You have heard about Dubai, the fastest growing city in the world. But have you seen Dubai? Do you know what’s really going on? Seeing is believing. Check out these amazing pictures to better comprehend this dynamic world-class Emirate.

Dubai spares no expense when making its cityscape the most jaw-dropping in the world.

In the 2000s, the emirate dropped nearly $600 billion into constructing the world’s tallest tower, the biggest man-made island, and the most luxurious hotel, among other architectural feats.

These aerial photos of Dubai capture the city’s elegance and ambition.

Dubai in 1990, prior to the craziness

Dubai is a city of superlatives. Located in the United Arab Emirates, the ritzy metropolis is home to some of the tallest, biggest, and most luxurious structures in the world.

These dazzling photos of Dubai, taken from the sky, show off the city’s architectural feats.

The Burj Al Arab, the fourth-tallest hotel in the world, dominates the Dubai skyline.

Completed in 1999, the hotel is located on an artificial island in the Persian gulf.

The self-proclaimed “most luxurious hotel in the world” sits 919 feet out into the water, so it doesn’t cast a shadow on the beaches nearby.

One of the hotel’s main features is its heliport. It can be converted into a grass tennis court that, hanging off the side of the hotel 650 feet up, is the highest suspended tennis court in the world.

The Burj Al Arab hotel’s success inspired one of the most ambitious building projects ever undertaken, the Palms.

The story goes that Sheik Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum, the ruler of Dubai, decided the city needed a “backup plan” once its oil supply ran out. Three islands were constructed off the coast to provide land for premium real estate and luxury hotels.

Here’s the Palm Island Jumeirah, the smallest island, in 2007 when it welcomed its first tenants.

The Palms took just four years to complete, requiring 12 million pounds of rock and 53 million pounds of sand to build.

Here’s the view from the Atlantis hotel on the tip of the island group. The Palms can apparently be seen from space.

This nearby man-made archipelago, aptly named The World, was designed to look like a map of the world from above.

Construction resumed in 2014 after the global financial crisis halted development for four years. When completed, The World will accommodate residential, commercial, and recreational zones.

Dubai Marina is also quite a sight to see, as is the view of the city from it.

Developers dug a trench inland and filled it with water from the Persian Gulf. The artificial canal stretches two miles long.

Dubai Marina is home to Jebel Ali Port, the world’s largest man-made harbor …

… and home to Jumeirah Beach Residence, the largest single-phase residential development in the world.

Jumeirah Beach Residence opened in 2008. Today the community includes 35 residential towers and five hotels.

The Jumeirah Beach Hotel features 598 rooms and 20 restaurants and bars, along with 364,000 square feet of beach.

Sheikh Zayed Road helps form E 11, the longest road in the Emirates.

The city’s main artery runs parallel to the coast, connecting the Palms and Dubai Marina.

Perhaps the centerpiece of Dubai’s rapidly growing skyline is Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building.

The glitzy pillar stands at 2,716 1/2 feet. Here’s the view from the observation deck on the 124th floor, which is still 36 floors from the top.

The tower was completed in just 1,325 days and required as many as 12,000 workers on site on a given day.

Upon completion in 2010, Burj Khalifa, originally known as Burj Dubai, used up 31,400 metric tons of rebar, or reinforced steel. Laid end to end, the steel would stretch a quarter of the way around the world.

Source: techinsider.io