Artificial islands in the shape of a palm tree are sinking. Artificial islands in Dubai, Arab Emirates. How do Dubai authorities lure tourists to the “palm trees”?

Until recently, the United Arab Emirates was known to the world for its deserts and the presence of such valuable raw materials as oil. But some time passed and everything changed. Now everyone is fascinated by the images of Arabian beauties and secretly dreams of getting there, seeing these cosmic wonders with their own eyes, and world celebrities and tycoons are fighting for every square meter in Dubai. The reason for everything is gigantic buildings of indescribable beauty. All the biggest things on our planet (fountains, hotels, towers, parks) are located in the UAE. One of these wonders is rightfully considered to be artificial islands in the shape of date palms on the coast. Persian Gulf– Jebel Ali, Jumeirah and Deira.

Palm Jumeirah in the UAE is located in the Dubai Marina area, see how it is located on the map relative to other artificial islands:

Sorry, the card is temporarily unavailable

Construction of Palm Jumeirah began in 2001. One and a half ten thousand builders were brought in for the work, and they also lived there. The work did not stop for a minute, shift after shift, day after day, month after month, and in 2006 the island was ready. The material used was stone and sand, which was mined from the bottom of the bay. The entire island consists of a main trunk and 17 palm leaves. A crescent moon was also built around the palm tree - a symbol of all Muslims, which also serves as a breakwater and protects the island from high waves and storms; its length is 11 km. Thus, total area Jumeirah exceeds 25 sq. km., which is equal to 800 football fields.

After work on the island was completed, the architects began developing the area. Soon luxury villas, hotels, shopping centers, not to mention palm trees and other plants. Most of the Palm Jumeirah properties have already been purchased and occupied. The architecture is made in different styles: from Arabic to European.

Atlantis The Palm is the most luxurious hotel in the world.

Jumeirah Island is actually a peninsula, as it is connected to the mainland by a 300 m long bridge. So that the inhabitants of the island can quickly move around the territory, a tunnel was built under water. And for implementation transport communication Jumeirah and the mainland built a monorail.

The scale of the island is so large that you can even see it from space.

TOP-81 step-by-step instructions
on adventures

How to ride a desert buggy in DubaiHow to sandboard on the dunes in DubaiHow to Take a Desert Jeep Safari in DubaiHow to climb the Burj Khalifa in DubaiHow to see the skeleton of a giant 155,000,000-year-old dinosaur in DubaiHow to admire the singing fountains in DubaiHow to watch the fountain show from a boat in the Dubai Fountain lake in Dubai

81 ideas of what to do in Dubai

The man-made island is a triumph of engineering and a vivid symbol of the country's wealth.

Palm Jumeirah is an island wonder of the world created by human hands. The artificial island, repeating the outline of a palm tree with sixteen symmetrical “leaves”, where expensive villas, hotels, a water park and many kilometers of beaches are located, is direct proof of the greatness of the Emirate. It’s worth visiting here if only to appreciate what science, progress and money are capable of.

The man-made archipelago of Palm Jumeirah is small compared to its two sisters - Palm Jebel Ali and Palm Deira - but the first of its kind, and is a famous symbol of the United Arab Emirates along with the Sail Hotel (Burj Al Arab) and Burj Khalifa.

History of creation

In 2001, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashi al Maktoum decided to expand the coastline and create a paradise resort in the waters of the Persian Gulf, without using concrete or metal structures. At first, creating a structure that could withstand waves and storms using only sand and boulders seemed an impossible task, but they were not going to give up.

Photo: Palm Jumeirah Project

Construction of Palm Island has begun. A five-kilometer breakwater appeared, designed to protect the island from the Shamil storm. Then the construction of the island itself began, “leaf” by “leaf” - slowly and with difficulty appeared huge island.

An additional difficulty was created by the fact that the sand of the Arabian deserts was not suitable for construction - it was too fine and easily washed out. Therefore, tons of sand had to be extracted with enormous effort from the bottom of the Persian Gulf and delivered to the coast. This very sand and stones used in construction would be enough to build a 2.5 meter wall around the globe.

