The Emirate of Dubai has ceremoniously opened the world's tallest skyscraper

Dubai - The Emirate of Dubai today officially opened the tallest skyscraper in the world. Thousands of residents and tourists witnessed the accompanying program, which included traditional Arab dances and the landing of parachutists. The emirate announced that the skyscraper measures 828 meters. It also stated that the building has been renamed from Burj Dubai (Dubai Tower) to Burj Khalifa, named after the President of the United Arab Emirates, Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan. He is also the ruler of the emirate of Abu Dhabi, which helped Dubai with its debt problems.
    The director of the development company Emaar Properties, Muhammad Alabbār, stated today that the construction costs of the skyscraper amounted to 1.5 billion USD (approximately 27.4 billion CZK). According to the company, more than 90 percent of the offered space, which consists of apartments, offices, and other areas, has already been sold.
    Construction of the skyscraper began in 2004, and the building opens 1325 days after the start of construction. Before the crisis, some apartments on the highest floors were sold for over 1900 USD per square foot (0.09 square meters), but now the price may be as low as half that. In addition to luxurious apartments and offices, the tower also includes a hotel designed by Italian designer Giorgio Armani.
    The skyscraper has 200 floors, of which about 165 are habitable. The building's total height is not the only record of the skyscraper. The building also has the most floors, the highest occupied floor, a pool, a restaurant, and a fountain, the highest elevator, and also the highest observation deck, located on the 124th floor. It is also the tallest structure in the world, surpassing even the television mast in North Dakota.
    Emaar also pointed out the high security of the new skyscraper, which it claims is stronger than steel-framed skyscrapers due to its reinforced concrete construction. "It is much more robust. An airplane could not cut into it like it did with the steel columns of the World Trade Center," said the company's project director, Greg Sang, recalling the terrorist attacks on the United States in September 2001.
    The opening comes at a difficult time for the Dubai economy. Property prices in newer parts of the emirate have dropped by nearly half over the past year, and the emirate of Dubai had to be helped by the neighboring emirate of Abu Dhabi through a series of loans totaling 25 billion USD, as some state-owned companies began to have trouble meeting their obligations.
    Emaar is partially government-owned; however, it is not among the companies that had to seek state assistance. The company is the largest developer in the Arab world with publicly traded shares. "Crises come and go," said Alabbār. "We are building for the coming years. We must have hope and optimism," he added.