The Arabian Canal - A Truly Earth-Moving Adventure

News of a “Ground Breaking” New Development in Dubai…

The red hot pace of change continues in Dubai. Twenty years ago Dubai was just another Gulf state, attractive, but not particularly extraordinary. That was until Sheikh Mohammed, Dubai’s forward thinking ruler envisioned a future where tourism would replace (ever dwindling) oil revenues as the biggest contributor to Dubai’s economy.

Astonishing

Since the early 1990’s, Dubai has been undergoing a transformation which surpasses anything the planet has previously witnessed. Billions of Dollars have been ploughed into astonishing development projects that have forced the world to sit up and take notice. Projects such as the Palm Jumeirah islands, the Dubai Waterfront and the remarkable “World” island development are becoming major global landmarks.

Just when we thought that we had seen it all, Dubai based Development Company Limitless have announced the construction the “Arabian Canal”, a $61 Billion Dollar project designed around a 75-kilometre long canal. Once the canal has been finished - in about three years from work commencing in December 2007 - an extensive waterfront development will be built. Taking $50 Billion Dollars of the total budget, the development will be designed to serve over one million people and cover more than 20,000-hectares of waterfront land stretching 33 kilometers along the canal’s inland section. Once completed, this ambitious development will include residential communities, luxury marinas, and business centres. Construction of the waterfront development is scheduled to begin at the end of 2008 and be built in phases over a period of 15 years.

Some Ditch!

The canal will flow inland from the Dubai Waterfront at Jebel Ali, passing to the east of the Dubai World Central project before turning back towards the Palm Jumeirah development. The canal will be up to 150 metres in width, at least six metres deep and is expected to cost around $11 Billion Dollars. Construction will involve excavating and moving over a million cubic metres of earth – enough to fill some 400 Olympic sized swimming pools – every day!

Running Out of Superlatives...But Not Ideas

Without a doubt, the Arabian Canal project will not only capture the imagination of the world, it will also put a severe strain on people’s ability to find enough superlatives to describe such a monumental development. There has got to come time when Dubai runs out of ideas for unique and awe-inspiring developments….When that moment will arrive is anybody’s guess!

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