When to break Ramadan fast at the top of the world?

The National

DUBAI, Aug 8: Muslims who live high up in the Burj Khalifa (pic) will have to wait a little longer than everyone else to break their fast during Ramadan, according to a new religious edict. In a fatwa released over the weekend, the Grand Mufti of Dubai called upon Muslims living in skyscrapers, particularly those in the world's tallest tower, to adjust their fasting and prayer times according to what floor they call home. Dr Ahmed Al Haddad, who is also the head of the Ifta centre at the Islamic Affairs and Charitable Activities Department, said the Burj Khalifa, at more than 828 metres tall with 160 storeys, must be divided into three different times for iftar, or the breaking of the fast. He said the three segments are based on when the actual sun set is "visible" to a tenant. "Regardless of where you are, you need to pay attention to the actual sun set," Dr Al Haddad said. "You are not to break your fast until the sun sets, and you can actually see that sun set." Those living on the lower floors of the Burj Khalifa, 80 and below, are to break their fast at the same time as everyone else — when the call for Maghreb prayers at sunset is broadcast across the Dubai mosques on TV, or can be heard from the nearest mosque in the neighbourhood. For those living on floors between 80 and 150, starting at about 414 metres high, the iftar time is delayed two minutes after the muezzin calls for Maghreb prayer. These residents are also to start praying the following Esha prayer two minutes after the call for that prayer, and two minutes before the call for Fajr prayers at dawn. For those living on floor 150 and above, or from 800 metres and above, residents must delay their iftar by three minutes, as well as their Esha prayer. The rule applies to Fajr prayers also, which are to begin three minutes earlier than the call for prayers. These rules should also be a guide during Suhoor time, when Muslims stay up at night to pray, and when they eat their last meals before they start their Imsak, withholding, and begin their fast with sun rise. The ruling is based on the basic premise that the higher you are, the longer it takes for you to see the sun set because your field of vision is farther the higher you go. The religious edict also applies to locations even higher up than any built structures. "Even if you are on a plane, you should break the fast according to when the actual sun sets over the area you are flying," said Dr Al Haddad. "You shouldn't break it if the sun is shining brightly where you are and hasn't set." Mohammed Badr, who lives on the 61st floor of the Burj Khalifa, said he was "surprised" that elevation made a difference. "It would never cross my mind that where someone lives in a high-rise building would make a difference in fasting," said the 37-year-old from Egypt. Since he lives below the 80th floor, he will break his fast with everyone else. "The last two minutes before breaking a fast are tough, so I do feel bad for those living higher up," he said. Other fatwas released this Ramadan include allowing women to use pills that delay menstruation for the duration of Ramadan so they can fast the entire month without having to make up for missing days. "As long as there is no hazardous effect on the body itself, women are allowed to use this pill to help them fast the whole month without interruptions," said the fatwa. Women are exempted from fasting on the days they menstruate, but then they have to make up for those days after Ramadan. Another fatwa ruled in previous Ramadans reiterated that using specialised nicotine patches is allowed for fasting smokers, as it doesn't break a fast. Both these fatwas mention the importance of "the intention" behind any decision taken during Ramadan. Besides fasting-related rulings, there are rulings related to charity, with the latest reminding Muslims of their "duty" to help other Muslim nations that may be struggling, with Somalia named specifically. The ruling encourages donations through trusted agencies, like the Red Crescent. The religious edicts are issued through the official Ifta or Fatwa centres in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, in response to people's questions about what is permissible under Sharia law. The questions are either submitted online, via text or over the phone.  http://en.harakahdaily.net/index.php/berita-utama/world/3287-how-to-break-ramadan-fast-at-the-top-of-the-world.html

World's tallest tower closed a month after opening

By ADAM SCHRECK, AP Business Writer Adam Schreck, Ap Business Writer – 2 hrs 37 mins ago

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates – The world's tallest skyscraper has unexpectedly closed to the public a month after its lavish opening, disappointing tourists headed for the observation deck and casting doubt over plans to welcome its first permanent occupants in the coming weeks.

Electrical problems are at least partly to blame for the closure of the Burj Khalifa's viewing platform — the only part of the half-mile high tower open yet. But a lack of information from the spire's owner left it unclear whether the rest of the largely empty building — including dozens of elevators meant to whisk visitors to the tower's more than 160 floors — was affected by the shutdown.

The indefinite closure, which began Sunday, comes as Dubai struggles to revive its international image as a cutting-edge Arab metropolis amid nagging questions about its financial health.

The Persian Gulf city-state had hoped the 2,717-foot (828-meter) Burj Khalifa would be a major tourist draw. Dubai has promoted itself by wowing visitors with over-the-top attractions such as the Burj, which juts like a silvery needle out of the desert and can be seen from miles around.

In recent weeks, thousands of tourists have lined up for the chance to buy tickets for viewing times often days in advance that cost more than $27 apiece. Now many of those would-be visitors, such as Wayne Boyes, a tourist from near Manchester, England, must get back in line for refunds.

"It's just very disappointing," said Boyes, 40, who showed up at the Burj's entrance Monday with a ticket for an afternoon time slot only to be told the viewing platform was closed. "The tower was one of my main reasons for coming here," he said.

