A gigantic UAE national flag will be hoisted on a 122-metre (400 feet) tall flagpole next month as part of the country's 30th National Day celebrations.
The flagpole is the 'world's tallest' and its documentation has been sent to the Guinness Book of World Records for a mention, said David J. Chambers, Director of the Trident Support Corporation (TSC) - the California-based U.S. firm that built the pole.
Chambers said that the present tallest pole is in Mexico and is 110 metres high.
The Abu Dhabi flagpole was erected on July 22 this year and now awaits commissioning on December 2 when a 20x40 metre UAE flag will be hoisted on it.
He noted that the 95-ton steel structure has been designed to stand free of any kind of internal or external support in all kinds of weather, and that engineers from the USA, the UK and the UAE jointly spent around two years on its design.
"The design, aerodynamics, and the selection of metal used in building the flagpole are all based on the engineers' calculations," he explained.
The pole was then built in pieces in Texas, the USA, and shipped to Abu Dhabi for assembly and erection at its designated site. "We used the biggest crane in the Middle East (1200 tonnes) to erect the pole."
The TSC official said that following completion of the design and studies, work began on the project in February this year, and in June pieces of the pole were received from Texas which were later assembled.
The multi-million dirham pole now stands on a concrete platform at the Breakwaters (in front of Marina Mall) on the instructions of the Abu Dhabi government.
A video camera has also been installed on top of the pole that can be used for live coverage of events in the surrounding areas. A two-person maintenance lift has also been installed that can reach all the way to the top.
The area around the pole has not yet developed, but the Abu Dhabi government has a plan for it as well, said Chambers. The plan includes the development of landscape around the flagpole and construction of a museum and recreational facilities.
"It is quite a big project."
Chambers stated that the unfurling of the UAE flag will take place at a ceremony on the UAE National Day for which arrangements have already been started.
World's tallest flagpole in Capital
A gigantic UAE national flag will be hoisted on a 122-metre (400 feet) tall flagpole next month as part of the country's 30th National Day celebrations.