How Dubai's Artificial Islands Were Made
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Published 2021-08-18
Dubai may have the world's tallest building, the world's largest indoor theme park, and the world's first rotating skyscraper on the way, but the city's man-made archipelagos, which are all in various stages of completion: Palm Jumeirah, Deira Islands, Palm Jebel Ali, The World island, and Bluewaters Island, are the very impressive. Some of the world's largest artificial islands are being built off the coast of Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Emir of Dubai and Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates, is the brains behind these massive projects aimed at boosting tourism and expanding Dubai's coastline.
In today's video, we'll talk about how Dubai's artificial islands were constructed.
So, how did the islands come to be? The process of dredging sand from the Persian and Arabian Gulf floors is known as land reclamation. The sand was then sprayed and "vibro-compacted" into shape, using GPS technology for precision, and protected by millions of tons of rock.
The United Arab Emirates' most populous city and emirate is Dubai. The islands were built to create more coastal real estate because the city is a popular destination for wealthy tourists. In 2001, work on the Palm Islands began. Divers surveyed the seabed, and workers used blasted mountain rock to build a crescent-shaped breakwater. At its deepest point, the Crescent of Palm Jumeirah stands a little more than 13 feet above low tide sea level and sits in 34 feet of water.
The lowest layer of the breakwater is sand, which is covered by an erosion-resistant, water-permeable geo-textile. The sand is covered by one-ton rocks, and the structure is capped by two layers of large rocks weighing up to six tons each. A floating crane has placed a "toe" inside the Crescent. The breakwater also has two 328-foot openings on each side to keep the 16 narrow, deep channels from becoming stagnant. Every 13 days, these gaps allow water to circulate completely.
The Palm Islands are made of sand that has been dredged from the seabed and transported from the Persian Gulf. The Palm Jumeirah is made up of 3.2 billion cubic feet of ocean sand that has been vibro-compressed into place. Vibro-compaction involves saturating loose sand with water jets and vibrating it with probes to increase its density. When water is added to desert sand, it tends to liquefy, so it couldn't be used for this project. Designers and contractors used Differential Global Positioning Systems (DGPS) to plot the palms and ensure the sand placement was within 0.39 of an inch to get the complex shape just right.
During the construction of the island, workers lived on the "fronds" and in anchored cruise ships. According to some sources, the islands are sinking into the sea, but Nakheel denies this. Environmentalists have also claimed that the islands' construction has harmed the marine environment in the area. They objected to the project, claiming that rocks and sand buried oyster beds and coral reefs, and that changing currents eroded the mainland shore.
The Palm Jumeirah is currently crammed with villas, hotels, and attractions. According to BusinessInsider, hotels are built on the palm's "trunk," while homes are built on the "fronds." Long-term residents, vacationers, and real estate speculators make up the majority of buyers. Palm Jumeirah is home to around 80,000 people, with a capacity of 120,000, and is a popular tourist destination.
A six-lane sub-sea tunnel connects Palm Jumeirah to the mainland to facilitate tourism and make life easier for residents. Before rereleasing the water, workers used a dam to drain the area and excavate the seabed. The only public transportation option on the island is a monorail that runs the length of the palm. It opened in 2009.
On the Palm Jumeirah, new resorts are still opening, and developers are financing and building luxury apartments. In 2021, an observation deck on the 52nd floor of The Palm Tower opened, giving visitors a bird's-eye view of the entire island. And sprawling villas fetch astronomically high prices [source: Hosseini]. Despite the failures of other islands off the coast of Dubai, Palm Jumeirah has become a popular destination for those seeking luxury and leisure.
Let's take a closer look at the Palm Jumeirah and Palm Jebel Ali islands.
Palm Jumeirah is the most well-known of the bunch, with a trunk and 17 fronds shaped like a palm tree and surrounded by an almost 7-mile-long crescent-shaped island that is home to Atlantis, The Palm (just one of many luxury hotels and resorts that dot the archipelago). Nakheel Properties initiated the project in 2001, and it resulted in the addition of 40 miles of much-needed beaches.
All Comments (21)
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Check out our other video of the Dark Side of Dubai here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jGnUOrIRSE0
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It looks great and impressive. I am not a scientist. But, I do know that the ocean will one day fight to take back its space. JMO
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Show us the workers who built the islands and their working conditions. That would be a more interesting story.
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Mother nature always comes back to collects
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We should be embarrassed for how we treat our oceans… there’s literally an entire desert to develop
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What they need to improve is the welfare of workers engaged in these record breaking projects. Workers remain underpaid in Dubai, especially those in construction
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Dubai is a amazing city. It's worth visiting it once. But the biggest regret is that when the Ruler/Government can spend so much money on buildings/infrastructure/personal wealth/ functions/events/beautifying it's cities then why can't they not spend on upliftment/improvement of living/working standards of workers/labourers who have worked so hard n sweat their energy to build these cities/concrete jungles.... When you visit any labour camp or industrial area of Dubai or any Gulf city, the living conditions there of labourers/workers is inhumane n pathetic. What use is this extravaganza n concrete jungle when you don't care for people who have sweat their blood to build them. Their own citizens with no work are paid luxuriously while these people are deprived of their minimum wages... It's very saddening. They say " All that shine is not Gold "...😟
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LET’S HOPE AND PRAY 🙏 THAT THIS MAN MADE PROJECTS WILL NOT HARM US IN THE FUTURE🙏
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"ARTIFICIAL"..... sounds great /amazing and a little bit scary.
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I am grateful that i had experience this amazing place palm jumirah last Feb before i back home.😊
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The best is in the kingdom of GOD
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Imagine the amount of water being displaced by these artificial islands plus the melting of ice bergs in the North. Islands in southeast asia are the most affected, they are sinking.
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Sometimes watching these documentaries I see similarities between China and Dubai, and most of them are unpleasant. They might look good from the outside....
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It's because of man's enormous power against NATURE, HE had to face its fury in greater measures!
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Look great and very impressive. Absolutely beautiful 😍
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Video started from how the islands were made and ended up showing popular tourist destinations in dubai
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இறைவனின் படைப்பை நாம் மாற்றி அமைத்தால்! அது நமக்கு நண்மை பயக்காது, மாராக அது நமக்கு கேடு விளைவிக்கும்.
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Thank you for hardworking,creativity and innovations.
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VERY GOOD IDEAL PROJECT IN UAE VERY GREAT AND IDEAL INTERESTIN ILAND PROJECT GOD BLESS YOUR PROJECT SUCCESSFULLY
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Yes the ocean will reclaim every space inch