The precise cause of the $1.5 billion Dubai skyscraper's temporary shutdown remained unclear.

In a brief statement responding to questions, building owner Emaar Properties blamed the closure on "unexpected high traffic," but then suggested that electrical problems were also at fault.

"Technical issues with the power supply are being worked on by the main and subcontractors and the public will be informed upon completion," the company said, adding that it is "committed to the highest quality standards at Burj Khalifa."

Despite repeated requests, a spokeswoman for Emaar was unable to provide further details or rule out the possibility of foul play. Greg Sang, Emaar's director of projects and the man charged with coordinating the tower's construction, could not be reached. Construction workers at the base of the tower said they were unaware of any problems.

Power was reaching some parts of the building. Strobe lights warning aircraft flashed and a handful of floors were illuminated after nightfall.

Emaar did not say when the observation deck would reopen. Ticket sales agents were accepting bookings starting on Valentine's Day this Sunday, though one reached by The Associated Press could not confirm the building would reopen then.

Tourists affected by the closure are being offered the chance to rebook or receive refunds.

The shutdown comes at a sensitive time for Dubai. The city-state is facing a slump in tourism — which accounts for nearly a fifth of the local economy — while fending off negative publicity caused by more than $80 billion in debt it is struggling to repay.

Ervin Hladnik-Milharcic, 55, a Slovenian writer planning to visit the city for the first time this month, said he hoped the Burj would reopen soon.

"It was the one thing I really wanted to see," he said. "The tower was projected as a metaphor for Dubai. So the metaphor should work. There are no excuses."

Dubai opened the skyscraper on Jan. 4 in a blaze of fireworks televised around the world. The building had been known as the Burj Dubai during more than half a decade of construction, but the name was suddenly changed on opening night to honor the ruler of neighboring Abu Dhabi.

Dubai and Abu Dhabi are two of seven small sheikdoms that comprise the United Arab Emirates. Abu Dhabi hosts the federation's capital and holds most of the country's vast oil reserves. It has provided Dubai with $20 billion in emergency cash to help cover its debts.

Questions were raised about the building's readiness in the months leading up to the January opening.

The opening date had originally been expected in September, but was then pushed back until sometime before the end of 2009. The eventual opening date just after New Year's was meant to coincide with the anniversary of the Dubai ruler's ascent to power.

There were signs even that target was ambitious. The final metal and glass panels cladding the building's exterior were installed only in late September. Early visitors to the observation deck had to peer through floor-to-ceiling windows caked with dust — a sign that cleaning crews had not yet had a chance to scrub them clean.

Work is still ongoing on many of the building's other floors, including those that will house the first hotel designed by Giorgio Armani that is due to open in March. The building's base remains largely a construction zone, with entrance restricted to the viewing platform lobby in an adjacent shopping mall.

The first of some 12,000 residential tenants and office workers are supposed to move in to the building this month.

The Burj Khalifa boasts more than 160 stories. The exact number is not known.

The observation deck, which is mostly enclosed but includes an outdoor terrace bordered by guard rails, is located about two-thirds of the way up on the 124th floor. Adult tickets bought in advance cost 100 dirhams, or about $27. Visitors wanting to enter immediately can jump to the front of the line by paying 400 dirhams — about $110 apiece.

Dubai opening world's tallest building amid crisis

By ADAM SCHRECK,Associated Press Writer -

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates – Dubai prepared to inaugurate the world's tallest skyscraper on Monday, hoping to shift international attention away from the Gulf emirate's deep financial crisis and rekindle the optimism that fueled its turbocharged growth.

Crews rushed to complete preparations for the official opening of the tower, which stands at least 160 stories high. The exact height will only be revealed at the evening inauguration. The developer's chairman said it cost about $1.5 billion to build the tapering metal-and-glass spire billed as a "vertical city" of luxury apartments and offices. It boasts four swimming pools, a private library and a hotel designed by Giorgio Armani.

Dubai's ruler will open the skyscraper with a fireworks display and light show in a celebration that also marks four years since his ascension to power. Security is expected to be tight with more than 1,000 security personnel including plainclothes police and sharpshooters, local media reported. Cleaning crews were busy scrubbing windows and sweeping the plaza at the tower's base just hours before festivities began.

Burj Dubai opens in the midst of a severe financial crisis in the city-state _ one of seven tiny sheikdoms that make up the United Arab Emirates.

Dubai was little more than a sleepy fishing village a generation ago but it boomed into the Middle East's commercial hub over the past two decades on the back of business-friendly trading policies, relative security, and vast amounts of overseas investment.

Then property prices in parts of sheikdom popular with foreign buyers collapsed by nearly half over the past year, and firms owned by the government struggled to pay their massive debts. Dubai had to turn to its richer neighbor and UAE capital Abu Dhabi for bailouts totaling $25 billion in 2009 to help cover debts amassed by a network of state-linked companies.

Now Dubai is now mired in debt and many buildings sit largely empty _ the result of overbuilding during a property bubble that has since burst.

Burj developer Emaar is itself partly owned by the government, but is not among the companies known to have received emergency bailout cash.

Despite the past year of hardships, the tower's developer and other officials were in a festive mood, trying to bring the world's focus on the Dubai's future potential rather than past mistakes.

"Crises come and go. And cities move on," said Mohammed Alabbar, chairman of the tower's developer Emaar Properties, told reporters before the inauguration. "You have to move on. Because if you stop taking decisions, you stop growing."

Alabbar said the landmark tower is 90 percent sold in a mix of residential units, offices and other space, offering a counterpoint to Dubai's financial woes.

The developer has only said the spire stands more than 2625 feet (800 meters) tall. Alabbar said Dubai's ruler will announce the height at the inauguration ceremony.

At a reported height of 2,684 feet (818 meters), the Burj Dubai long ago vanquished its nearest rival, the Taipei 101 in Taiwan.

But the tower's record-seeking developers didn't stop there.

The building boasts the most stories and highest occupied floor of any building in the world, and ranks as the world's tallest structure, beating out a television mast in North Dakota. Its observation deck _ on floor 124 _ also sets a record.

"We weren't sure how high we could go," said Bill Baker, the building's structural engineer, who is in Dubai for the inauguration. "It was kind of an exploration. ... A learning experience"

Baker, of Chicago-based architecture and engineering firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, said early designs for the Burj had it edging out the world's previous record-holder, the Taipei 101, by about 33 feet (10 meters). The Taiwan tower rises 1,667 feet (508 meters).

Work on Burj Dubai began in 2004 and moved ahead rapidly. At times, new floors were being added almost every three days, reflecting Dubai's raging push to reshape itself over a few years from a small-time desert outpost into a cosmopolitan urban giant packed with skyscrapers.

The tower is more than 50 stories higher than Chicago's Willis Tower, the tallest building in the U.S. formerly known as the Sears Tower.

At their peak, some apartments in the Burj were selling for more than $1,900 per square foot, though they now can go for less than half that, said Heather Wipperman Amiji, chief executive of Dubai real estate consultancy Investment Boutique.

Besides luxury apartments and offices, the Burj will be home to a hotel designed by Giorgio Armani.

It's also the centerpiece of a 500-acre development that officials hope will become a new central residential and commercial district in this sprawling and often disconnected city. It is flanked by dozens of smaller but brand-new skyscrapers and the Middle East's largest shopping mall.

That layout _ as the core of a lower-rise skyline _ lets the Burj stand out prominently against the horizon. It is visible across dozens of miles of rolling sand dunes outside Dubai. From the air, the spire appears as an almost solitary, slender needle reaching high into the sky.

Menara tertinggi dunia, Burj Khalifa dibuka

DUBAI: Ketika berdepan kemelut kewangan, bangunan dan menara tertinggi dunia yang baru - Burj Dubai - dibuka dengan rasminya malam tadi dengan ketinggian 828 meter (2,717) di tengah padang pasir Dubai.

Dengan percikan bunga api, pembinaan struktur paling mengagumkan itu dirasminya pemerintah Dubai, Sheikh Mohammad Rashed al-Maktoum.

Dikenali sebagai Burj Dubai ketika pembinaannya, Sheikh Mohammad bagaimanapun malam tadi mengisytiharkan nama baru kepada mercu tanda baru dunia itu sebagai Burj Khalifa iaitu tanda menghormati Presiden Emeriah Arab Bersatu (UAE), Sheikh Khalifa Zayed al-Nahayan.

Sheikh Khalifa juga adalah pemerintah Abu Dhabi, negara sekutu UAE yang membantu menyuntik AS$10 bilion tahun lalu untuk menyelamatkan syarikat pemaju hartanah gergasi Nakheel, iaitu anak syarikat Dubai World.

"Hari ini UAE berjaya memiliki bangunan tertinggi di dunia yang dihasilkan tangan-tangan manusia.

"ia asatu projek yang hebat dan ia berhak memakai nama orang yang hebat," kata Sheikh Mohammad.

Pasukan payung terjun yang memakai pakaian ala bendera UAE iaitu hijau, hitam dan putih menyentuh potrait gergasi Sheikh Khalifa yang disemat di dinding menara yang menelan belanja AS1.5 bilion itu.

Dubai berharap Burj Khalifa akan mengembalikan semula kegemilangan ekonomi dan kewangan negarai itu yang tercalar akibat kemelut hutang, baru-baru ini.

Kerja bagi Burj Dubai bermula pada 2004 dan berterusan.

Setiap masa tingkat baru akan ditambah hampir setiap tiga hari, menunjukkan Dubai terus membentuk keadaannya sejak beberapa tahun dari sebuah padang pasir kepada sebuah kosmopolitan urban gergasi yang dipenuhi pencakar langit.

Sehingga Januari 2007, beribu-ribu pekerja yang kebanyakan mereka dibawa secara kontrak sementara dari India menyiapkan 100 tingkat bangunan terbabit.

Bangunan lengkap mengandungi lebih 160 tingkat. Ia melebihi 50 tingkat berbanding Menara Willis di Chicago, bangunan yang pernah memegang rekod paling tinggi yang dikenali di Amerika Syarikat sebagai Sears Towers.