Dubai Burj Khalifa

About the Burj Khalifa

Dubai is a global city and business hub in the United Arab Emirates, famous for the Burj Khalifa - the world's tallest building. This architectural marvel represents Dubai's rapid transformation into a modern metropolis, combining luxury, innovation, and ambitious urban development.

Construction of the tower began on 6 January 2004, and it opened on 4 January 2010 as the world's tallest building at 828 metres with more than 160 floors, designed by Adrian Smith of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill for the developer Emaar Properties. It was known as Burj Dubai throughout construction and renamed Burj Khalifa at the opening ceremony in honour of Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the UAE president and ruler of Abu Dhabi; commentators widely linked the change to Abu Dhabi's financial support during Dubai's 2009 debt crisis, though officials did not confirm that motive. Since then the building has anchored Dubai's skyline imagery and its annual New Year's Eve fireworks and lighting displays.