Video: Dubai's Burj Khalifa lights up to mark 48th UAE National Day

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Dubai - UAE flag displayed on the world's tallest building.

By Sarwat Nasir

Published: Mon 2 Dec 2019, 8:17 PM

Last updated: Tue 3 Dec 2019, 7:09 AM

"The spirit of our ancestors lives through us, unites us, makes us one across all emirates." These words - alongside an image of Sheikh Zayed, the founding father of the UAE - were displayed on the world's tallest building, Burj Khalifa, to celebrate the country's 48th National Day.
The special moment touched the hearts of thousands of residents and tourists who turned up to see the spectacular LED show on Monday.

With pride in our hearts and smiles on our faces, let us cherish UAE's memorable journey so far and the journey yet to come.Happy #UAENationalDay. #BurjKhalifa pic.twitter.com/jBrkdrDY4f
- Burj Khalifa (@BurjKhalifa) December 2, 2019

The Burj Khalifa was just one of the Dubai locations gripped with patriotic fervour. Several different areas were lit up with fireworks, concerts and LED shows to mark the momentous occasion.
Popular spots such as Festival City, La Mer, Al Seef and Global Village saw a spectacular celebration of the day, including fireworks and concerts.
At exactly 7pm, the UAE national anthem started playing and the Burj Khalifa lit up with an image of the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the Founding Father of the UAE.
The tribute to the nation's ancestors left the the massive crowd in awe. It was followed by a giant LED image of the UAE flag, which stayed on for more than 25 minutes.
"That was really a great show," said Dubai expat Rehana Akram. "The best part was the photo of Sheikh Zayed and the words they chose to display. I think it touched the hearts of everyone here."
A British expat, Laura Brown, said: "We see so many different flags throughout the year on the Burj Khalifa but it's so nice to see the UAE flag being displayed for so long. It was a really special moment."
Young children were sporting the UAE flag around their shoulders, many adults were proudly wearing t-shirts with a UAE flag embroidered on it and babies were tightly holding onto balloons in the colours of the UAE flag.
sarwat@khaleejtimes.com