The skyscrapers of Dubai

Dec 7, 2015

The skyscrapers of Dubai

Matt Bracken 0 Comment The Baltimore Sun, World Dubai

Dubai’s rapid transformation from a desert outpost into one of the world’s most architecturally stunning cities is mapped out in the Marina. Where just 15 years ago there was empty, flat land, today a bustling neighborhood thrives centered around a canal and an impressive skyline that pierces through the clouds.

: In this April 6, 2015 photo, with the Marina skyline as a backdrop, a Muslim man performs the afternoon prayer on Jumeirah Palm Island’s walkway, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. High-rise buildings, stacked row after row, make up this 50 million sq. foot (4.65 million sq .meter) waterfront neighborhood that is built around a man-made canal where the wealthy park their yachts. To mark its place in the world, the Dubai Marina boasts the world’s tallest residential building. (AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili)

: In this Sept. 22, 2015 photo, a laborer carries his lunchbox as he leaves a construction site for the day at the Palm Jumeirah opposite the Marina district, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Armies of low-paid migrant workers, many of them from the Indian Subcontinent, leave behind families and travel to Dubai to build soaring towers like those in the Marina. While the wages they come for offer hope of a better life, they are far too meager for most to ever dream of calling the Marina they built home. (AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili)

: In this April 1, 2015 photo, Gulf Arab visitors in their traditional “Kandora” pass by giant skyscrapers at the Marina waterfront in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The area is sometimes referred to as the Manhattan of the Middle East and some of its buildings are promoted by realtors as having Manhattan-style architecture. Penthouses in the Dubai Marina are similarly priced to New York City’s upscale properties. (AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili)

: In this April 1, 2015 photo, a tram crosses a bridge over a canal that forms the Marina waterfront district of Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The Marina neighborhood is one of many clusters of neck-bending skyscrapers built throughout Dubai, but its real power lies behind the gated privacy of its most luxurious towers. Owning an apartment in one of these towers means access to skyline pools, concierge services and grand apartments that cater to the regions royalty, as well as the world’s wealthiest businessmen and women. (AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili)

: In this April 9, 2015 photo, as the early morning fog lifts, a woman jogs in front of giant skyscrapers at the Marina waterfront in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Dubai’s rapid transformation from a desert outpost into one of the world’s most architecturally stunning cities is mapped out in Marina. Where just 15 years ago there was empty, flat land, today a bustling neighborhood thrives centered around a canal and an impressive skyline. (AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili)

: In this April 12, 2015 photo, a man dives into a hotel pool in the Marina neighborhood of Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The Marina is one of many clusters of neck-bending skyscrapers built throughout Dubai, but its real power lies behind the gated privacy of its most luxurious towers. Owning an apartment in one of these towers means access to skyline pools, concierge services and grand apartments that cater to the region’s royalty, as well as the world’s wealthiest businessmen and women. (AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili)

: In this Friday, April 10, 2015 photo, people use recreational vehicles opposite the Marina district of Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Dubai’s year-round sunshine gives Marina a summer-vibe throughout the winter months, when temperatures rarely drop below a comfortable 75 degrees Fahrenheit (24 Celsius) during the day. On weekends, alcohol-fueled party boats ferry Russian and Western expatriates down the canal as speed boats and jet skis come out for a ride. (AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili)

: In this April 24, 2015 photo, a man does a flip into the water opposite the Marina Waterfront skyline in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Dubai’s year-round sunshine gives Marina a summer-vibe throughout the winter months, when temperatures rarely drop below a comfortable 75 degrees Fahrenheit (24 Celsius) during the day. (AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili)

: In this April 1, 2015 photo, yachts are moored at the southern end of the Marina waterfront in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. High-rise buildings, stacked row after row, make up this 50 million sq. foot (4.65 million sq .meter) waterfront neighborhood that is built around a man-made canal. Owning an apartment in one of these towers means access to skyline pools, concierge services and grand apartments that cater to the region’s royalty, as well as the world’s wealthiest businessmen and women. (AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili)

: In this March 25, 2015 photo, tourists of different nationalities board a dhow for a cruise as the sun sets in the Marina neighborhood of Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Dubai’s year-round sunshine gives the Marina a summer-vibe throughout the winter months, when temperatures rarely drop below a comfortable 75 degrees Fahrenheit (24 Celsius) during the day. (AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili)

: In this May 1, 2015 photo, two men play backgammon while smoking a shisha, or water pipe, at a restaurant overlooking the canal and the Marina neighborhood. Surrounding Marinas canal is an oasis of trendy restaurants and bars that serve an array of fusion-style cuisines that reflect the myriad of cultures and people drawn to Dubai, a modern city-state in the United Arab Emirates where foreigners far outnumber the locals. (AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili)

: The Burj Khalifa skyscraper is seen as the sun sets over Dubai October 5, 2010. (REUTERS/Mosab Omar)

: The moon rises behind the Burj Dubai, the world’s tallest skyscraper, in Dubai’s Business district on December 2, 2009 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)

: A young woman looks at the Burj Dubai, the world’s tallest tower in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Monday, July 13, 2009. (AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili)

: In this Monday, Oct. 5, 2015 photo, a thick blanket of early morning fog partially shrouds the skyscrapers of the Marina and Jumeirah Lake Towers districts of Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Dubai’s rapid transformation from a desert outpost into one of the world’s most architecturally stunning cities is mapped out in the Marina. Where just 15 years ago there was empty, flat land, today a bustling neighborhood thrives centered around a canal and an impressive skyline that pierces through the clouds. (AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili)

: In this Aug. 10, 2015 photo, a worker walks on wooden scaffolding while fixing a window frame at a construction site in the Marina neighborhood of Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Armies of low-paid migrant workers, many of them from the Indian Subcontinent, leave behind families and travel to Dubai to build soaring towers like those in the Marina. While the wages they come for offer hope of a better life, they are far too meager for most to ever dream of calling the Marina they built home. (AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili)

: In this March 25, 2015 photo, men work out in a gym along the Marina waterfront in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The Marina neighborhood is one of many clusters of neck-bending skyscrapers built throughout Dubai, but its real power lies behind the gated privacy of its most luxurious towers. Owning an apartment in one of these towers means access to skyline pools, concierge services and grand apartments that cater to the region’s royalty, as well as the world’s wealthiest businessmen and women. (AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili)

: In this Oct. 5, 2015 photo, a security guard takes a selfie on the roof top of a 60-floor tower as the early morning fog partially shrouds the skyscrapers of the Marina and Jumeirah Lake Towers districts of Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Owning an apartment in one of these towers means access to skyline pools, concierge services and grand apartments that cater to the region’s royalty, as well as the world’s wealthiest businessmen and women. (AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili)

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