The newest 21st century must-see attraction in the United Arab Emirates, the Palm Jumeirah has already earned itself the title of modern technological wonder of the world. We will talk about it in detail in our article. This small area of Dubai is especially popular with the moneybags of this world. And not only because of the rest on the man-made island. After all, the archipelago is built up with unique hotels and chic restaurants. But that's not all. No wonder they bring excursions here. This is a real symbol of sophisticated glamor and truly Arabian luxury. And although not everyone can afford to live in rooms that cost several thousand dollars per night, you can touch the world of we alth. The artificial archipelago looks especially impressive from the air. It is from the helicopter that you can see the stylized drawing of a date palm bathing in azure waters.
Feasibility of artificial islands
Jumeirah is the coastal region of Dubai. It does not have many historical sights. A mosque and a promenade - that's all that could be seen inJumeirah until the beginning of our century. Therefore, many tourists chose the Bur Dubai area for recreation. But now the situation has changed radically. Man-made archipelagos have become the hallmark of the UAE. Palm Jumeirah is the most original of them, although the smallest in area. Two other archipelagos, Deira and Jebel Ali, are also made in the form of date trees. In addition to them, there is also a group of artificial Mir islands. An archipelago of the Universe is being built next to it. The construction of the islands was very costly for the municipality of the city. But the massive investment paid off handsomely. Thanks to them, Dubai's coastline has increased by as much as 520 kilometers. And attracted new tourists to the United Arab Emirates who want to see this wonder of the world with their own eyes.
A brief history of construction
The construction of the artificial island began in June 2001. Five and a half years later, the archipelago began to gradually surrender to development. The development company Nakheel, which manages the work, has the right to be proud of its offspring. The Palm Jumeirah is a grandiose achievement of modern technologies and the embodiment of the boldest architectural ideas. This "palm tree" is located opposite the Internet City in the Jumeirah area, from which it got its name. From the international airport in Dubai, it takes about half an hour to go to it. The archipelago consists of a “trunk” and a “crown” of seventeen palm leaves diverging in both directions. This form allowed to increase the length of the beaches in the archipelago to 78 kilometers. In addition to the "trunk" and "crown", the Palm Jumeirah also hascrescent. This island, eleven kilometers long, acts as a breakwater and protects the main sandy archipelago from erosion. A three-hundred-meter bridge connects the "trunk" of the Palm Jumeirah with the mainland. And an underwater tunnel leads to the crescent from the top of the "tree". And in addition, it must be said that the man-made islands of Dubai can be seen from space!
Difficulties in construction
The project of reclamation of the man-made archipelago was a real challenge of man to the forces of nature. Mainland sand, which is so abundant in the United Arab Emirates, was not good. It didn't have the right viscosity. Therefore, special dredges scooped sea sand from the bottom of the bay, laid it in the form of a palm tree, and later vibrators compacted it to the state of solid ground. To prevent destructive storms from destroying and washing away the artificial shores, the Palm Jumeirah acquired a crescent moon. It was laid out with large stone blocks mined in the Khadzhar mountains. Moreover, the position of each plate was regulated using a computer.
What is Palm Jumeirah
This man-made structure claims to be the eighth wonder of the world. At the time of commissioning, it was the largest man-made archipelago in the world. And although it was surpassed in size by Jebel Ali and Deira, Palm Jumeirah (Dubai) continues to be the most original island. The "trunk of the tree" is built up with multi-storey buildings and shopping centers. Moreover, not glass and concrete, as one might assume, but stone were used as the material. The current Sheikh of Dubai, Mohammed bin Rashid AlMaktoum ordered that all buildings on the archipelago fit naturally into the landscape. They are surrounded by green parks. Thus, "palms" have become a miracle of landscape design. Seventeen branches and a crescent of The Palm Jumeirah will soon house thirty-two luxury hotels and one thousand four hundred villas.
What attracts tourists to the "palms" of Dubai authorities
It is clear that, having built expensive hotels and luxury villas, the municipality is unlikely to soon return the money invested in the megaproject. It was necessary to attract as many people as possible to the artificial archipelagos. Huge beaches that extend far into the sea are the first bait. The purest waters of the warm Persian Gulf are attractive for scuba diving fans. Especially for divers, the authorities sank several pieces of old aircraft near the Palm Jumeirah, and also created artificial reefs, which in a few years were covered with completely natural corals. But the main highlight of this archipelago should be the Atlantic Oceanarium.
Jebel Ali
This artificial island is a Polynesian paradise. More than a thousand bungalows and about 2,000 exotic-style villas will be built here. City officials project that Palm Jebel Ali will have a population of 1.7 million by 2020! Particular emphasis on this archipelago is placed on the recreation of children. Four amusement parks will appear on the protective crescent-breakwater at once. There is also a water park under construction.where visitors can see killer whales, dolphins and other amazing sea creatures. On the breakwater of this archipelago, quotes from the poems of the mayor of Dubai, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, are carved in stone. Well, Palm Deira will be the largest of the three "trees". The authorities promise to build on it a lot of amazing and exciting imagination.
How to get there
You can come to Palm Jumeirah by the city metro. The station is located on the shore, and in order to quickly find yourself in a futuristic "city of the future", you can transfer to a taxi. On the island itself, public transport is represented by a monorail. In the future, the authorities promise to integrate it with the main branches of the Dubai subway. In addition, it is planned to launch ultra-modern airships here, from which it will be possible to contemplate this whole beautiful fairy tale from a bird's eye view. An underwater car tunnel leads to the "crescent" of the Palm Jumeirah. All the beaches of the luxury hotels located here are located on the inner side of the island. So even the most powerful storm in the Persian Gulf will not interfere with comfortable swimming. At the moment, 1,400 villas with individual access to the sea, as well as more than two and a half thousand apartments in spectacular penthouses, have been built on the "crown" of the amazing island. And on the “trunk” there are yacht clubs, office space, parks, shopping centers and hotels.
Palm Jumeirah Hotels
The first guests received Atlantis The Palm. It happened on November 20, 2008. After this significant event, the world learned aboutexistence of the first artificial archipelago in Dubai. The opening of the five-star hotel was accompanied by grandiose fireworks. One hundred thousand pyrotechnic installations were involved. For ten minutes they shot fountains of colored lights into the air. This light parade was the largest fireworks display in history. It was visible not only from anywhere in Dubai, but even from space! Then, one after another, other hotels began to open, primarily chain hotels: Kempinski, Rixos, Palm Jumeirah Zabel Saray, One and Only The Palm, and others. But there is still room for new construction - especially in the middle of the "trunk". More recently, Ocean the Palm Jumeirah 5 was commissioned on a turnkey basis, consisting of a unique residential complex and a club apart-hotel.
What to see on the Palm Jumeirah
Experienced tourists recommend a ride on a high monorail. It starts at the "roots", not far from the bridge, and ends at the Atlantis The Palm 5hotel. Coming out of the car, feel free to follow this hotel. The fun is just getting started! This luxury hotel is home to the Aquaventure water park and The Dolphin Bay. Then you can combine the interesting with the pleasant: get through the tunnel to the "crescent" and relax on the sandy beaches. The Palm Jumeirah (Dubai) is popular with divers as it is surrounded by coral reefs and various interesting wrecks.
