It’s now Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Boulevard

The most prestigious square kilometre on the earth, Downtown Dubai, is an integrated lifestyle community that offers a refreshing ‘live, work and play’ environment. The community has thousands of world-class residences, modern offices, iconic attractions such as the Burj Khalifa and The Dubai Mall, and the upcoming Dubai Modern Art Museum and Opera House District — all designed by the world’s best architects.

The new name, which builds on Downtown Dubai’s phenomenal growth and popularity, is Emaar’s tribute to the vision of His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, in establishing Dubai as a global city that serves as a hub for tourism, retail and hospitality. With an estimated 60 million visitors, Downtown Dubai is fast becoming the world’s most famous tourism and lifestyle destination and more than living up to its advertising billing as ‘The Centre of Now’.

And as New Year preparations reach their peak, Downtown Dubai expects to be recognised as one of the most visited places on the earth for a single event, easily surpassing the one million visitors hosted last year. The 3.5km high street, previously called Emaar Boulevard, which connects the destination’s numerous shopping, hospitality, entertainment and dining attractions, welcomed more visitors last year than New York (51 million) and Los Angeles (27 million).

Mohamed Alabbar, Chairman of Emaar Properties, said: “By renaming Emaar Boulevard as Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Boulevard, we are paying tribute to the vision of His Highness Shaikh Mohammed, who is the driving force of the city’s transformation into the world’s newest hub for hospitality, tourism, retail and trade.”

With a development value of $20 billion, the 500-acre Downtown Dubai was launched in 2004, and is today a full-fledged and thriving community marked by the opening of The Dubai Mall, the world’s largest shopping and entertainment destination, in 2008, and the Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building, in 2010. Downtown Dubai also features The Dubai Fountain, the world’s tallest performing fountain.

Other unprecedented attractions include At The Top; the Burj Khalifa, the world’s highest observatory deck with an outdoor terrace; Atmosphere, the world’s highest restaurant; and a total of six world-class hotels, including the Armani Hotel Dubai.

Inside The Dubai Mall, visitors can take their pick from over 1,200 retail outlets or numerous leisure attractions including the 22-screen Reel Cinemas; KidZania, a role-play destination for youngsters billed as a children’s city; SEGA Republic, the region’s first indoor theme park and the first of its kind; and Dubai Aquarium & Underwater Zoo.

Besides the much-awaited New Year’s Eve celebration, Downtown Dubai plays host to several popular events, including the Emirates Classic Car Festival and the Downtown Dubai National Day Parade.

Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Boulevard is already home to several acclaimed works of art, such as Xavier Corbero’s Gathering, and Horse 2007 by the Colombian figurative artist Fernando Botero. Downtown Dubai also hosts one of the city’s most popular galleries, The Pavilion, in addition to 1,000 artworks on display within the Burj Khalifa.

Mohamed Alabbar added: “The Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Boulevard in Downtown Dubai offers an unprecedented choice of lifestyle activities for residents and visitors to Dubai. With its art installations, entertainment activities, parades, food concepts, film screenings, music concerts and access to iconic attractions in the city, Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Boulevard is today the world’s most vibrant lifestyle destination, on par with and even surpassing other boulevards in the world”.