Come to think of it: Burj Khalifa Dubai skyscraper is the highest building in human history!

Sure enough there was the tower of Babel built just after the Flood due to Bible legends. But the height of this tower is still under discussion: some scientists agree it was 91 meters height, others believe it was 2500 meters.

One way or another Burj Khalifa is the highest skyscraper in the world nowadays – it is 829.8 meters high!

The towers itself is 584 meters and the spire with an antenna on it, is 245.8 meters.

1.5 billions of dollars were spent on Burj Khalifa construction. The total project cost is more than 4 billions of dollars (a cost of 20 billions of dollars slipped through somewhere). One way or other key investments have already earned their keep directly or indirectly. 900 apartments can benefit billions of dollars taking into consideration the fact that the modest apartments’ cost is one million dollars and more. Apart from that there are offices, 3000 car-place parking lot, Armani luxury hotel, a fee-based sightseeing platform on the 124th floor, expensive restaurants and boutiques and other premium infrastructure.

Dubai Mall, a huge mall, is built next door and visited by plenty of people with many of those who have come here to see the magic tower.

The block erected around Burj Khalifa is considered to be the most expensive and prestigious in the city. Yesterday’s gray sands have appeared to be “gold ones” for developers.

But the most significant thing is – Emirates citizens have got a world-class tourist attraction and the reason to be proud. And that’s beyond price.

From afar Burj Khalifa looks like a shiny thin antenna. But up close!

It catches the imagination up close. One can realize its incredible size and the enormity of this building. It is believed it looks like a stalagmite. But I associated it with a huge steel and glass rocket ready to space journey. Something really exorbitant. It goes without saying you wish to find yourself on its top floors to have a city look at a height.

124 floor tickets to 'At the top' observatory were purchased in Dubai Mall located at the bottom of Burj Khalifa. Sightseeing platform tickets can be bought beforehand visiting http://www.burjkhalifa.ae/en/ web site. There are a lot of intending sightseeing platform visitors at sunset when it is possible to see both day and night views of Dubai. This time tickets are sold out a few weeks ahead. I had to buy an open-ticket and to wait patiently.

To get to the observatory you shouldn’t go to Burj Khalifa but to Dubai Mall connected with the tower by passages. At the scheduled time everybody gathers in Dubai Mall, to the left of the ticket boxes where tickets were bought (G level). Then a manager accompanies a group to a pay-gate which scans the date and the time of the ticket.

* Being late is not recommended! Everything as if you were boarding a plane (or its better to say a rocket). 'You snooze, you lose'.

Pay-gates are followed by a row of corridors (there is no need to walk; you will be delivered by a travolator).

Not to get bored the travellers are entertained by pictures projected on the walls.

A little going upstairs is followed by a corridor then by a turn and we find ourselves near the lifts. Another manager-guide is telling briefly about figures, facts and achievements of Burj Khalifa. At last we are boarding a silver lift cabin and moving up at the speed of 10 meters per second to the 124th floor.

The idea of having 200-300-400 meters underfoot should be given up immediately. Our ears are popped a little bit, ‘turbulence’ is felt, I mean some jolting happens to be but a little.

And here we are at the top: 452 meters over the ground!

We are lucky: the weather is fine and the city is seen in full view! It may not be so great in a haze or in cloudy weather.

Everything is tiny. Mountainous skyscrapers located along the main street Sheikh Zayed Road seem as if they were ordinary small houses. “Yes, it is not the Eiffel Tower, its cooler!” – one of the tourists sighing excitingly. And I agree with him in my mind.

People react differently.

Someone is thrilled to bits, someone being indifferent is taking a view with I-am-an- inspector look and moving to the exit. Someone is trying to panic: “Oh, it is lurching”. I am trying to sense if only the lightest lurch - no such luck! The tower is standing sure. I have failed to get scared and it’s for the better.

** Tower peak amplitude in strong wing is 1.5 meter.

Compact planning such as mansions and luxury nearshore hotels are seen along the coastline.

Sharp outlines of a made-up archipelago in the form of the global map –The World - are showing through the sea. Wonders will never cease! How a human can refine and better his land!

The daylight is failing.

I am circling the sightseeing platform. One part of it is closed, another one – for the brave ones – figuratively opened: it is parclosed with glass with a small opening for cameras.

So the night has covered the city. Lights were on. Beauty beyond thought!

You seem to be on a spaceship hover at the restless city.

Gold and red highways are right underfoot. Myriads of emblazed lights are shimmering everywhere. Pulsation of a huge young metropolitan city - a living organism called Dubai - is being sensed.

The moon has come out. It is full moon! Yellow disk is mirroring in the far lake system. Marvelous…

It is time to go home. While moving to the exit I hear people’s cries of admiration “That is incredible, unconceivable, it's too charming!” The tower impresses greatly especially if you treat it not as another amusement but human intelligence triumph.

Burj Khalifa skyscraper is the tallest building in the world with 829.8 meters height.

The largest number of floors in the world – 163.

The highest open sightseeing platform in the world is located on the 124th floor - "At the Top".

The highest sightseeing platform in the world is located on the 148th floor - "At the Top Burj Khalifa Sky".

At.mosphere restaurant on the 122nd floor is the highest in the world.

For the construction of Burj Khalifa a special type of concrete able to withstand temperature up to 40 degrees was developed. At summer time when the temperature went up to 50 degrees above the zero night shifts took place. Ice was added to the concrete mixture to make it cool.

It took six years to construct the tower (2004-2010). Burj Khalifa lifetime is 100 years.

Nowadays Burj Khalifa has at least four actual competitors.

They are: Kingdom Tower skyscraper, Saudi Arabia (1007 meters high, 156 floors). Completion date is 2019. Madinat al-Hareer, Kuwait (is under construction, 1001 meters high, 80 floors). Azerbaijan Tower, Azerbaijan (1050 meters high, 189 floors). Murjan Tower, Bahrein (1022 meters high, 200 floors).

Dubai authorities are not overly concerned with it. They have Naheel Tower, a super skyscraper project, in store with 1400 meter high including a spire. This tower was supposed to be built in Nakheel Harbour and Tower area but later this project was rejected by Dubai authorities. Rejected so far. As news readers like to say: “Time will tell how things will go.”