgs in the country!
Haha…I am sure you meant ‘Window’ !!!
Last pic left me speechless, really awesome
Yes it is. I was too.
wow…the pictures are spectacular……and the fireworks..mind blowing. i kept on staring at the pics mouth wide open
LOL..
A, good to see you
hehe…just imagine how it would look in real…