What a way to start the new year; literally with a bang!

Despite the financial crisis, Dubai opened the world’s tallest skyscraper, Burj Khalifa on Monday (4th Jan 2010) with fantastic display of fireworks exploding from the 169 storeys of the magnificent skyscraper. The building in Dubai, United Arab Emirites is the tallest man-made structure ever built, at 828 m (2,717 ft). The $1.5 billion “vertical city” boast of luxury apartments, offices and a hotel designed by Giorgio Armani also plans to have the world’s highest mosque (158th floor) and swimming pool (76th floor).

It is said that the change of name from the initial Burj Dubai to the now Burj Khalifa is to honor the Abu Dhabi leader who is also president of the UAE, Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan. This in no doubt is speculated because Abu Dhabi has pumped billions of dollars in bailout funds into the emirate as it struggles to pay its debts in the midst of Dubai’s property market major downturn.