The World Expo will be hosted by Dubai for the first time in 2020, which will be a historical year for the emirate. A new structure, The Tower, which will be built in Dubai Creek Harbour, will be completed in time for the Expo, at a cost of $1 billion.
Here’s a look at the ‘world’s biggest’ records that are held by Dubai.
World’s tallest building
Until it’s surpassed in 2020, the Burj Khalifa remains the highest building on the planet. As well as smashing the previous record, held by the 632-metre Shanghai Tower, the Burj also holds other world records of its own. Including the world’s highest electrical substation (on the 155th floor), the highest number of storeys in the world (over 160) and, of course, the record for the elevator with the longest travel distance. More than 12,000 workers spent 22 million man-hours building the mega-structure.
World’s tallest chocolate sculpture
The mammoth design was unveiled at Dubai International Airport in 2014 in the shape of the Burj Khalifa. The tasty replica stood 13.52 metres tall and was created by Andrew Farrugia from Malta. The 500 tonnes of chocolate cubes were flown to Dubai in 500 separate boxes and had to be handled with extreme care, as they were prone to breaking. Farrugia and his team spent weeks repairing damaged sections before finally putting the finished structure on show. Unfortunately, the whole thing had to be thrown away after two weeks, as health and safety officials deemed it unsafe to eat.
World’s largest doner
Staff at Doner Restaurant produced the largest doner meat ever seen. The official stats have the giant skewer weighing 468kg, standing 2.95 metres tall and measuring 60cm in width. Months of preparation went into the record, most of which was spent finding a spit roast which could take the ridiculous weight of the meat. An industrial crane was needed to lift the mind-boggling doner so it could be measured before being cooked and carved up for less fortunate individuals and families in Dubai.