They have the Burj Khalifa, the worldās tallest skyscraper. They have the iconic Burj Al Arab, the iconic ship-shaped luxury hotel on a manmade island. They also have the Palm Islands, a man-made palm-shaped archipelago of mixed-use property. Naturally, the next step for the largest emirate of this small country on the Arabian Peninsula is to build the largest indoor ācityā in the world.
The emirateās ruler, Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid, expressed in a press release that the project, dubbed Mall of the World, is part of his plans to transform Dubai into āa cultural, tourist and economic hub for the two billion people living in the region around us.ā
The project will house the worldās largest mall, largest indoor park, cultural theatres and wellness resorts with a capacity to host over 180 million visitors annually. So itās not really a city, but close enough.
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The mall will occupy 8 million square feet connected to 100 hotels and serviced apartment buildings with 20,000 hotel rooms. 3 million square feet is allocated for the wellness district.
For recreation, the cultural district will have theatres built around New Yorkās Broadway and shopping streets based on Londonās Oxford Street.
All of this inside an enclosed, air-conditioned building that is intended to allow tourists to ābe able to enjoy a week-long stay without the need to leave the city or use a car.ā
The Independent reports that the Sheikh, who is also vice president of the United Arab Emirates, owns the company responsible for the development, Dubai Holding.Ā
Though details of the timeframe and the cost of the project are yet to be released, it is expected that the development will be Dubaiās main focus at the UAE World Expo trade fair in 2020.
For a better chance at visualizing the project's proportions, view the rest of the infographic from Dubai Holding here.
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