City of Arabia groundwork completed with the main construction work set to start next month

Ilyas Galadari, Chairman of the Dubai-based promoters Ilyas and Mustafa Galadari Group said, "Most of the pre-construction work at the site is completed and we should be able to see the beginning of the rise of the City of Arabia from the sands of Dubailand from March."

"The massive City of Arabia project, when completed in 2008, will be one of the star attractions of the region's largest leisure, tourism, entertainment and lifestyle destination of Dubailand, which is fast coming up in the emirate,"

Ilyas Galadari added.

"We are very aware of the importance of this project to Dubailand - the City of Arabia will stand at the entrance of Dubailand and will welcome guests and residents. We will be the first impression and we know that we have to create the right one - and we will," added Mustafa Galadari of the I&M Galadari Group.

"The I&M Galadari Group has hired the best consultants, architects and designers from around the globe to create an experience that would be unrivalled anywhere in the world. Its a complete mini-city in itself with several unique attractions such as The Restless Planet, Mall of Arabia, a five star hotel and its own Automatic People Mover which will all contribute to making it a leading international tourist attraction," he added.

Restless Planet

Mustafa Galadari said that the Restless Planet is one of the main components of the project that will include a dinosaur theme park with over 100 animatronic dinosaurs of different species. Restless Planet will tell in a highly dramatic way the story of the birth of Planet Earth and the rise and fall of the dinosaurs.

He said that it is being developed with the assistance of an international team, led by the Natural History Museum of London, and including Jack Rouse Associates of Cincinnati, who are world-renowned experts in theme-park rides; Kokoro of Japan, who make scientifically accurate animatronic dinosaurs, and the British Broadcasting Corporation, with their huge film archives.

The team will also include Dr Jack Horner, the famous dinosaur expert and adviser to Stephen Spielberg for the Jurassic Park movies, who has more dinosaur species named after him than anyone else.

The start of the Restless Planet programme will bring visitors into an 85m-high dome, where they will be assailed by a dazzling display of light and sound to illustrate the effects of comet-strikes, volcanoes, earth-quakes, tectonic shifts and the wrenching of the moon away from earth. The dome will be made of translucent material which will make it into a beacon of flashing light that can be seen at night for miles around.

Mall of Arabia

Anwar Sher, Director of the City of Arabia project explaining the unique features of the Mall of Arabia said, "More than just a mall, it's a unique lifestyle experience with its vast ancient Middle Eastern exterior housing the best of international fashion brands, a state-of-the-art stage for theatrical performances, a 15-screen cinema, bowling alley and a world-class spa."

A global shopping resort, the Mall of Arabia provides a delightfully different shopping experience. Its striking facade beckons and then entices the visitor to its central area to begin a global consumer tour. A simple circular navigation system, striking design features and a superb range of leisure and entertainment facilities will put the mall on the list of must-see Dubai attractions.

Wadi Walk

Anwar Sher said, "The Wadi Walk is a 10-km long flowing waterway canal that will create a series of quiet urban spaces. Lining the canal, which will be wide enough to accommodate small ferry-boats, will be a shady promenade on either side consisting of cafes, restaurants, convenience stores and boutiques, with basement parking facilities. The waterways and walk-ways will link this area to the Mall of Arabia. Furthermore, there will be a boutique hotel with a spa on an island in the waterway."

Dubailand managed by Tatweer includes many attractive features that cater to the needs of all members of the family and make it a unique project that will attract millions of tourists annually from all around the world. Several projects under Dubailand are under construction with investments by UAE, GCC and international investors in the existing projects reaching AED 35 billion. It is expected that the total investments will reach AED 65 billion during the next 18 months with the announcement of more projects which are under study.

The diverse projects under Dubailand include leisure, entertainment, theme parks, eco- tourism, shopping malls, restaurants and residential units. Dubailand will play an important role in catalyzing the position of Dubai as an international hub of family tourism attracting 15 million tourists annually by 2010.