Ilyas and Mustafa Galadari, turned shovelfuls of sand Monday morning marking the official start of construction on the 20 million sq. ft City of Arabia project, one of the leading private sector projects in the Middle East. Located on a site close to the Emirates Road, the first phase of City of Arabia, which is the anchor project in Dubailand, is due for completion in 2008.
Speaking about this ceremony, Ilyas Galadari, Chairman of the Ilyas & Mustafa Galadari Group, commented, “Today's groundbreaking celebrates the beginning of a unique development for Dubai, offering a combination of retail, leisure, commercial and residential elements that will attract both local and international investment. The Restless Planet dinosaur theme attraction is already being compared with top theme parks in America and with an international team of experts guiding the project, is set to become an icon for Dubai that will be recognized around the globe.”
Middle East Foundations, who won the piling contract have commenced work on translating the masterplan, designed by P & T, into reality. With the site prepared, work has started on boring the 13,000 piles that will form the foundations for the Mall of Arabia, one of the world’s largest malls and an important part of the City of Arabia.
