After the iconic Burj Khalifa, another stunning skyscraper will soon rise in Dubai and become the second-tallest building in the world.
Farhad Azizi, CEO of Dubai-based Azizi Developments, confirmed this in a recent tweet. He said: “It’s official: We are building the second-tallest building in the world.”
“On BBC Persia recently, my father, Mirwais Azizi, explained our plans to build a new tower in Dubai that will share the sky with Burj Khalifa and other skyscrapers,” he said.
In a previous interview, the younger Azizi told Khaleej Times that the tower would be built on Sheikh Zayed Road at a prime location, but he did not disclose its name, height, or unit mix.
“As for the name of this new tower, it’s still pending, but it will ultimately represent the Azizi Developments brand,” Farhad tweeted, adding: “This will mark a breakthrough achievement for the Azizi brand, and we couldn’t be prouder, especially looking back at our humble origins in Afghanistan, when my father started the company with $500 in 1989.”
A plan to build the tower was first revealed during Cityscape Dubai last November. It was announced that it would build the second-tallest tower in Dubai at the time.
Now, the plan is to build the second-tallest building in the world that could surpass Merdeka 118 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The 118-story skyscraper in Southeast Asia stands at 678.9 metres – not tall enough to surpass the 828-metre Burj Khalifa, but more than enough to push the 632-metre Shanghai Tower into third place.
Profile of the company
Azizi Developments is a leading real estate developer based in Dubai, with approximately 100 ongoing projects that are to be delivered this year, and more projects in the pipeline. The company said it sold last year a total of over 6,000 units, amounting to Dh5.6 billion in sales.
The company also takes pride in its CSR (corporate social responsibility) initiatives. During Ramadan this year, Azizi Developments pledged Dh100 million to the ‘1 Billion Meals Endowment’ launched by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.
In a previous interview with Khaleej Times, Farhad, who will be turning 39 this month, said: “We have been involved in so many initiatives, including sporting activities, women's empowerment, medical support, scholarships and grants, and more. We have been supporting for the last 6-7 years the Rashid Centre for People of Determination and the Dubai Autism Centre. We have built hospitals in Afghanistan for cancer patients as well as dialysis centres and orphanages. We also have scholarships for students to go to various colleges and universities.”
The city has given us so much, and the leaders have helped us so much. It would be a shame to only receive. Our job then is to give back. This city and country are very important to us."
Top 10 tallest towers in the world
1- Burj Khalifa, UAE- 828m
2- Merdeka 118, Malaysia - 679m
3- Shanghai Tower, China - 632m
4- Abraj Al-Bait Clock Tower, KSA - 601m
5- Ping An International Finance Centre, China - 599m
6- Lotte World Tower, South Korea - 555m
7- One World Trade Center, USA - 541m
8- Guangzhou CTF Finance Centre, China - 530m
9- Tianjin CTF Finance Centre, China - 530m
10- China Zun, China - 528m