16 mega-projects and attractions set to open in the UAE in 2020

With the new year just around the corner, it's time to look ahead to what the next 12 months have in store for the UAE. With Expo 2020 set to start in October, we already know it's going to be a huge year for the country, but there are plenty of other exciting things to look forward to.

From skyscrapers to mega-malls, here are the new attractions that you can explore as they open up throughout the year...

Reem Mall

Abu Dhabi's Reem Island is largely residential but next year it will become the home of one of the city's largest shopping and leisure outlets: Reem Mall. The huge mall is taking shape on the centre of the island and is scheduled to open in late 2020. Not only will it have more than 450 stores, including a hypermarket, four department stores, two food courts and a multiplex cinema, it will also house Snow Abu Dhabi, an 11,612-square metre snow park featuring 13 rides and attractions.

The Royal Atlantis Resort & Residences

Dubai's Palm Jumeirah is set to gain its second Atlantis hotel next year, when The Royal Atlantis Resort & Residences opens. The shell of the unique design has taken its place on the Dubai skyline since construction began, showing how much bigger it will be than the original hotel. The main building work is now complete, with the hotel in the fit-out stage.

Once it opens in the second half of 2020, it will be home to 13 restaurants – six from celebrity chefs including Heston Blumenthal, Costas Spiliadis and Gaston Acurio – as well as 90 swimming pools, three aquariums and the world’s largest jellyfish tank.

The Opus is Zaha Hadid's first and only building in Dubai. Pawan Singh / The National

ME by Melia

The five-star ME by Melia will be the only hotel in the world to be fully designed both inside and out by the late Zaha Hadid when it opens in February next year. Located in The Opus in Dubai's Burj Khalifa district, the 19-storey hotel will have 93 rooms and feature the flowing lines and curves that are a hallmark of the Iraqi architect's work. It will also house 15 restaurants and bars and will be pet-friendly, with four-legged friends receiving their own welcome packs at check-in.

Ain Dubai

The world's tallest observation wheel, Ain Dubai, is slated to open in the city next year. Standing 250 metres tall on Bluewaters Island, Ain Dubai will open before Expo 2020 in October. When it does start operating, it will be 80 metres taller than the current world record holder in Las Vegas, and almost double the height of the London Eye.

Abu Dhabi International Airport’s Midfield Terminal

Although no official opening date has been announced, testing started at Abu Dhabi International Airport's Midfield Terminal in June, meaning it is likely to be on track for a 2020 opening. When it does open, it will be able to process up to 8,500 travellers per hour. The x-shaped design will an area exceeding 74.2 hectares and will cost more than Dh19 billion. Larger plans for the airport include more hotels, shops and an aviation district in Al Falah.

Museum of the Future

Dubai's Museum of the Future will open next year, boasting a research centre, labs, classrooms and a space for visitors to experience new technologies. Located in front of Emirates Towers on Sheikh Zayed Road, the eye-shaped silver structure will also fund and market ideas for futuristic prototypes and services.

Palm Tower

Dubai's Palm Tower is set to loom over the entrance to The Palm Jumeirah when it opens next year. The residential building is connected to Nakheel Mall, which opened last month, and will eventually be a mix of residential properties and luxury hotels. At the top of the tower will be The View at The Palm, a 240-metre high observation deck offering staggering views over Dubai and the Arabian Gulf. It will also be home to one of the world's tallest infinity pools, which will run 360 degrees around the tower.

Madame Tussauds

The world-famous waxwork museum is set to open on Dubai's Bluewaters Island in 2020. The project was first announced in 2008, but delays saw the opening date pushed back. Although there is no word yet on which celebrities are set to be recreated in wax, you can expect to see famous faces from around the region and further afield.

Al Wasl Plaza

Dubai is gearing up to host the world's greatest show next year, as Expo 2020 officially arrives. Amid the dozens of new attractions across the city will be Al Wasl Plaza. The dome – filled with fountains, waterfalls, parks and palm-lined courtyards – will be 65 metres tall with a diameter of 150m. Ten thousand visitors will be able to fit inside.

Mohammed bin Rashid Library

Although an official opening date is yet to be announced, the Mohammed bin Rashid Library looks set for a 2020 start. Designed to resemble an open book, this seven-storey library sits on the edge of Dubai Creek at Al Jaddaf and will be a world-class institution.

Address Sky View

Opening in Downtown Dubai in late 2019 is Address Sky View, a new luxury hotel in the heart of the city. The hotel is more than 200 metres tall, and will be home to the new Sky Walk attraction that will enable visitors to walk around a platform suspended from the roof of the building, dangling over Dubai. It will also be home to a new rooftop infinity pool, as well as bars and restaurants.

Meydan One

Meydan One will be one of Dubai's biggest malls when it opens in 2020. With more than 550 shops and 190 restaurants, it will also house a hypermarket, cineplex, fountain, go-karting track and 1-kilometre indoor ski slope. It is set to open late next year.

