Sand Castles

What does a tiny, unknown, sandy place like Ras Al Khaimah, RAK, do with all its time and wealth? Build modern sand castles for one.

With a population of about 250K, it is one of the smaller of the seven emirates that comprise UAE. Dubai and capital Abu Dhabi are the more popular of the emirates. In all my years in UAE, I can't remember a trip to Ras Al Khaimah, there was never a reason to visit this sleepy sandy city.

Rakeen, the firm undertaking RAK's urban planning and development has changed that fact. With AED 400 million in paid up capital and AED 4 billion in assets, Rakeen’s objective was to form a leading real estate development company with a view to create unprecedented and iconic projects in the emirate and beyond, leading Ras Al Khaimah to become a sustainable, eco-friendly destination.

I can't say much about the eco-friendliness of these projects, but they are fascinating architecturally.

Ras Al Khaimah Financial City

"As a modern, functional complex RAK Financial City is destined to become the new hub for the offshore financial operations of the regional business community. It will also enhance the cultural and social fabric of the emirate and become a major tourist attraction.          
This 750,000 m² project valued at USD0.8 Billion, will include uniquely designed towers ranging from 30 to 65 floors, which will contain offices, residential apartments, hotels, commercial areas and related services. A novel architectural approach has been used to design this property, which brings out a softer, more fluid, sculptural manner. Design work for RAK Financial City commenced in December 2006."

RAK Convention Center
"Accommodating all primary functions, the RAK Convention Centre is a US$ 400million investment and will be accessible by an entirely new road system linking it to existing urban structures and surroundings."

Dana Island, another man made island, stands on 5.3 million square meters of land and will be developed to house commercial, residential and hotel projects. It extends about 7 kms or 4.3 miles into the sea.

More information on these projects can be found on Rakeen's website.

I am curious to see the construction of these projects. Might make a trip to RAK when I'm in Dubai next. What do you think about these projects?