Tuesday, November 8, 2011

The biggest, the tallest, the most expensive....

This has proved to be the most popular page on my blog by a long, long way, so, in the spirit of giving the people what they want, I have decided to update it with new records when I hear about them.

If you're new to this particular corner of my blog, its purpose is to document Dubai superlatives, the biggest, the tallest, the most expensive, the widest, the fattest, the tastiest, the whatever. Dubai has them all.

The less kind commentators have said of this tendency to try to win accolades for the biggest and/or best shows that Dubai is an insecure place without culture or class that feels the need to win races and claim titles to draw attention to itself.  I could not possibly comment on that but here are some examples of the biggest/tallest/most expensive/only in Dubai.

1. The world's biggest shopping mall - Dubai Mall.

2. The world's tallest building - Burj Khalifa. This has held all kinds of world's highest records all of its own including world's highest swimming pool (now eclipsed by a Singapore hotel, I believe), world's highest bar/restaurant.

There have been claims that it is home to 3. The world's highest mosque but a story in The National makes a claim to the contrary. There's a can of worms that I'm not going to open as to why the rumour would start in the first place and if it indeed does exist, why it would need to be a secret.

4. World's single largest acrylic panel (certified by Guinness World Records and has a plaque and everything but developed rather alarming cracks and is partially covered by advertising hoarding) the Aquarium, Dubai Mall.

5. World's biggest ring which was displayed at the Gold Souk in Deira. No sniggering at the back.

6. World's most expensive handbag which was on display in Dubai earlier this year. Tasteful.


7. World's most expensive cocktail

8. World's only Seven Star Hotel, although how they measure such things when the ratings officially only go up to five stars, I'm not sure - Burj Al Arab.

Ace garden centre, Festival City, was briefly home to the most glamorous of all the tallest, longest, strongest, fastest records Dubai currently holds:

9. The world's largest garden spade.


Presumably, thanks to Kim Kardashian's recent visit to Dubai (October 2011), we can also claim to have a hand in: 10. The world's most embarrassingly contrived reality TV marriage.  What a claim to fame.

11. Thanks to a reader who reminded me that Dubai is home to the world's world's longest driverless Metro system.

12. The world's largest themed shopping mall in the form of the explorer-themed Ibn Battuta Mall. I must confess I have not visited it yet. I am clearly missing out.


14. The world's biggest book, which has been on display at The Dubai Mall, entitled This is Muhammed. 

15. The world's first indoor black run at Ski Dubai, the Mall of the Emirates. 

16. The world's largest natural flower garden, Miracle Garden, which opened earlier this year.

Please leave a comment on the blog or contact me via facebook, if you are one of my chums, if you hear of any more Dubai records. The more ridiculous the better.

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