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An unseasoned tourist (and I believe the majority of space researchers do not have time for travelling) may be stunned by the surprising images of artificial palm-shaped islands. Their gigantic «fronds» occupy the Persian Gulf coastline of Dubai. Looking down on Earth from a spaceship porthole an observant scientist, hungry for knowledge, will be able to read the words of His Highness Sheikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, «Take wisdom from the wise. Not everyone who rides a horse is a jockey».
The quote is spelled with 1.6 thousand homes built
on stilts above the water. After reading somebody's thoughts
immortalized in such a fashion, even the most thoroughgoing scientist
will ask  himself about the purpose of his life and whether he wastes
his years in vain. And he will put the Science away for a while, take
his lifetime savings (hopefully they will be sufficient for travel
expenses) and leave for«The Eighth Wonder of the World» . Upon arrival
in Dubai he will see multiple crowds of tourists from every corner of
the world (about 5.5 mln people visit Dubai each year), drop daily
troubles, dip into the eastern luxury, and become a True Tourist.
His destination is the specially designed one-of-a-kind «Tourist Heaven»
of the new generation. The Eighth Wonder of the World is a really
spectacular Dubai real estate project, the most expensive and unusual
one of modern history, developed by Al Nakheel company. It consists of
the three largest islands on the planet that are built by man: Palm
Jumeirah, Palm Jebel Ali and Palm Deira. The largest land reclamation
project required extensive studies, planning and research, which was
unprecedented in its scale and complexity. The resort features long
beaches, calm bays, water parks, health clubs, sports facilities,
restaurants, cinemas, over 200 luxurious 7-star hotels and villas, and
much more. The islands measure 5-14 km in length, 6-8.5 km in width,
and add 360 km of land for more hotels and beachfront villas. They are
protected by a crescent brakewater which is designed to withstand waves
up to 10 meters high. Each island bay can accomodate 140-150 ordinary
yachts and up to 50 oceanic yachts, therefore the playgrounds for
vacationers have enough room for a splurge.
Another
fascinating Al Nakheel project is a man-made archipelago of 300
individual islands arranged to create the semblance of our real world,
including all the continents. The islands repeat outlines of the
globe's landmasses. The project has got a well-deserved and simple
title -«the World» . The only transportation to the World in Dubai is
water taxis and air transport. Each of the islands is set to be sold to
select developers. The company sends out invitations to«those chosen» with a limit of 50 per year. Apparently, such limitations are especially attractive for «the high and mighties»
. Multi-millionaires and princes by blood have been waiting for their
turn to be served. Besides, every buyer has to negotiate his stay with
the neighbours. It is a form of concealed exotic leisure - to get a
chance to feel as mere mortals do.
Price of each island exceeds a
whopping 3.5 billion dollars, but all expenses will be paid off with
profit. Indeed, world celebrities, oil kings, and heirs of aristocratic
families prefer to buy vacation homes right here and indulge themselves
in amusements. In 2006, during the real estate presale on the first
island, Palm Jumeirah, thousands of villas and residencies were sold in
less than a week. The prices for villas had started at 2.2-2.5 million
dollars each and have been rising since then. David Beckham, Michael
Owen, Elton John, prince Charles and other owners of considerable
estates made their investments.
After getting
home from the Persian Gulf beaches, our humble scientist will keep
dreaming of the yacht outlines and the magic views of islands. The
science will receive a huge stimulus whether for the better or for the
worse, and it goes without saying that in order to come back to the
fairytale wonderland and see the wonders of 1001 nights again, the
scientist will have to do a whole lot of research work.
Lana Plotnikova
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