Photo: Construction of the island

After 5 years, human talent, perseverance and science won. Palm Island was ready to welcome residents already in 2006. Luxurious villas and hotels took their place on the “leaves”. On the trunk of the palm tree there are restaurants, parks, shopping and entertainment complexes, water parks, and beach clubs. Three months later, an amazing coral reef with two submerged F-100 aircraft was added to this splendor to attract divers and strengthen the defense of the island barrier reef.

The Palm Jumeirah breakwater reaches three meters in height and eleven and a half meters in length.
The size of Palm Jumeirah reaches 5.72 km².
Houses and villas were sold out in a record three days (the buyers were celebrities who wanted to retire to a paradise island).
The construction of Palm Island cost seven billion dollars.
Palm Jumeirah is visible from space with the naked eye (along with the Chinese Wall).

Photo: Palm Jumeirah

Photo: Hotel Atlantis

The downside of luxury

Despite the grandeur and beauty of the island, environmentalists were not too happy about such changes in the flora and fauna of the Persian Gulf. After all, such changes are undoubtedly fraught with consequences. The authorities responded to numerous demands to protect marine life and built up part of the coast with artificial reefs, in addition, they promised that they were soon planning to switch the “palm trees” to environmentally friendly energy sources so as not to pollute the environment.

Stagnation of water in the bays of the archipelago remains a significant problem. The breakwater is vital for protection, but it undoubtedly interferes with the renewal of water. Despite attempts to cope with this problem, visible results have not yet been achieved.

Last but not least is durability. How long can such a huge, but, oddly enough, fragile Palm Island of Jumeirah stand under climate change, rising water levels and raging waves that wash away the sand right from under our feet? The creators of the projects reassure investors that there is nothing to worry about in the next 800 years, and they can safely acquire a piece of heaven on earth.

How to get there

You can get to Palm Jumeirah by taking a taxi, renting a car, or riding the monorail overpass (the first monorail in the Middle East).

Artificial island Palm Jumeirah on the map

Reviews 9

Guest June 30, 2018Everything is very open with a really clear description of the issues. It was definitely informative. Your website is extremely helpful. Thanks for sharing!

Guest March 10, 2018We were just there yesterday. This is truly a miracle. Heaven on earth (or water). It’s worth working all year to go there at least once. Well done Arabs, they are building the economy of their country with dignity. Our “developers” should go there more often for training.

Guest January 15, 2018They say miracles don't happen! Isn't Dubai a miracle? Aren't artificial islands a miracle? And the fact that we, at least through the Internet, can see this is not a miracle!!! You never cease to be amazed at the power of human thought, perseverance, and the achievements of science and technology. How I would like to preserve this beauty for many generations!

Where else to visit in Dubai

№49

A luxurious beach where soft hot sand, turquoise water and a wall of skyscrapers behind you are ideally combined.

№20

Cape Bay, as the name of the reserve is translated, is home to thousands of migratory birds from around the world (including pink flamingos) and 500 species of animals and plants.

№54

Popular place for shopping, entertainment for every taste and family vacation located next to Dubai Creek.

The newest attraction of the 21st century, which you must visit when arriving in Palm Jumeirah, has already managed to win the title of a modern technological wonder of the world. We will talk about it in detail in our article. This small one is especially popular among the moneybags of this world. And not only because of the vacation on the man-made island. After all, the archipelago is built up unique hotels and chic restaurants. But that's not all. It’s not for nothing that excursions are taken here. This is a true symbol of sophisticated glamor and truly Arabian luxury. And although not everyone can afford to live in rooms costing several thousand dollars per night, you can touch the world of wealth. The artificial archipelago looks especially impressive from the air. It is from the helicopter that you can see a stylized drawing of a date palm swimming in the azure waters.

