You may have heard of the 828 meter tall Burj Khalifa that stands in Downtown Dubai, but what you probably haven’t heard of is a freshly veneered jaliboot that goes by the same name just a few kilometers due west. I happened to be strolling through Dubai’s Jumeirah beach when I came across this magnificent craft’s sails being unfurled for the first time.

It took a team of five men a whole ten minutes to untie and raise the main sail, but the captain – a young Emirati man – was visibly ecstatic when it held its first breath of the Persian Gulf. He wiped his brow and waved a proud victory sign, before the five men continued on to the second sail.

I’m sure there are several other Burj Khalifas in the country by now. Have you come across one?