It was barely two weeks before the opening of the Atlantis in September 2008 when Dubai woke up to the shocking sight of thick black smoke rising above the hotel. When the fire crews left the site of the Dh5.5 billion resort, it was found that the damage had been limited to the lobby. There was brief speculation that the blaze might stop the official opening of the hotel on September 24.
When flames erupted again over the Atlantis, it was for one of the largest fireworks displays the world had seen, watched by a VIP crowd that included Robert De Niro, Janet Jackson, Michael Jordan and Shah Rukh Khan.
Atlantis the Palm, unlike the fabled city of antiquity which sank below the waves, had risen like a phoenix above the ashes.
* James Langton
