This month marks 44 years since the Dubai World Trade Centre was officially opened.
Originally named Sheikh Rashid Tower, the building was one of the first skyscrapers built in Dubai. Construction of the building began in 1974. It was designed by UK architect John Harris under the auspices of Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed, Ruler of Dubai at the time. The tower was inaugurated on February 26, 1979 by Queen Elizabeth II.
The building, with 38 storeys and 184m tall, loomed as a solitary structure beside a slimmer version of Sheikh Zayed Road and in the middle of a pale ochre expanse.
"Harris didn't want to use a lot of glass,” architect and writer Todd Reisz told The National in 2021. “He was mindful of what technologies were available and what technologies could be repaired and maintained in Dubai at the time so that you weren't stuck with a tower of 30 storeys and then the elevators didn't work."
Once it opened, the tower quickly became the centre of the region’s business community and was featured on the Dh100 bank note.
Today, the Dubai World Trade Centre is dwarfed by the towering buildings flanking an ever-busy Sheikh Zayed Road. However, the tower retains its idiosyncratic majesty, with its recessed windows and hive-like exterior.
The Dubai World Trade Centre has expanded over the years to become a sprawling complex of exhibition halls and mixed-use buildings.
In April 2020, during the thick of the Covid-19 pandemic, it was converted into a field hospital with the capacity to treat up to 3,000 patients.
Four decades on, the Dubai World Trade Centre remains a vital business hub that it is keeping up with the times.
In December 2021, authorities announced that the tower would become a specialised crypto zone as part of a drive to create new economic sectors. Co-ordinating with the private sector for the initiative, the move will enforce rigorous standards for investor protection, tackle money laundering and the financing of terrorism, and track cross-border transactions in the virtual assets and cryptocurrencies sphere.
“The World Trade Centre will deliver and oversee a new world-class regulatory framework of virtual asset legislative and enforcement policies," authorities said. “[It] will be critical to facilitating and broadening cross-border operations and ecosystem innovation to enable safe market adoption and growth for this sector in Dubai."
PROFILE OF HALAN
Started: November 2017
Founders: Mounir Nakhla, Ahmed Mohsen and Mohamed Aboulnaga
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Sector: transport and logistics
Size: 150 employees
Investment: approximately $8 million
Investors include: Singapore’s Battery Road Digital Holdings, Egypt’s Algebra Ventures, Uber co-founder and former CTO Oscar Salazar
HOW TO WATCH
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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
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Background: Chemical Weapons
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
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It Was Just an Accident
Director: Jafar Panahi
Stars: Vahid Mobasseri, Mariam Afshari, Ebrahim Azizi, Hadis Pakbaten, Majid Panahi, Mohamad Ali Elyasmehr
Rating: 4/5
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The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
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Why are asylum seekers being housed in hotels?
The number of asylum applications in the UK has reached a new record high, driven by those illegally entering the country in small boats crossing the English Channel.
A total of 111,084 people applied for asylum in the UK in the year to June 2025, the highest number for any 12-month period since current records began in 2001.
Asylum seekers and their families can be housed in temporary accommodation while their claim is assessed.
The Home Office provides the accommodation, meaning asylum seekers cannot choose where they live.
When there is not enough housing, the Home Office can move people to hotels or large sites like former military bases.
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
Banned items
Dubai Police has also issued a list of banned items at the ground on Sunday. These include:
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Political flags or banners
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Bikes, skateboards or scooters
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