View south from the top of the Burj Al Arab Hotel along the coast looking towards Jebel Ali. On the left is the public beach and beyond it, a compound with villas. A harbour can just be seen further south. The area in the distance is empty desert. In a few years, this scene will change dramatically.

This view from the Al Muntaha restaurant at the top of the Burj Al Arab Hotel is remarkable due to the changes that have taken place since I took the photo on 31 March 2000. Today, the Madinat Jumeirah Hotel takes up the foreground area, covering the former public beach. Beyond is the huge development area around Dubai Media City and Dubai Marina. At the time this photo was taken, that area was mostly empty desert.

This photo was taken with an early digital camera, the Agfa E-Photo 1280. This was the first usable digital camera I owned. Agfa subsequently left the digital camera market.

About the photos

This image is from the portfolio of Aidan O'Rourke photographer writer website publisher. Most images are copyright Aidan O'Rourke and may be available as prints or high resolution files. Some images are by other artists, and are published with their approval, or are included in reviews of their work.

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Keywords: Dubai, Burj Al Arab Hotel, skyscrapers, Dubai cityscapes, views, UAE2k