Raffles 1887

RAFFLES COLLECTION

The pyramid principle

In the early 1990s, Dubai was both a centuries-old fishing village and a blank canvas for imaginative development. The RAFFLES DUBAI building was conceived as a modern homage to ancient Egypt, its pyramidal structure housing an extensive collection of Egyptian art and objets

AT the entrance to Raffles Dubai, built in the form of a glittering glass pyramid, stands an ancient Egyptian-style pylon, or gateway, comprising four limestone columns. On one side is a giant relief of Pharaoh Akhenaten; on the other, a relief of his beautiful wife, Queen Nefertiti. 

Akhenaten is probably best known as the father of Tutankhamun. He was also the founder of a new monotheistic religion and a new cultural aesthetic in ancient Egypt. But there is no connection between him and Dubai, so why is he here? And why, come to that, is there a glass pyramid in the middle of this modern desert city?

"When Wafi Group, founded by His Highness Sheikh Mana bin Khalifa Al Maktoum, decided on a blend of Middle Eastern, Asian and Egyptian architecture for its new retail and leisure complex in Dubai’s Oud Metha District, the question was not why, but why not?"

One advantage of developing a centuries-old fishing village is you can build in whatever architectural style you like. So when, more than 30 years ago, Dubai’s Wafi Group, founded by His Highness Sheikh Mana bin Khalifa Al Maktoum, decided on a blend of Middle Eastern, Asian and Egyptian architecture for its new retail and leisure complex in Dubai’s Oud Metha District, the question was not why, but why not? 

Complete with an obelisk, pharaoh sculptures, Karnak-style columns and beautiful Egyptian-inspired interiors, Wafi Mall opened in 1991. An adjacent pyramid housing a five-star hotel was always part of the plan; however various delays meant it wasn’t until 2005 that construction finally began. 

Egypt’s pyramids took around 20 years to build; despite many architectural challenges, Dubai’s was finished in two. And just like the originals, the Dubai version is filled, as British Egyptologist Howard Carter remarked on opening Tutankhamun’s tomb, with ‘wonderful things!’

In this case the wonderful things were amassed not by ancient Egyptians but by Dubai-based LW Design Group whose understanding of Egyptian culture, architecture and design was shaped by meticulous research into the historical sites of Luxor.  “When I first stepped into Raffles Dubai,” comments General Manager Safwan Abu Risheh, “I was struck by the craftsmanship, from hieroglyphic inscriptions to statues drawn from ancient mythology. They create a sense of awe that transports you to another time and place.”

"Everything was specially commissioned for the hotel and mostly made in Egypt"

Under LW Design Group’s direction, all of the ancient Egyptian-inspired reproductions were specially commissioned for the hotel and mostly made in Egypt. Sitting in the main entrance is a statue of Taweret, the ancient Egyptian goddess of childbirth, while presiding over the lobby main entrance is Isis, one of ancient Egypt’s most beloved gods with great powers of healing, protection and magic. 

This part of the hotel has a ceiling eight metres high with sloping stone walls creating the illusion of being inside a pyramid. Flanking the central walkway are six stone columns (90 per cent of the stone used in the pyramid was sourced in Egypt), each inscribed with hieroglyphics drawn by a specialist from Egypt’s Ministry of Tourism in conjunction with the archaeological museum in Cairo. 

"Note the intricately decorated doors which took an Egyptian craftsman and his son six months to make"

Near the lifts is the seated figure of Khafra, an ancient Egyptian pharaoh of the 4th dynasty and the builder of the second largest pyramid of Giza. If it’s Tutankhamun you’re interested in, he’s up on the third floor, outside one of the five ballrooms that are aptly named Nile, Giza, Karnak, Luxor and Aswan. Note the intricately decorated doors, which took an Egyptian craftsman and his son six months to make. 

In the corridors higher up you’ll find statues of the goddess Hathor, who personified the principles of joy, feminine love and motherhood; Pharaoh Menkaure, best known for his tomb, the Pyramid of Menkaure, at Giza; Osiris, the god of the afterlife, the underworld and rebirth; and Horus, one of the most significant ancient Egyptian deities and most often depicted as a man with the head of a falcon. Horus makes a second appearance in the hotel’s third-floor garden where the central dome is known as The Eye of Horus. 

Step out of the lift on the 14th floor to view a replica of a stunning scarab beetle bracelet. In ancient Egypt the scarab beetle represented regeneration and rebirth due to its association with Khepri, god of the rising sun. Scarab jewellery was particularly prized as it was said to offer protection, luck and vitality. 

Downstairs, in the Raffles Salon, look out for the Narmer Palette, a replica of a significant carving from around 3100 BC, telling the story of King Narmer’s victory in battle and the approval of the gods at the unification of Upper and Lower Egypt. Nearby, the Was Sceptre, meanwhile, symbolises power and authority: the ankh symbol represents eternal life, immortality and reincarnation and is held in the hands of Egyptian gods as a symbol of their power to give life or take it away. 

Why Akhenaten? Alas, the archives of those involved in the project no longer recall. Just as the pharaoh’s final resting place remains a mystery, so must his modern manifestation at Raffles Dubai.