The Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest building, opens in Dubai
On this day · 4 January 2010
Dubai inaugurated a half-mile-high tower that has dominated the global skyline ever since.
On January 4, 2010, Dubai officially opened the Burj Khalifa, a needle-thin tower that soars 828 meters (2,716 feet) into the desert sky and remains the tallest building in the world.
The inauguration, timed to the anniversary of the ruler’s accession, capped roughly six years of construction and a fireworks-soaked ceremony. The structure stands more than twice the height of the Empire State Building and nearly three times the Eiffel Tower, comfortably overtaking the previous record holder, Taipei 101.
Late in the project, the tower was renamed from Burj Dubai to honor Sheikh Khalifa of Abu Dhabi, whose support steadied the city through a financial wobble.
More than a decade and a half later, the building still holds a clutch of superlatives, from tallest free-standing structure to highest occupied floor. For a city that built its reputation on going big, it was the ultimate exclamation point.
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