Dubai's iconic Burj Al Arab - the world's most glamorous hotel

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Burj al Arab (Tower of the Arabs) was to be Dubai's icon, and a sketch of the structure was put on car license plates before the building was even finished. On a visit to Dubai, our host told us that the building’s British architect phoned from the air as he left the country after completing it, to say that he’d just planted the largest crucifix in the Arab world. When viewed from the sea, the hotel’s top-floor cantilevered restaurant forms the crosspiece. Fury erupted, and the building’s icon was removed from car license plate designs.
—Thiefhunter in Paradise

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