Facinating Facts About Burj Al Arab

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Burj Al Arab, a luxury hotel located in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, is one of the tallest and the most expensive hotels in the world. One amazing thing is that it stands on an artificial island. This Buzzle article outlines some interesting facts about the Burj Al Arab hotel.

The iconic structure was built to resemble the sail of the Dhow, which is a kind of Arabian vessel.

 

The Burj Al-Arab, a wonder of Dubai, is one of the world's tallest hotels. It is visible from almost every spot in Dubai. It stands on a man-made island, which is situated some distance away from the shoreline. This superstructure is world-famous and one of the most recognizable attractions in the city. It was designed by the American architect, Tom Wright. Before its construction, it was planned that Burj Al Arab would be the icon of the city. Its construction began in 1994 and was completed in the year 1999. It is one of the most luxurious and expensive hotels today, and is referred to as the only seven-star hotel in the world. A number of high-end facilities are available here. The innovative exterior and the beautiful interiors of the hotel have attracted celebrities and tourists from all over the world. Here are some facts about Burj Al Arab that shall interest you.

Facts about the Burj Al Arab

1. Burj Al Arab At Night

2. Burj Al Arab At Daytime

3. Street View of Burj Al Arab

 

▸ Burj Al Arab is located on an artificial island, built about 280 meters away from the Jumeirah beach in Dubai. It is connected to the mainland by a gently curving bridge.

▸ It stands as one of the tallest structures in the world. Its height is 321 meters (1,053 feet) above the sea level.

▸ The magnificent structure is home to the highest tennis court in the world. The tennis court is located close to the top of the hotel.

▸ Moreover, on top of the building, at a height of 212 meters above the sea level, there is also a helipad about 24 meters wide. It enables one to arrive or depart from Burj Al Arab by a helicopter and admire the beauty of the whole city from above.

▸ Gold was used to embellish the interior of the structure.

▸ Burj Al Arab has 202 rooms, which are all duplex suites, 18 elevators, 28 double-story floors, and incredible restaurants.The suite houses luxury rooms, panoramic suites, club suites, double suites, presidential and royal suites.

▸ The cost involved in building the hotel was $650 million.

▸ The construction involved several companies and contractors from the UK, USA, and Dubai and over 3000 workmen.

▸ It took three years just to build the foundation as it was constructed in the ocean with massive rocks and concrete. Around 230 concrete pillars were driven into the sand, more than 40 meters deep to hold the foundation. The friction of the sand against the piles helps to sustain the foundation.

▸ A layer of massive rocks was placed on the surface in a honeycomb pattern to protect the foundation from erosion.

▸ Around 70,000 cubic meters of concrete and about 9,000 tons of steel were used in the construction of the building.

▸ The smallest suite of the Burj Al Arab covers an area of 169 square meters while the largest is 780 square meters.

▸ The design of the structure features a steel skeleton enclosed within a concrete tower. There are two wings to form a mast, and the area between the wings is covered with a Teflon-coated woven glass fiber screen. The coating of the fabric protects the building from harsh heat and dirt. The fabric also allows a white milky light to penetrate inside the building during the daytime. At night, the fabric is lit by lights of varying colors.

▸ Al Muntaha, one of the restaurants inside the hotel, offers a view of Dubai.

▸ Another restaurant, the Al Mahara, features a large sea water aquarium, holding more than one million liters of water.

▸ The hotel is also home to the Al Iwan Royal Dining Hall, Junsui Asian restaurant, Bab Al Yam restaurant, Majlis Al Bahar restaurant, Sahn Eddar restaurant, Skyview Bar, Al Falak Ballroom, Marina Garden, Marina Garden, Assawan Amphitheater and Diwania Library.

▸ There is also an open-air swimming pool at the ground level, a private beach located on the mainland, and the Wild Wadi Water Park.

▸ The interior of the hotel was designed by Khuan Chew, Design Principal of KCA International. The interior features an atrium with a beautiful central fountain and a cascading waterfall.

▸ There are more than 28,000 light fixtures in Burj Al Arab.

▸ Statuario marble was used to make the walls and flooring. Around 43,000 square meters of it was used to embellish the interiors.

▸ Burj Al Arab is supervised by Jumeirah Group, the global hospitality company and a member of Dubai Holding.

