Dubai is the most populous and second largest emirate of the United Arab Emirates after Abu Dhabi. Dubai is distinct from other members of the UAE in that revenues from oil account for only 6% of its gross domestic product. A majority of the emirate's revenues are from the Jebel Ali Free Zone and, increasingly, from tourism With enormous construction and development in various industries,Dubai hasattracted world-wide attention through innovative real estate projects, sports events,conferences and Guinness records. However, this increased attention,coinciding with its emergence as a world business hub, has also highlighted potential human rights issues concerning its largely immigrant workforce.

The world's tallest building, biggest mall, largest airport, largest arch bridge, the projects in the $ 1-trillion building boom in the Gulf are all about scale, about extreme engineering and about at chitecture. And this Middle East metropolis is leading the charge.

Dubai is waiting with bated breath for the close of 2008. That is when Burj Dubai, being built by Emaar Properties, is expected to be complete, giving the city the world's tallest building. When completed, the sky scrapper will be the tallest building in all four categories recognised by the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH), which ranks buildings in the world on the basis of spire height, the highest occupied floor, roof height and pinnacle height. But how long that status will remain is anybody's guess. Reports have come in that Dubai's other real estate giant, Nakheel, has started initial work on what is being dubbed as the rival to the Burj Dubai.

Construction Week magazine has quoted a spokesman for Nakheel as saying that a French firm has started testing work on the site of the project, tentatively named A1 Burj or the Tall Tower. Initial designs show the A1 Burj as having 228 floors with a four-level basement and one service sub-level. The heighest habitable floor will be at 850 metres, which will be topped by a 200 metre central spire with a three-level function area and three service floors. But even the presence of these two super tall structures may not be enough. 

 

Saudi Araia's Kingdom Holding company, owned by Saudi prince A1-Walid bin Talal bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud, is planning to launch tenders for the world's tallest building in Jeddah. Being dubbed the Mile High Tower, the building's height is expected to reach up to 1,600 metres or nearly double the height of Burj Dubai.

 

A report in the Meed magazine said that the projected cost of the building is likely to touch $ 10 billion and the tower plot itself will be about 1,70,000 sq metres. This region's construction boom is not confined to height alone. It is also about size. Close to Burj Dubai, Emaar is building the Dubai Mall, projected to become the world's largest mall when completed. With a total area of 12.1 million sq ft, it will easily beat the South China Mall in Dongguan, China, which covers 9.1 million sq ft as the world's largest mall. Also coming up in Dubai is its new international airport, again set to become the world's largest when completed.

To be called Dubai World Central Al Maktoum International Airport, it will be 10 times larger than Dubai's current internationa airport and will have an annual cargo capacity of 12 million tonnes or three times that of Memphis, which is today's largest cargo hub and a passenger cargo hub and a passenger capacity of over 120 millon or 30% more than that of Atlanta, currently the world's busiest airport. 

There is an increasing number of "freehold" villas and apartments on artificial islands such as the Palm Islands and in many other parts of Dubai (such as The Greens, Dubai Marina, and International City).

 

Ownership is either permanent or on a 99-year lease, depending on the area; freehold areas were announced in the press in July 2006. Ownership or lease of a completed residence allows the owner to apply for (but not guarantee) a residency visa on a three-year renewable basis. The Federal Government does not state whether foreigners may or may not own property and has left individual emirates to formulate their own property laws.

However, investing in any foreign land has its own set of challenges. We have exactly for this reason come out with specialized services to help the uninitiated. Our focus has always been on accelerating smart solutions with emphasis on transparency, proactiveness, ethical practices and flexibility.

We actually take you to Dubai for on-site visits and even provide services like renting, leasing, re-selling and managing your property. With us in the know-how, you are concealed from every probable concern. This is made possible by our multinational presence, even though we are essentially an Indian Company.