Dubai: When CNN recently put together a list of what it deemed the world’s most iconic buildings, the cable network editors had a bias against the UAE.
According to its listing, the Empire State Building in Manhattan was the most iconic. The Burj Khalifa, coming in at a staggering 828 metres tall — the tallest building in the world — was ranked 21. Even the Burj Al Arab, the distinctive sail-shaped hotel that has towered over Jumeirah since 1999 came in above the world’s tallest building — ranked 18 by CNN.
There are 20 buildings in the UAE above 300 metres — more than any other country in the world.
So that got us thinking at Gulf News: What are your favourite buildings? We asked, and you answered. Nearly 6,000 readers voted in an online poll.
According to the results, nearly one-third of Gulf News readers feel the Burj Khalifa is their favourite building in the UAE. Whether it’s the towering height or its dazzling light display that lights up downtown Dubai — or the fireworks that explode off the facade on special occasions, 32 per cent voted it as your favourite building.
But a full quarter of respondents said that the Shaikh Zayed Mosque in Abu Dhabi was their favourite building. And it’s easy to see why.
The architectural work of art is one the world’s largest mosques, with a capacity for an astonishing 41,000 worshippers. It features 82 domes, over a 1,000 columns, 24 carat gold gilded chandeliers and the world’s largest hand knotted carpet. The mosque’s first ceremony was the funeral of its namesake, Shaikh Zayed, who is buried at the site.
Reflective pools surround the mosque, amplifying its beauty. The striking white and gold colours shining in the sun are transformed at night by a unique lightning system which reflects the phases of the moon.
According to our Gulf News poll, the Burj Al Arab was rated your third favourite, with 16 per cent of respondents voting for the iconic building that opened in December, 1999.
And another hotel — Atlantis on the Palm Jumeirah — was judged to be your fourth favourite building. Towering over the northern end of the Palm, the hotel at the end of the UAE’s only monorail and which opened in late 2008 garnered 341 votes in our online poll, giving it 6 per cent of the votes.
Rounding out the poll, Gulf News poll respondents clicked the coin-shaped Aldar building in Abu Dhabi with 2 per cent of your votes. Emirates Towers Hotel scored 4 per cent while the world’s tallest hotel towers, the twin Marriott Marquis hotel on Shaikh Zayed Road in Dubai — a modern and glittering addition to the UAE skyline — impressed just 47 of the nearly 6,000 who voted. The wave-shaped Jumeirah Hotel on Jumeirah Beach Road scored 1 per cent of votes, and the long-standing World Trace Centre in Dubai — a landmark for the past three decades, scored 3 per cent of votes.
And the new twisted tower in Dubai Marina, officially known as the Cayan Tower which opened earlier this year, impresses 3 per cent of Gulf News respondents as their favourite building. The Yas Viceroy Hotel on the outskirts of Abu Dhabi is listed as their favourite building by 1 per cent.