Feasibility of artificial islands

Jumeirah is a coastal area of Dubai. It doesn't have many historical attractions. A mosque and a promenade - that’s all that could be seen in Jumeirah until the beginning of our century. Therefore, many tourists chose the Bar Dubai area for their holidays. But now the situation has changed radically. Man-made archipelagos have become the hallmark of the UAE. Palm Jumeirah is the most original of them, although the smallest in area. Two other archipelagos: Deira and Jebel Ali are also made in the form. In addition to them, there is also a group of artificial islands called Mir. The Universe archipelago is being built next to it. The construction of the islands was very expensive for the city municipality. But the enormous investment paid off in spades. Coastline Thanks to them, Dubai has expanded by as much as 520 kilometers. And it attracted new tourists to the United Arab Emirates who wanted to see this wonder of the world with their own eyes.

Brief history of construction

Construction of the artificial island began in June 2001. Five and a half years later, the archipelago began to gradually surrender to development. Nakheel, who is leading the work, has the right to be proud of her brainchild. The Palm Jumeirah is a grandiose achievement of modern technology and the embodiment of the boldest architectural designs. This “palm tree” is located opposite Internet City in the Jumeirah area, which is where it got its name. From international airport in Dubai it takes about half an hour to get there. The archipelago consists of a “trunk” and a “crown” of seventeen palm leaves diverging in both directions. This form made it possible to increase the length of beaches on the archipelago to 78 kilometers. In addition to the “trunk” and “crown”, Palm Jumeirah also has a crescent. This eleven-kilometer-long island acts as a breakwater and protects the main sandy archipelago from erosion. A three-hundred-meter bridge connects the “trunk” of the Palm Jumeirah with the mainland. And an underwater tunnel leads to the crescent from the top of the “tree”. And in addition, it must be said that the man-made islands of Dubai can be seen from space!

Difficulties during construction

The project of washing a man-made archipelago was a real challenge of man to the forces of nature. Mainland sand, of which there is so much in the United Arab Emirates, was not suitable. It didn't have the right viscosity. Therefore, special dredges were scooped from the bottom of the bay sea sand, laid it in the form of a palm tree, and later vibrating machines compacted it to the state of solid ground. To prevent destructive storms from destroying and washing away the embankments, Palm Jumeirah acquired a crescent. It was posted large stone blocks, mined in the Hadjar mountains. Moreover, the position of each plate was adjusted using a computer.

What is Palm Jumeirah

This man-made structure claims to be the eighth wonder of the world. At the time of construction, it was the largest man-made archipelago in the world. And although it has been surpassed in size by Jebel Ali and Deira, Palm Jumeirah (Dubai) continues to be the most original island. "Tree trunk" is built up multi-storey buildings and shopping centers. Moreover, the material used was not glass and concrete, as one might assume, but stone. The current Sheikh of Dubai, Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, ordered that all buildings on the archipelago fit naturally into the landscape. They are surrounded by green parks. Thus, the “palms” became a miracle. The seventeen branches and crescent of The Palm Jumeirah should soon house thirty-two luxury hotels and one thousand four hundred villas.

How do Dubai authorities lure tourists to the “palm trees”?

It is clear that, having configured expensive hotels and luxury villas, the municipality is unlikely to soon get back the money invested in the megaproject. It was necessary to attract as many people as possible to the artificial archipelagos. large quantity of people. Huge beaches extending far out to sea are the first attraction. The clear waters of the warm Persian Gulf are attractive for fans of scuba diving. Especially for divers, the authorities sank several old airplanes near Palm Jumeirah, and also created artificial reefs, which a few years later were covered with completely natural corals. But the main highlight of this archipelago should be the Atlantics underwater aquarium.

Jebel Ali

This artificial island is a Polynesian paradise. More than a thousand bungalows and about 2,000 villas in an exotic style will be built here. City officials estimate that Palm Jebel Ali's population will be 1.7 million by 2020! Particular emphasis on this archipelago is placed on children's recreation. Four amusement parks will appear on the protective crescent-breakwater. A water park is also being built here, where visitors will be able to see killer whales, dolphins and other amazing creatures. Quotes from the poems of the mayor of Dubai, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, are carved in stone along the breakwater of this archipelago. Well, Palma Deira will be the largest of the three “trees”. The authorities promise to build a lot of amazing and exciting things on it.

