Dubai World Trade Centre
The tower Queen Elizabeth II opened in 1979 is where modern Dubai began its vertical ambitions.
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Designed by John R. Harris and Partners and inaugurated by Queen Elizabeth II in February 1979, the original Sheikh Rashid Tower seeded an entire business district that now spans over 92,900 square meters of exhibition space. Walking the complex traces four decades of the city's commercial expansion in a single precinct.
What to look for
- The original Sheikh Rashid Tower, the 1979 building that started it all
- The Za'abeel Halls extension, which added 15,500 square meters of event space in 2016
- One Central's rooftop restaurant level, part of the phase 2 offices completed in 2017
The DWTC district operates as a free zone; visit is straightforward on non-event days, but major trade shows fill the halls and surrounding roads.
Dubai World Trade Centre is one of 33 sights worth the detour in Dubai, all bundled offline in Voyage GO — download the Dubai pack and it sits on your map with no signal, filling your travel passport the moment you walk past.
More to see in Dubai
- Burj KhalifaHalf a mile of reinforced concrete, straight up — the tallest structure on Earth since 2009.
- Burj al-ArabA hotel shaped like a dhow sail, planted on its own man-made island 280 meters off the beach.
- Dubai MallIn 2023 it drew a record 105 million visitors — up 19 percent year-on-year from the 88 million recorded the year before.
- 23 MarinaFifty-seven swimming pools stacked into one tower — and since 2026, visible war damage on the skyline.
- Palm JumeirahSand and stone stacked on the Persian Gulf to form a palm shape — only legible from the air, and reportedly still sinking 5 mm every year.
- Rose Tower (Rose Rayhaan by Rotana)A 333-metre hotel on Sheikh Zayed Road that actually outreaches the Burj Al Arab — and most people walk past it.