Joanna James
Dubai is known as a veritable shopping haven and the home of the world's tallest structure, the Burj Khalifa. However, its many manmade islands are a true wonder to behold.
The Palm Jumeirah is likely the most well-known out of all of Dubai's five manmade island projects and is probably the only one that can be deemed as being the closest to completion. It features an iconic palm-tree like shape with complete with palm frond-shaped isles. The advantage of having the Palm Jumeirah in this shape is that it allows a greater amount of land to be exposed to the sea. To put it shortly, the palm tree shape has maximised the expanse of coastline, and therefore the number of beaches that the Palm Jumeirah can provide. You will find that there are numerous Palm Jumeirah beach hotels all over the archipelago such as Anantara The Palm Dubai Resort and many others. To make your way to the Palm Jumeirah, you can take a monorail from Dubai's mainland.
The Palm Jebel Ali is the project which still needs to have the most work done. Its creation commenced in the early 2000's, however, due to the collapse of the global economy in 2008, everything came to a grinding halt. It has been announced, nevertheless, that the project will go on, but according to a much larger timescale. Once finished, the Palm Jebel Ali is expected to have a land mass that it fifty percent greater than that of the already mammoth Palm Jumeirah. The island is intended to house a water park, luxury villas and homes constructed on stilts. It will also possess several marinas and boardwalks. The latter are to be fashioned in the shape of words belonging to a poem drafted by Dubai's Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. Talk about grandiose!
True to its name, The World is a recreation of the world map. Three hundred islands are expected to be formed in its making. The World is envisioned to feature ultra-luxury hotels and resorts, the like of which offer exclusive accommodation options such as underwater villas and more. Like the Palm Jebel Ali, The World's construction was also affected by the 2008 economic and financial crisis. To escalate issues further, the land masses have also been detected to be slowly sinking back into the water.
The Bluewaters Island is a work in progress. It is envisioned to be a hub for tourism which offers hundreds of retail stores and eateries, as well as hotels, apartments and houses. Its completion is set for the end of 2018 or the start of 2019. Once ready, this manmade island is planned to feature the biggest observation wheel the world has ever seen. It will be similar to England's London Eye but on a larger scale.
The Deira Islands are also a major work in progress and the current aim is to have half of the islands done by 2020. The islands will consist of four different smaller islands and feature the largest night market in existence. The Night Souk is expected to have over 5000 stores as well as a hundred cafés and restaurants. It has been set to open at the end of 2018. The Deira Islands will also have a colossal shopping complex featuring over a thousand shops, called the Deira Mall. The hallmark of this mall is to be a roof which is retractable. Like Bluewaters Island, the Deira Islands will also feature a lot of accommodation options.
A true believer that the pen is a mighty weapon, ventures into reaching the minds of every reader with the earnest hope of leaving an indelible stream of thought.
A travel writer who has a passion for fashion and a deep interest in admiring new and exotic attractions around the world.
