Open sesame

Open sesame

The Dubai Mall’s pearly gates have finally opened. It’s just a mall, that’s true. But it’s a larger, more glamorous and impressive mall than even Dubai’s residents are accustomed to.

November 5, 2008 6:46 by kippreport

After years of hearing about this mammoth structure, with its 1200 retailers and record breaking aquarium, it’s finally open. Sure, it was delayed twice (first from August till the end of October, and then to November 4), but in construction terms, a few months delay isn’t anything to be ashamed of. Besides, with a structure as gargantuan as this, delays are expected.

The mall is one of the largest in the world. It spans 12.1 million square feet, with 3.77 million square feet dedicated to retail outlets and approximately 160 food and beverage outlets. So what did they do with the 8.33 million square feet, you ask? Check this out:

There’s SEGA Republic®, a two-level, 76,000 square foot indoor theme park; a 22-screen Cinema; an Olympic sized ice-rink unimaginatively called Dubai Ice Rink; KidZania, an 80,000 square foot ‘edu-tainment’ center for kids aged 4-15; and finally, the Dubai Aquarium and Discover Center, where the world’s largest Acrylic panel (which is also the world’s largest viewing panel) showcases an enormous aquarium with fish from all over the world (including sharks).

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Tags: Dubai, dubai Mall, Retail