The world's tallest building officially opened today in Dubai.
Standing at more than 800 meters tall, it easily surpasses the previous world record for the tallest man-made structure ever built, Taiwan's Taipei 101, which is 508 meters high.
The "Burj Khalifa ("Khalifa Tower") was renamed today in honor of Sheik Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the ruler of neighboring Abu Dhabi and president of the United Arab Emirates.
The tapering metal-and-glass spire was inaugurated at a gala celebration led by Dubai's ruler, Sheikh Muhammad bin Rasheed al-Maktoum.
The Burj's opening comes at a tough time for Dubai's economy, with the Gulf emirate suffering severe debt problems and property prices collapsing by almost a half over the past year.
Standing at more than 800 meters tall, it easily surpasses the previous world record for the tallest man-made structure ever built, Taiwan's Taipei 101, which is 508 meters high.
The "Burj Khalifa ("Khalifa Tower") was renamed today in honor of Sheik Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the ruler of neighboring Abu Dhabi and president of the United Arab Emirates.
The tapering metal-and-glass spire was inaugurated at a gala celebration led by Dubai's ruler, Sheikh Muhammad bin Rasheed al-Maktoum.
The Burj's opening comes at a tough time for Dubai's economy, with the Gulf emirate suffering severe debt problems and property prices collapsing by almost a half over the past year.