How to get there

You can get to Palm Jumeirah by city metro. The station is located on the shore, and to quickly find yourself in the futuristic “city of the future”, you can take a taxi. On the island itself public transport represented by a monorail. In the future, the authorities promise to integrate it with the main lines of the Dubai subway. In addition, it is planned to launch ultra-modern airships here, from which you will be able to see this whole wonderful fairy tale from a bird's eye view. An underwater road tunnel leads to the “crescent” of Palm Jumeirah. All the beaches of the luxury hotels located here are located on the inner side of the island. So even the most powerful storm in the Persian Gulf will not interfere with comfortable swimming. On the "crown" amazing island on this moment 1,400 villas with individual access to the sea were built, as well as more than two and a half thousand apartments in spectacular penthouses. And on the “trunk” there are yacht clubs, office premises, parks, shopping centers and hotels.

Hotels on Palm Jumeirah

Atlantis The Palm was the first to welcome guests. This happened on November 20, 2008. After this significant event, the world learned about the existence of the first artificial archipelago in Dubai. The opening of the five-star hotel was accompanied by a grandiose fireworks display. One hundred thousand pyrotechnic installations were involved. For ten minutes they shot fountains of colored lights into the air. This parade of lights was the largest fireworks display in history. It was visible not only from anywhere in Dubai, but even from space! Then, one after another, other hotels began to open, primarily chain hotels: Kempinski, Rixos, Palm Jumeirah Zabel Sarai, One and Only The Palm and others. But there is still room for new construction - especially in the middle of the "trunk". Most recently, the Ocean the Palm Jumeirah 5*, consisting of a unique residential complex and a club apart-hotel.

What to see on Palm Jumeirah

Experienced tourists recommend taking a ride on the high monorail. It starts at the “roots”, not far from the bridge, and ends at the Atlantis The Palm 5* hotel. After leaving the carriage, feel free to follow to this hotel. The fun is just beginning! This luxurious hotel houses the Aquaventure water park and The Dolphin Bay dolphinarium. Then you can combine interesting with pleasant: get through the tunnel to the “crescent” and relax on sandy beaches. Palma is popular among diving enthusiasts as there are coral reefs and various interesting sunken objects around its shores.

Palm Jumeirah(Palm Jumeirah)- a man-made island, which is part of the artificial Palm Islands and is located in the city of a wonderful country (UAE). This is a unique project of its kind, which has become one of business cards pearls of the Middle East, which is called nothing less than the “Eighth Wonder of the World”. When viewed from space, the Palm Jumeirah resembles a date palm, which is the source of the "Arab bread" - dates. The size of the island is comparable to the size of 800 football fields. On the “trunk” and “leaves” it has a large number of hotels and villas, many of which are the property of Hollywood stars, famous athletes and entrepreneurs. The island is connected to the mainland of Dubai by a 300-meter bridge and an underwater tunnel.

If your resources allow, stay in the most luxurious hotel in Palm Jumeirah - "Atlantis The Palm".

Palm Jumeirah: How to get there

Palm Jumeirah is located in the eponymous area of Dubai - Jumeirah (Jumeirah). There are several ways to get to Palma. By taxi you can get anywhere on the island. A more exciting option for visiting Palm Island would be to take a monorail train ride. You can also take a taxi to the base of Palma and transfer to the monorail train (4 USD one way), driving along the “trunk” directly to the Atlantis Hotel. (Atlantis) and the Aquaventure water park. This train runs every 20 minutes, and you will have the opportunity to really experience all the unusualness of the man-made island of Palm Jumeirah, which a taxi ride will not give you. Most budget option visiting the island there will be a metro ride to the Dubai Internet City station (Dubai Internet City) or to a nearby bus stop by bus, and then transfer to a taxi and travel to the desired destination on Palma. On this route you will spend about 5-7 USD one way.

Palm Jumeirah: Lifehacks

Here I would immediately like to shatter all illusions and say that Palm Jumeirah looks very photogenic from a bird's eye view and when viewed from Space. When you are on its “branches”, you most likely will not feel much difference compared to being on the mainland of Dubai. Therefore, it makes sense to go there if you want to visit one of the best water parks in Dubai - “Aquaventure” on the territory of the most luxurious hotel on the island - "Atlantis". Or, as they say, “for show,” but for a long time to be on palm island It won’t work out due to the lack of special places where you could spend time.

