Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum, Dubai's crown prince and de facto ruler, looked on last week as developers laid foundations for what will be the world's tallest building. There would be no shortage of occupants for the 800m Burj Dubai, he predicted, with the boundless confidence characteristic of Dubai.

The tower will take its place on the Dubai skyline by 2007, alongside a seemingly unending series of futuristic landmarks.