Dubai is one of seven emirates in UAE. Although it is located only 950 kilometers away from unrest Iraq in Middle East, but it’s been considered to be the world’s safest cities. In recent years, the stunning pace of development in Dubai has turned it from a small fishing village into a world-renowned modern metropolis. Dubai and The Gulf region have chosen a different path of development compare to other countries, which is trying to become the world’s financial center. Dubai fully utilize their own resources, with the construction of luxury resorts and shopping sites, as well as open the door to welcome investors and settlers to invest in Dubai. Among them, the picturesque white sand beaches and sunshine all year round has become the most attractive reasons to lure in people.

However, in the 90’s, Dubai beach development has come to it bottlenecks. To address this problem, Dubai decided to build an artificial island which is built on an unprecedented scale plan. Thus, the Palm Island Dubai project was born.

The project has been approved by the Dubai Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. He let his controlled company Nakheel in charge for the project, and personally approved the design of palm trees, since it able to maximize the expansion of the beach area. Nakheel’s sales vice president Hamzah Mustafa described the design as “Every grain of sand can be used to build the beach.”

palm island dubai 1

palm island dubai 2

Palm Island Dubai 3

If you take a look in Dubai of United Arab Emirates from the sky, you able to observe two huge palm trees floating in the azure sea. If you look even more carefully, the palm tree was actually constructed by a number of patchwork containing large and small islands. Other than the palms, you can also see a map of the world which is outline from 300 islands. There’s scaling France, Florida, Ohio are included, even a snow-covered Antarctica are also in the ground under the scorching sun.

However, this picture is not the creation of the nature. It is artificial islands of Dubai’s ambitious plan – Palm Island Dubai project. The program will be worth 14 billion U.S. dollars, is expected to be completed in 2009. By then, the world’s largest artificial island will be completely surfaced.

Jumeirah Palm Island

Jebel Ali Palm Island

Deira Palm Island

The construction starts from the Jumeirah Palm Island, Jebel Ali Palm Island, Deira Palm Island and The World, as well as the latter part of the Waterfront. The plan is to build 12,000 residential houses and more than 10,000 apartments. Also includes more than 100 luxury hotels and ports, water theme parks, restaurants, shopping malls, diving sites and other facilities. In addition, an underwater hotel, a world’s tallest skyscraper, an indoor ski resort, a city of comparable size and Dubai’s main park are also in the plan.

People can reach the Palm Island Dubai by boat, car or even take a monorail train. Once the Palm Island is completed, Dubai’s coastline will increase by 720 km. Perhaps by that time, Dubai has to make some changes to the layout on the world map.

Palm Island Dubai 4

The famous construction teams From Japan and the United States, California’s has completed the main part of the Palm Island Dubai. Palm Island’s main feature is built on sand, up to 3 meters above the sea. Ordinarily the local land-based sand do not mix well together, thus they have to go for the smaller sea sand smaller which is in line with this requirement. Therefore, the main project is mainly to complete with the dredging vessel. So far, the construction has consumed up to 50 million cubic meters of sand which is more than half of the total estimation.

Palm Island Dubai 5

Stacking sand is very unstable, if earthquake happening, the entire island would disappear. It is like a small sand pile in the basin, if you pour some water slowly, when you stop the sand is still remained. But once you rock it, the basin will only left the pot mortar. In order to solve this problem, engineers drill into the bottom of the main body to carry out tremor to let the sand subsidence, and then fill the sand until the sand stop subsidence, the main body is then compact.

Palm Island Dubai 6

During the process of stacking the main body, the engineers must confirm the location of the beach. To ensure exact measurement, they use the satellite remote sensing technologies to monitor the work progress.

Palm Island Dubai 7

Jumeirah Palm Island is the first one being developed. It is constructed by a palm tree-shaped artificial islands and form of the crescent-shaped dams. It covered an area of 5.6 × 5.6 km square and located opposite Jumeirah Beach. The construction is huge, man-made island now has been surface and clearly visible. It is expected to complete in 2006.

Palm Island Dubai 8

Followed by an even more gigantic Ali Palm Island, an area of 6.4 × 7.3km2, is expected to complete in 2008. Jan De Nul, the construction company from Belgium, said this Jumeirah project will consume 172 million m3 of rocks. To May 2005, 60% of the earthworks have been completed. And it has been consumed aggregate astonishing 6 million m3 of rocks.

Palm Island Dubai 9

People are more impress on the third project, Deira Palm Island with constructed with an area of 14.5 × 8.9 km2, along with a 21km long crescent-shaped dam. The Deira Palm Island is expected to be completed in 2009. The consumption of rocks will reach 1 billion m3, and increase the length of artificial coastline for 240km.

Palm Island Dubai 10

Construction has gained initial success, and this has inspired even more exaggerated idea of the Crown Prince. He wanted to build the world’s largest pile of artificial islands, this artificial island is called the Great World which will formed by more than 300 small islands in accordance with the map of the world. Upon completion, you can observe the world map which is formed by these 300 islands. Until now, 50% of the construction has been completed, 81 islands have been surfacing from the water.

Palm Island Dubai 11

If you still think this is not big enough, then you can compared it to the recently launched Waterfront Island, the really gigantic project. Waterfront Island is an artificial island area of 81 million m2 which contained of 10 districts, and join together with Ali Palm Island. It is adjacent to 250 of the planning islands and shore communities.

So far, a fleet of 14 barges and 34 boats dredging are shuttling between the sites. They have thrown 181 million m3 of sand and 5.5 million tonnes of stone into the sea. Upon completion in 2008, the amount of sand and stone used will be 321 million m3 and 31 million tonnes, which will constructed a 850km long coastline.

The huge artificial island plan shows that Dubai is vows to compete with Singapore and Hong Kong to become the world’s commercial center, and to compete with Las Vegas to become the world’s entertainment center. Although the Palm Island project is to be completed five years later, however, surprising that the vast majority of real estate has been sold out, even some real estate is now just on the map with the sea.

Brian. Scudder, a real estate agent in Dubai said: “From the beginning we have noticed this phenomenon and it is very unusual.” He describes, from May 2003 since the real estate market launching, the housing prices has been doubled and is currently stand at price of $780,000 – $1,400,000 U.S. dollars.

At present, the Jumeirah Palm Island reclaiming land has been completed. Jumeirah Palm Island, both length and width of 5.5 km, is the smallest island between the four artificial islands. The 4000 apartments and villas will be completed early next year.

Other than buying real estate in Palm Island Dubai, many of the world-renowned enterprises also have the funds invested in this tempted area. U.S. construction giant Parsons and Hill is participating in designing and implementation of Jumeirah Palm Island project. The China Railway Engineering Corporation will also participate in construction of the island. Jumeirah Palm Island has a prominent fringe where they plan to build 23 hotels. Some well-known hotel management group such as Hilton, Marriott, Sheraton and others have been prepared to join forces opening new branches in Dubai.

The Palm Island Dubai (80 square kilometers) which is having a larger scale has also been started surfacing on the sea. Although it only will complete in 2009, but the total houses of 7000 in the Palm Island Dubai, 4500 have sold. According to Mustafa introduction, the real estate buyers including well-known British star David Beckham and Michael Owen, as well as “actors, singers and politicians,” but he refused to disclose the customer’s name, saying only that two-thirds of buyers are foreigners.