The story of Burj Khalifa

Some of the steel in this tower came from the demolished Palace of the Republic in East Berlin. You are at the foot of the Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest structure, at 829.8 metres. Construction began on 12 January 2004, and the exterior was completed on 1 October 2009. It opened on 4 January 2010, though much of the inside was still unfinished.

When the developer, Emaar Properties, ran into financial problems during the Great Recession, UAE president Khalifa bin Zayed organised federal support, and Mohammed bin Rashid, the ruler of Dubai, renamed the tower after him at the inauguration. The Y-shaped floor plan draws on the region's Islamic architecture, such as the Great Mosque of Samarra. Inside are 57 elevators and eight escalators.

The architects, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill of Chicago, had earlier designed the Sears Tower, a previous record holder. The main workforce were migrant workers from South Asia, and there were numerous complaints about low wages and confiscated passports.