Dubai Frame from Zabeel Park. December 2018
Build it and they will come
On visits to Dubai over the years, MWK and I took the metro to Dubai Mall (or farther) countless times and noticed a strange structure rising on the horizon. I thought it was a construction crane that was going to be used to make something ELSE. In the end, it turned out to be "Dubai Frame". Finished in 2018, it took five years to complete. We visited shortly after it opened.
The Dubai Municipality was interested in creating something symbolic to represent the "new face for Dubai". A competition was held and Fernando Donis from Mexico won. The concept was a large, empty frame oriented so that when viewed in one direction it showcased "new Dubai" and in the other "old Dubai". Now completed, it remains the largest frame in the world. Interestingly, Donis took Dubai to court claiming that he has not been properly acknowledged as the creator of the structure. The case has not yet been resolved.
MWK and I were excited to visit the frame because over my time in the Middle East with frequent stopovers in Dubai to relax and hang out with friends, I felt very much like "been there, done that" for most everything. We took the metro to the closest station and walked around the perimeter of a large park, Zabeel. At the park entrance we were informed that the Frame entry was at the back of the park, so we kept walking the perimeter until finally we reached the gate. We knew we had arrived because there were tour buses parked outside. We could have bought tickets on the spot, walked inside, and taken the elevator to the top - for a very steep entrance fee. We both balked - why would we want to?
From the top of the frame one view is the dusty Karama district of low-rise housing. The only thing I like about Karama is the Indonesian restaurant, Dapoer Kita. The other perspective is of the new business district, including Burj Khalifa - but at some distance {See: Burj Khalifa}. Much better and closer views of the Burj Khalifa district exist elsewhere. The worst part is that even the view of the frame from the outside is limited because most of the best viewing area is from the adjacent Zabeel Park and not from the Frame grounds. Frankly, it smacked of a rip-off. "Build it and they will come" should be modified to "build it and they will pay a lot to see it"
Disappointed, we continued around the perimeter of the park and took a few photos of the Frame up close. We realized that the fastest way back to the metro was THROUGH the park and since we had never been, we paid a small fee and entered. The park was lovely with a lot of landscaping and some lovely gardens. Then we remembered - the best views of the Frame (and the photos taken to promote it) were NOT taken from the Frame itself but instead from Zabeel Park. We strolled over to the Frame and took incredible photos totally alone, laughing at the people who paid so much for a lesser experience. What a stroke of luck stumbling on the park entrance!
A final commentary on the whole concept of building for building's sake: Dubai and many other projects in the Middle East smack of this. Unlimited funds and a supply of cheap overseas labor makes almost any project possible. Think about the pyramids in Egypt - same concept. Dubai continues to build glamor projects with the certainty that people will come. Dubai Frame might be the city's "Jump the Shark" moment. The world's largest empty frame placed off the beaten path with the only real draw being that it is a tall place to view other tall places in a city filled with tall viewpoints. I mean, seriously, the object itself is goofy enough, but then to place it in a kind of 'tourist Siberia" just seems pure foolishness. Take note, for a "new attraction" in Dubai, it was not mobbed whatsoever.
If that is not enough, consider Qatar and the Football World Cup. The Qataris are building entire air-conditioned STADIUMS. Build it and they will come to the World Cup for sure, but that is a one-off event. Will Doha, Qatar become a future Football center? The huge offshore islands of Dubai like the "Palm" were also built only because "they could". Are these just a brief flash in the real estate pan? Do these monstrous structures have a real future? I reflect on large, mostly abandoned buildings in the USA I have seen - many of them on my Diamond Jubilee Trip. They all at one point did have some utility. I am not sure if any were built "just to build something interesting". Even the Pyramids were tombs - they had some function. What are the futures of the Dubai Frame, air-conditioned stadiums in the desert in Doha, and man-made islands in fantastic shapes in Dubai?
The experience was not without benefit. A year later I returned to the Frame with WMF and I knew exactly where to go to take photos of Dubai's newest attraction for just a few dollars. At least the place is good for taking selfies....
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