 

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Reasons Your Best Friends are More Importanat Than Your girl friend

When you in a relationship, it's very natural to think that your sun rises and sets on your girlfriend. You just cannot help but sink all your energy thinking about that one 'girl' who has seized your imagination, but does her inclusion spells exclusion of your friends from your life? Definitely not. This post shares the many reasons why your best friends are and will always be more important than your girlfriend.

"Where would you be without friends? The people to pick you up when you need lifting? We come from homes far from perfect, so you end up almost parent and sibling to your friends - your own chosen family. There's nothing like a really loyal, dependable, good friend. Nothing."
- Jennifer Aniston

Well, you seriously cannot be that person who only values one amazing part of his life. Your life is composed of a lot of elements that inadvertently and subliminally define who you really are. Friendship is that important facet of your life that sculpts you- well that may be far from being billed as a masterpiece, but those very wrongly chiseled, joined, and soldered parts MAKE YOU. Whoa, that's quite an explanation, we reckon but it's true.

Falling in love is an awesome feeling too, but it definitely cannot supplant the warmth, craziness, and tacit understanding of your strengths and weaknesses that one forges with his best friends. Your equation with your best friends, no matter what formula you have derived to make it work, WORKS.

We tell you why having best friends in your life is and always be more important than having a girlfriend.

It doesn't behoove you to stay in touch with your best friends always as your girlfriend
 It's like an implicit arrangement that you make with your girlfriend. She will make sure that she is kept in the loop in all the important or not very important plans and decisions of your life. This, however is not the case with your friends; this is not to say that they don't want to know or care about you but they can surely survive without being told about every little thing that's happening in your life. There will be times when messages will go un-replied or calls wouldn't be made for weeks on the trot or there won't be frequent meet-ups as they used to be, but all this certainly doesn't weaken your bond with them.

You don't always have to be at your 'presentable' best
 This is so really cool with your friends! Your unkempt appearance, disheveled face or threadbare togs will not bother your friends at all (they would probably be more or less in the same shabby fettle). However, with your girlfriend, whether it's a romantic rendezvous or impromptu meet-up in the wee hours, you have to make sure that you are arrayed up all fine and dandy.

Your best friend will never ask you for a 'space' or vice versa
'Space' is a universal word that's thrown around more in relationships than in physics. Your girlfriend, at some point or the other, is going to need some 'space' to explore her needs and expectations. Likewise, you too would feel the urge to have a sufficient freedom from your girlfriend to figure your life, but 'space' is a word that is unheard of in friendship. You would probably be looking for your friends to make full of the space.

You can always believe in your friends advice and opinion
Your friends know you inside out, they have been privy to your secrets, seen the best and worst side of you and know how to deal with you. They will never give you their attenuated opinion or advice on something but will try to keep you aligned with reality. But, your girlfriend, may not give you an honest opinion, for the fear that she may hurt your feelings or maybe she can't gauge the gravity of a situation and form any opinion on it.

You can have a myriad of best friends!
Your best friends are accepting and tolerant of the fact that you have other friends and sometimes you prefer hanging out with them instead. They don't mind you broadening your social circle and won't bother to know why you have befriended a so and so. But this can certainly be an area of dissent between you and your girlfriend who may not approve of your closeness with some people.

You can confide your secrets with your friends but not your girlfriend
Your girlfriend may be your good friend but there are, however, things of dicey nature that you cannot just spew out before her. Your best friends share in the knowledge of both your Jekyll and Hyde sides, therefore, confiding a secret with your friend feels more secure and easy than with your girlfriend. And besides you cannot tell your girlfriend how gnawing sometimes she can be, right?

Your friends don't need your parents approval
We all have some friends who our parents are totally enamored of but you wish this attitude was same for your girlfriend. You can have a best friend at any point of time in your life, but having a girlfriend in 5th grade is not something that your parents will be kicked about. You will never have to keep the identity or presence of your friend under cover like your girlfriend for the fear that your parents will never approve of them, because parents can be tolerant of unusual best friends but not unusual girlfriend!

Because you have friends all your life
No matter how you slice it but the fact remains the same that relationships are (or can be) transitory, but friendships are for life. Your best friends will always have your back, will never sell you out, abandon you or make you feel encumbered with heaps of expectations. Most importantly, they will accept you irrespective of your age, size, looks or financial status and will genuinely be there for you- be that to offer a handkerchief to blow your nose or cry with a running nose alongside you.
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Read more at Buzzle: http://www.buzzle.com/articles/reasons-your-best-friends-are-more-important-than-your-girlfriend.html