Ninety-four million cubic metres of dredged sand in the shape of a palm tree, now a suburb with a monorail.
Construction began in 2001 and the first residents moved in during 2006. The island is made entirely of dredged sand and quarried rock — around 94 million cubic metres of sand from the Gulf floor and seven million tonnes of rock from the Hajar mountains — placed by GPS-guided dredgers and protected by an 11-kilometre breakwater called the Crescent.
No steel or concrete was used in the base. The whole structure is compacted sand, vibro-compacted to resist liquefaction.
It added around 56 kilometres of coastline to Dubai, which was the point: waterfront land is what the city did not have.
The environmental question
The dredging and the breakwater changed currents and sediment along the coast, damaged coral and seagrass, and caused erosion at some natural beaches. The Palm Jebel Ali and The World archipelago, begun in the same period, stalled after 2008 and much of The World remains empty sand.
This is worth knowing rather than glossed over. Dubai has since done a good deal of coral restoration and marine planning work, and the debate about the balance is live.
Getting around it
The monorail runs from the Gateway station at the base, up the trunk, to Atlantis at the top. It is not on the Nol card system and needs its own ticket. It connects to the Dubai Tram at the Palm Jumeirah stop, which connects to the Metro Red Line at DMCC.
The fronds are private residential and gated. You cannot drive or walk down them.
What is on it
The View at The Palm, on the 52nd floor of Palm Tower, is an observation deck and the only realistic way to see the palm shape from land. Timed tickets, booked online.
Atlantis The Palm at the top of the trunk holds the Aquaventure waterpark and the Lost Chambers aquarium, both ticketed and both good with children. Atlantis The Royal, next door, opened in 2023.
Nakheel Mall and the Boardwalk — an 11-kilometre path around the Crescent breakwater — are the free options, and the Boardwalk at dusk with the Marina skyline opposite is genuinely pleasant.
Beaches
Most of the Crescent is occupied by resorts with private beaches. Public access is at Palm West Beach, a strip on the western side of the trunk with cafés, and it is free.
More Landmarks
Burj Khalifa
The tallest building in the world by a margin nothing has yet threatened, with three observation levels at three quite different prices.
Burj Al Arab
The sail-shaped hotel on its own artificial island, which you cannot enter without spending money, and can photograph for nothing.
Dubai Frame
A 150-metre gilded picture frame with a glass floor, positioned so old Dubai is on one side and new Dubai on the other.