Dubai Mall

Dubai Mall is the largest shopping mall in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and one of the largest in the world by total land area. The mall is located in Downtown Dubai, adjacent to the iconic Burj Khalifa.

Its construction began in October 2004 and was completed in 2008, with official opening on November 4, 2008. Developed by Emaar Properties, it was designed by DP Architects and built through a joint venture involving Dutco Balfour Beatty, Al Ghandi/CCC, and Turner Construction.

At its opening, Dubai Mall featured around 1,000 retail outlets and expanded over time to accommodate more than 1,200 shops along with over 200 food and beverage outlets, making it a vast retail and entertainment destination.

Its total land area covers approximately 1,124,000 square meters (12.1 million square feet), which includes the Fashion Avenue extension and the Zabeel expansion. Internally, the mall offers about 3.77 million square feet of retail space, an Olympic-sized ice skating rink, and the world’s largest indoor aquarium with a massive acrylic panel measuring 32.88 meters wide and 8.3 meters high.

Since its inauguration, Dubai Mall has consistently ranked among the world’s most visited buildings and shopping destinations, attracting over 56 million visitors in 2011 and growing to 105 million visitors by 2023. The mall’s integration with the Dubai Metro and an air-conditioned pedestrian bridge that connects it to the Burj Khalifa/Dubai Mall Metro station further enhances its accessibility.

Over the years, Dubai Mall has set numerous visitor and retail records and continues to evolve, with ongoing expansion plans announced in 2024 to add more retail and dining options, underscoring its status as a premier global lifestyle and entertainment hub.