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Dubai brings world's longest indoor ski slope to the desert

Dubai brings world's longest indoor ski slope to the desert

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Meydan One complex will also include world's tallest residential tower and largest dancing fountain

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Meydan City Corporation

The world's longest indoor ski slope will soon be built in the desert kingdom of Dubai. This week, the Gulf emirate announced plans to build a new complex that, when finished, will be home to the world's tallest residential building, the largest dancing fountain, and an indoor ski slope with a 1.2-kilometer (0.75-mile) run — about three times longer than Dubai's current indoor slope, and nearly twice as long as the current world record holder in Germany. The first phase of the 40-million-square-foot complex, known as Meydan One, is set to be completed before 2020 at an estimated cost of $6.8 billion.

Ski Dubai, which opened in 2005 in the Mall of the Emirates, is already the world's largest indoor ski resort, according to the Guinness Book of World Records. Snow there is produced year-round, despite temperatures than can reach 113 degrees Fahrenheit. The city is also home to the world's tallest tower, the Burj Khalifa, and has become known for its extravagant development projects.

meydan one dubai

The Meydan One project will include a 350-room hotel, a marina, and a mall with a retractable roof and 300 restaurants. The record-breaking residential tower will stand 2,333 feet high, while the dancing fountain will be 1,378 feet long. The area will also house more than 78,000 residents.

"We have committed to developing a multi-use destination which goes beyond expectations and will cater to every kind of person living and working here, as well as those who travel from around the world to visit," Saeed Al Tayer, chairman of the Meydan City Corporation, told The National. "This development is a forward thinking, interactive enterprise geared towards the Dubai of tomorrow."