Zombie Apocalypse Park

A new zombie-themed attraction will come to Dubai in 2020, with live shows, a virtual-reality cinema and escape games, all powered by glow-in-the-dark technology. The Zombie Apocalypse Park will be located at the Night Market in Deira Islands, an in-construction quayside destination that will be the world's largest night market when it opens. When finished, the market will stretch 1.9km along the waterfront, with 5,300 shops, restaurants and cafes.

Al Qana National Aquarium

Opening in the coming dining and entertainment destination Al Qana, the National Aquarium will be the largest in the Middle East. Spanning more than 7,000 square metres, it will be home to 33,000 marine creatures that will be cared for by a team of 80 experts and specialists. The animals will be responsibly and ethically sourced from around the world, according to organisers, with the destination highlighting the importance of conservation throughout its themed zones.

Mangrove Boardwalk

From January 2020, you will be able to stroll among Abu Dhabi's beautiful mangroves, when the new Mangrove Boardwalk opens. It will have viewing terraces, a visitor centre, children's play area and kayaking. The walkway is being built on Jubail Island between Yas and Saadiyat Islands and has been designed to raise awareness about the environmental significance of mangroves.

RAK Bungee Jump

In early 2020, Jebel Jais will add a bungee jump to its activities on offer. The 23-metre – 1,500 metres above sea level – will offer a free fall of 8 metres. It is part of a series of new adrenalin-filled attractions to launch in the emirate, including a suspended obstacle course and a zip-line tour through the mountains.

Key facilities

Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
Premier League-standard football pitch
400m Olympic running track
NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
600-seat auditorium
Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
Specialist robotics and science laboratories
AR and VR-enabled learning centres
Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills

The specs

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Some of Darwish's last words

"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008

His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.

Ipaf in numbers

Established: 2008

Prize money: $50,000 (Dh183,650) for winners and $10,000 for those on the shortlist.

Winning novels: 13

Shortlisted novels: 66

Longlisted novels: 111

Total number of novels submitted: 1,780

Novels translated internationally: 66

What are the GCSE grade equivalents?

Grade 9 = above an A*
Grade 8 = between grades A* and A
Grade 7 = grade A
Grade 6 = just above a grade B
Grade 5 = between grades B and C
Grade 4 = grade C
Grade 3 = between grades D and E
Grade 2 = between grades E and F
Grade 1 = between grades F and G

Pox that threatens the Middle East's native species

Camelpox

Caused by a virus related to the one that causes human smallpox, camelpox typically causes fever, swelling of lymph nodes and skin lesions in camels aged over three, but the animal usually recovers after a month or so. Younger animals may develop a more acute form that causes internal lesions and diarrhoea, and is often fatal, especially when secondary infections result. It is found across the Middle East as well as in parts of Asia, Africa, Russia and India.

Falconpox

Falconpox can cause a variety of types of lesions, which can affect, for example, the eyelids, feet and the areas above and below the beak. It is a problem among captive falcons and is one of many types of avian pox or avipox diseases that together affect dozens of bird species across the world. Among the other forms are pigeonpox, turkeypox, starlingpox and canarypox. Avipox viruses are spread by mosquitoes and direct bird-to-bird contact.

Houbarapox

Houbarapox is, like falconpox, one of the many forms of avipox diseases. It exists in various forms, with a type that causes skin lesions being least likely to result in death. Other forms cause more severe lesions, including internal lesions, and are more likely to kill the bird, often because secondary infections develop. This summer the CVRL reported an outbreak of pox in houbaras after rains in spring led to an increase in mosquito numbers.

Our legal consultants

Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais

Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.

What the law says

Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.

“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.

“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”

If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.

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Crazy Rich Asians

Director: Jon M Chu

Starring: Constance Wu, Henry Golding, Michelle Yeon, Gemma Chan

Four stars

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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets

What are NFTs?

Are non-fungible tokens a currency, asset, or a licensing instrument? Arnab Das, global market strategist EMEA at Invesco, says they are mix of all of three.

You can buy, hold and use NFTs just like US dollars and Bitcoins. “They can appreciate in value and even produce cash flows.”

However, while money is fungible, NFTs are not. “One Bitcoin, dollar, euro or dirham is largely indistinguishable from the next. Nothing ties a dollar bill to a particular owner, for example. Nor does it tie you to to any goods, services or assets you bought with that currency. In contrast, NFTs confer specific ownership,” Mr Das says.

This makes NFTs closer to a piece of intellectual property such as a work of art or licence, as you can claim royalties or profit by exchanging it at a higher value later, Mr Das says. “They could provide a sustainable income stream.”

This income will depend on future demand and use, which makes NFTs difficult to value. “However, there is a credible use case for many forms of intellectual property, notably art, songs, videos,” Mr Das says.

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