Dubai's ruler to formally open world’s largest mall today

Dubai's ruler will formally open the world’s largest shopping mall on Friday, according to a media release.

Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice President & Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai will perform the formal opening at The Dubai Mall in a ceremony that will be marked by the spectacular unveiling of The Dubai Fountain, the world’s tallest performing water-music spectacle.

The mall saw a soft-opening in November 2008, The Dubai Mall is a retail and leisure destination with over 900 retail stores. By September of this year, the mall will host over 1,200 stores – the largest collection of retail brands under one roof. Sprawling over an area of 12 million sq ft, with a gross leasable area of 3.77 million sq ft, The Dubai Mall features several flagship stores and Middle East debuts of global brands.

The mall is also one of the largest family leisure destinations in the region: The Dubai Aquarium & Underwater Zoo holds the Guinness World Record for the world’s largest acrylic panel and has over 33,000 aquatic animals. Other attractions include the Olympic-sized Dubai Ice-Rink and The Waterfall.

The Dubai Mall is part of Emaar's Burj Dubai project that comprises the Burj Dubai tower, one of the tallest towers in the world upon completion in 2008, The Dubai Mall, Burj Dubai Boulevard, The Lofts, The Old Town, The Old Town Island, The Residences, Burj Views, man-made lakes, landscaped parks and gardens.

Mohamed Alabbar, Chairman, Emaar Properties, said: “The Dubai Mall is a celebration of the commanding presence of Dubai on the global retail map. One of the most preferred choices for international retailers, the mall has been envisaged as a captivating family destination and will further strengthen the retail growth of Dubai. We are thankful to His Highness Sheikh Mohammed for his support and patronage of this global project.”

A prime part of the opening ceremony would be the unveiling of The Dubai Fountain, a full-colour performance of dancing jets set to popular songs from Arabic and world music. Set on the 30-acre Burj Dubai Lake, the fountain shoots water jets as high as 500 ft (150 metres), equivalent to that of a 50-storey building.

It is the world’s largest shopping and entertainment destination spread over a total area of 12 million sq ft. With a total internal floor area of 5.9 million sq ft, the mall has 3.77 million sq ft of gross leasable space which hosts 1,200 retail stores including over 160 food and beverage outlets in food courts that have a capacity to seat 3,000.

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