28-04-2025
Burj Khalifa: Rare old pictures showing how it became the world's tallest building
You can't come to Dubai or have a visitor and not take them to see the tallest building in the world.
The Burj Khalifa celebrated its 15th birthday in January 2025, and the 828-metre tall skyscraper is just as impressive today as it ever has been.
But what did we all do before it was around? Once upon a time (not so long ago), the Burj was just concrete under construction – a very different sight from today.
If you like reading this: 18 pictures showing what DXB Airport used to look like
So let's take a walk down memory lane and watch the word's tallest building climb out of the dunes.
When did construction start on Burj Khalifa?
Old pictures of the Burj Khalifa: The foundations of the building back in 2005 (Credit: Emaar)
Construction in 2005 (Credit:
Work on creating the Burj Khalifa began all the way back in 2004, when Downtown Dubai was unrecognisable from what we know today.
With a building this big, you can imagine there were a lot of materials involved to create the masterpiece. And you would be correct.
A jaw-dropping 330,000 cubic metres of concrete was used, along with 39,000 tonnes of steel and 103,000 square metres of glass.
The design of the building is inspired by the Hymenocallis plant – better known as a spider lily or a desert rose – and resembles the plant when looking from above.
The base features a triple-loved footprint inspired by the plant and the structure of the tower is made up of three wings arranged around a central hexagon core.
The tower in 2006 (credit:
Old Dubai: The early days of construction of the Burj Khalifa Credit:
The Buj Khalifa under construction (Credit: Arabian Business)
The first two years of work focused on the excavations and first 50 floors, then in 2006 construction began on reaching floor 100.
Officially opening in January 2010, the tower took 22 million man hours to build, and now has a total area of 5.67million square feet.
In July 2007, it officially became the world's tallest building, overtaking Taipei 101 in Taiwan, as the structure hit 141 floors. Today, there is a total of 163 floors.
In November 2007, the highest reinforced concrete core walls were pumped using 80 megapascals of concrete from the ground level. Concrete was pumped up to a remarkable 601 metres.
Old pictures of Burj Khalifa: How it looked in 2007 (Credit: Emaar)
The Burj Khalifa as it looked in 2007 when it overtook Taipei 101 as the world's tallest building (Credit: Emaar)
Burj in 2007 (Credit: ITP images)
The Burj Khalifa holds nine other world records, aside from being the tallest building on the planet.
Notable records include the highest outdoor observation deck, the highest residential apartments and the largest LED-illuminated façade.
Naturally for a building this big, it has multiple uses with hotels, business, ultra-luxury apartments and observation decks making up the space.
You may like: Burj Khalifa tickets: Everything you can do at the world's tallest building
The Armani Hotel can be found from concourse level up to level eight and on level 38 and 39. It's the world's first hotel designed and developed by Giorgio Armani.
Levels nine to 16 are also the realm of the Italian fashion house, with luxury branded residences taking up that space.
Levels 45 to 108 are made up of private, ultra-luxury residences. A luxury penthouse went on the market in 2024 at a price of Dhs180 million.
Corporate suites can be found spread over levels 112 to 154, except from level 122 which is the home of and level 124 where you'll find the At the Top observation deck.
By 2009 the tower was taking shape (Credit: Imre Solt)
However, a recent announcement from Saudi Arabia could see the crown taken from the Burj, as plans for a new building emerge.
The Jeddah Tower, currently officially called the Jeddah Economic Company Tower, in Saudi Arabia, is set to be taller than the Burj Khalifa once complete.
The iconic symbol of Dubai stands at 828 metres while the Saudi Arabian project is slated to be a minimum of 1,000 metres.
Jeddah's plans for a massive world-record-breaking tower have been in the pipeline for more than a decade but building has been stop-start.
Dubai before and after
18 pictures showing what DXB Airport used to look like – from 200 passengers a day to Emirates launch
A visual history of the airport
20 pictures that show how much Dubai has changed from the 1950s to today
Sheikh Hamdan shares an unrecognisable photo of the city
5 incredible pictures that show how Dubai Metro has changed
And what's in store for the future
