Dubai: Dubai, a tourist destination synonymous with shopping malls and luxury resorts, aims to add high culture to its attractions as it opens an opera house in the shadow of the world's tallest building.
The 2,000-seat Dubai Opera welcomed its first guests on Wednesday night with a performance by Spanish tenor Placido Domingo.
In coming months, performers from around the world will stage operas, ballets, concerts, musicals and a magic show there.
Built in the shape of a dhow - a type of wooden boat common in the Gulf for centuries - the glass-and-steel opera house is located in the glitzy downtown district next to the Burj Khalifa.
Project developer Emaar Properties, part-owned by the Dubai government, has declined to say how much it cost.
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