In terms of logistics and in the absence of a lot of time in Dubai, it makes sense to combine a visit to the island with a visit to the nearby area of skyscrapers and an artificial harbor - (Dubai Marine), as well as a nearby hotel "Burj Al Arab", which is also called a “sail” because of its characteristic shape.

Only at the first, most superficial glance, it may seem that Dubai built the artificial island of Palm Jumeirah without any special problems. The opinion of the average person sounds like this: they are swimming in money there in the emirate, they don’t know what to do with petrodollars, and because they have nothing better to do, they spent it on an artificial island. Of course, this opinion implies that Palma was created as if playfully, for fun, without any special problems.

In reality, everything was much harder and more complicated. Palm Jumeirah turned out to be an incredibly difficult project to implement, requiring a huge concentration of effort, financial, intellectual and labor resources; at some points the question of stopping construction was even raised due to difficulties that arose. Moreover, there was not even enough money for construction at some stages. And yet, the island rose from the depths of the Persian Gulf and became today one of the most grandiose works of humanity in general.

What problems did the creators encounter during its construction?

Erosion of the island by the sea

In accordance with the original concept, Palm Jumeirah was to become an absolutely environmentally friendly island. For its construction, only stones and sand were used, and reinforced concrete structures were not used. This became the first difficulty - in the absence of metal reinforcement, the sand poured even onto the base of stones was washed away. Therefore, it was decided to first build a breakwater that would protect the island itself from the destructive effects of the sea.

But here another problem arose: the construction of the breakwater took time, and the time frame for creating the island increased. Then the builders took a risk and began washing sand on the island in parallel with the construction of a breakwater, hoping that nothing would happen in a few months. Fortunately, nothing really happened, and by the time the breakwater began to reliably perform its tasks, the island had already been filled to a large extent.

Desert sand was not suitable for the construction of the island

It would have been easier and more profitable to import desert sand, but it turned out to be too fine, the sea would have washed it away even with a breakwater. There was a need to extract coarse sand from the bottom of the bay 6 km from the coast and transport it to the island on barges. This required additional technology, additional expenses and adjusting work schedules.

It was difficult to control the accuracy of the island's shape

The structure itself was too large, and it was extremely difficult to maintain its exact outline when viewed from the ground. The Dubai government had to bring in the UAE's orbiting satellite, which regularly took high-precision images from space and made it possible to check whether the Palm's shape complied with the design specifications.

At almost every stage of construction, Palm Jumeirah posed difficult tasks for the builders. And yet, Dubai managed to overcome all difficulties and make its own man-made miracle Sveta.

Inside the circumference of the breakwater, the water stagnated and rotted

This not only worsened the environmental situation, but also reduced the attractiveness of the project: no one would want to live on the shore of a stinking puddle. Therefore, the project had to be adjusted and artificial straits made in the breakwater and at the junction of the “trunk” of Palma with it and with the shore. This made it possible to ensure water circulation, its constant renewal and purification.

In 2001, financial reserves for the project were sharply reduced

After the terrorist attacks of September 11, the entire Arab world fell into disgrace, was reduced to a thin trickle, and doubts arose about the advisability of building such a huge tourist attraction at all. However, the Dubai government was firm in its plans and it was decided to complete the project, regardless of external circumstances.

And, as it turned out, all the problems were not overcome in vain. Today, many billions of dollars have been invested in it, and the island itself has become one of the city's familiar landmarks. It is also important that all problems at the stage of its construction were resolved promptly, because if work had been frozen for at least a year, Palm Jumeirah could have suffered the same fate as Palm Jebel Ali - the latter was filled up, but did not bring any dividends, and no real estate is being built on it. Therefore, Palm Jumeirah is a good example of the fact that it is quite possible to reach the stars through thorns, even if all the circumstances seem to deliberately interfere with this.

It might be useful to read: