With its glistening skyscrapers and man-made waterways, Dubai Marina is a playground for the rich.
Dubai’s rapid transformation from a desert outpost into one of the world’s most architecturally stunning cities is mapped out in the Marina. What 15 years ago was mostly empty land is today a bustling neighborhood with a skyline that pierces through the clouds.
More than 150 high-rise buildings, stacked row after row, make up this 50 million square foot (4.65 million square meter) waterfront neighborhood built around a man-made canal where the wealthy park their yachts.
In this April 1, 2015 photo, a tram crosses a bridge over a canal that forms the Marina waterfront district of Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The Marina neighborhood is one of many clusters of neck-bending skyscrapers built throughout Dubai, but its real power lies behind the gated privacy of its most luxurious towers. Owning an apartment in one of these towers means access to skyline pools, concierge services and grand apartments that cater to the region’s royalty, as well as the world’s wealthiest businessmen and women. (AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili)
The area is sometimes referred to as the Manhattan of the Middle East and some of its buildings are promoted by realtors as having “Manhattan-style” architecture and amenities. A 12,400 square foot (1,152 square meter) apartment in the Marina was put on the market this year for a cool 56 million dirhams, or about $15.25 million.
Unlike Manhattan, though, Dubai’s year-round sunshine gives the Marina a summer vibe throughout the winter months, when temperatures rarely drop below 75 degrees Fahrenheit (24 Celsius) during the day. On weekends, alcohol-fueled party boats ferry Russian and Western expatriates down the canal as speed boats and jet skis buzz in the water.
Trendy restaurants and bars along the canal reflect the myriad of cultures and people drawn to Dubai, a modern city-state in the United Arab Emirates where foreigners far outnumber the locals.
Children can ride on a carousel, splash in a fountain and watch street artists perform on the canal’s promenade. Around sunset, when the blistering heat of the day begins to subside, people jog and ride bikes.
In this April 1, 2015 photo, Gulf Arab visitors in their traditional “Kandora” pass by giant skyscrapers at the Marina waterfront in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. (AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili)
The Marina boasts the world’s tallest residential building, the Princess Tower, which reaches 1,355 feet (413 meters) high. The Marina 101 is currently being built to soar to 1,417 feet (432 meters).
The neighborhood is one of many clusters of neck-bending skyscrapers throughout Dubai, built by armies of low-paid migrant workers, many of them from the Indian subcontinent. These workers provide the manpower to build high-rises, shopping malls, highways and other mega-construction projects sweeping through the region. While the wages they come for offer hope of a better life, they are far too meager for most to ever dream of calling the Marina they built home.
Here is a series of photos taken by Associated Press photographer Kamran Jebreili, who captured moments of daily life throughout Dubai Marina.
In this April 22, 2015 photo, a girl enjoys riding a carousel horse at the Marina waterfront in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. (AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili)
In this Monday, Oct. 5, 2015 photo, a thick blanket of early morning fog partially shrouds the skyscrapers of the Marina and Jumeirah Lake Towers districts of Dubai, United Arab Emirates. (AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili)
In this March 26, 2015 photo, laborers install paving stones in front of an advertisement for luxury real estate, in the Marina district of Dubai, United Arab Emirates. (AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili)
In this Aug. 10, 2015 photo, a worker walks on wooden scaffolding while fixing a window frame at a construction site in the Marina neighborhood of Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Armies of low-paid migrant workers, many of them from the Indian Subcontinent, leave behind families and travel to Dubai to build soaring towers like those in the Marina. While the wages they come for offer hope of a better life, they are far too meager for most to ever dream of calling the Marina they built home. (AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili)
In this May 1, 2015 photo, two men play backgammon while smoking a shisha, or water pipe, at a restaurant overlooking the canal and the Marina neighborhood. Surrounding Marina’s canal is an oasis of trendy restaurants and bars that serve an array of fusion-style cuisines that reflect the myriad of cultures and people drawn to Dubai, a modern city-state in the United Arab Emirates where foreigners far outnumber the locals. (AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili)
In this April 6, 2015 photo, with the Marina skyline as a backdrop, a Muslim man performs the afternoon prayer on Jumeirah Palm Island’s walkway, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. (AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili)
In this Oct. 5, 2015 photo, a security guard takes a selfie on the roof top of a 60-floor tower as the early morning fog partially shrouds the skyscrapers of the Marina and Jumeirah Lake Towers districts of Dubai, United Arab Emirates.(AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili)
In this Friday, April 10, 2015 photo, people use recreational vehicles opposite the Marina district of Dubai, United Arab Emirates. (AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili)
In this March 25, 2015 photo, men work out in a gym along the Marina waterfront in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The Marina neighborhood is one of many clusters of neck-bending skyscrapers built throughout Dubai, but its real power lies behind the gated privacy of its most luxurious towers. Owning an apartment in one of these towers means access to skyline pools, concierge services and grand apartments that cater to the region’s royalty, as well as the world’s wealthiest businessmen and women. (AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili)
In this April 24, 2015 photo, a man does a flip into the water opposite the Marina Waterfront skyline in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. (AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili)
In this March 26, 2015 photo, visitors and tourists watch an entertainer perform during a street festival on the Marina waterfront in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. (AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili)
In this April 22, 2015 photo, guests dance on the GuGu boat during a private party opposite the skyline of the Marina Waterfront in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. (AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili)
In this April 1, 2015 photo, a waiter carries a tray of traditional Arabic food at a restaurant by the water canal at the Marina district, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. (AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili)
In this April 1, 2015 photo, Yachts are moored at the southern end of the Marina waterfront in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. (AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili)
In this April 22, 2015 photo, western tourists join a diner cruise on a traditional wooden dhow on the canal at the Marina waterfront in Dubai, Unted Arab Emirates. (AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili)
In this March 25, 2015 photo, tourists of different nationalities board a dhow for a cruise as the sun sets in the Marina neighborhood of Dubai, United Arab Emirates. (AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili)
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AP Images is the world’s largest collection of historical andcontemporary photos. AP Images provides instant access to AP's iconic photos and adds new content every minute of every day from every corner of the world, making it an essential source of photos and graphics for professional imagebuyers and commercial customers. Whether your needs are for editorial, commercial, or personal use, AP Images has the content and the expert sales team to fulfill your image requirements. Visit apimages.com to learn more.
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