A massive amusement complex in Dubai's southern desert opened its first park today at Legoland with interlocking plastic blocks that both model the sheikhdom's architectural wonders and represent the first bricks laid in developing the expanse.
Much of the planned Dubai Parks & Resorts project worth over USD 3 billion remains under construction along the dusty highway connecting Dubai to the United Arab Emirates capital of Abu Dhabi.
In four years, however, Dubai's rulers envision 25 million people coming to the area as part of the 2020 World Expo, or world's fair.
Dubai already has plans to one day handle over 200 million passengers a year at the nearby Al Maktoum International Airport at Dubai World Central, as well as extend its driverless metro into these dunes far past its current terminus near the massive Jebel Ali Port.
"A lot of things are happening already; we are not on our own," Legoland Dubai general manager Siegfried Boerst told The Associated Press.
"It's not that we're in the desert anymore."
Previously, the limits of tourist-friendly Dubai ended when the tall towers of the Dubai Marina gave way to the industrial expanse of power plants and aluminum smelters in the city-state's south. Now, both private and state-backed developers are rushing into the area ahead of the World Expo.
One of the biggest bettors on the area is Dubai Parks & Resorts, which plans a series of attractions over 25 square kilometers (9.5 square miles). Beyond Legoland, the complex plans a movie-themed Motiongate park, a Bollywood park, a hotel and shopping district and even a Six Flags by late 2019.
The company, trading under the name DXB Entertainments, lists its biggest shareholder with a 52-percent stake as Meraas, a firm backed by Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. Qatar Holding LLC, a subsidiary of Qatar's sovereign wealth fund, holds 11 percent of the company, according to data from the Dubai Financial Market stock exchange.
The firm's stock closed down 6 percent today to 1.57 dirhams (43 cents) a share.
And inside the air-conditioned cool of the park's Miniland, the park's over 60 million Lego bricks can be seen in models of Dubai International Airport, Abu Dhabi's Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, the Dubai Creek and even a version of India's Taj Mahal. One can even walk down a Lego-version of high-rises towering over the dozen-lane Sheikh Zayed Road in Dubai, complete with a running metro line.
At the center is a 17-meter-tall replica of the Burj Khalifa, made of 439,000 Legos that took over 5,000 hours to construct complete with a skydiving Lego mini-figure.
"It's amazing. I'm an adult but I feel like a kid right now," said Rajashree Vichare, 28, of Mumbai, India. "I want to play with every Lego toy right now.
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