The people of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and their visitors will behold, during next month's 30th National Day celebrations, the tallest flagpole in the world.
The officials who are working on the project have sent the documentation of the world's tallest flagpole to the Guinness Book of World Records for a mention.
David Chambers, director of the Trident Support Corp. (TSC) - the California-based US firm that built the pole, was quoted by the Gulf News as saying that the present tallest pole is in Mexico and is 110 meters high.
According to the Dubai-based paper, the Abu Dhabi flagpole was erected on July 22 this year and now awaits commissioning on Dec. 2 when a 20x40 meter UAE flag will be hoisted on it.
The 95-ton steel pole, which will fly a 40 by 20 meter (132 by 66 feet) UAE flag, will stand in Abu Dhabi at 122 meters (400 feet) tall, beating the current tallest pole in Mexico by 12 meters (40 feet), said the daily.
Chambers noted that the 95-ton steel structure had been designed to stand free of any kind of internal or external support in all kinds of weather, and that engineers from the US, the UK and the UAE jointly spent around two years on its design.
"The design, aerodynamics, and the selection of metal used in building the flagpole are all based on the engineers' calculations," he explained.
The capital's northern neighbor Dubai, home of the world's tallest hotel and richest horse race, launches frequent attempts to make the record books.
The flagpole was made of structural steel treated against corrosion normally caused by external weather conditions and painted gold.
The flag will be raised and lowered automatically by special winding machine. Navigation lights will be installed according to the requirements of Civil Aviation Authority.
The base decoration will consist of two hands, a symbol of unity, sitting 23 meters above ground level. The two hands will hold seven pearls: symbols of the seven emirates comprising the state. Sea waves of different sizes will be represented all around the base of the flagpole.
The Dh7million project will be one of the UAE's landmark attractions, said the municipal officials - Albawaba.com
© 2001 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
