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See the original image at gizmodo.com —

Crazy. City-In-a-Pyramid Could House a Million Dubaians.

gizmodo.com — A particularly optimistic design firm in Dubai called Timelinks has proposed designs for the Ziggurat, a complete city to be layered inside of a massive pyramid that could serve as home for a million people at a time.

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  • UniqueJewelry, on 08/28/2008, -3/+67Well thay have all that money, why not!
    • gplpark92, on 08/28/2008, -7/+7they
      • kowcun, on 08/29/2008, -1/+5No *****.
      • spaceshipsix, on 08/29/2008, -3/+3Oh they! It's like when I'm trying to read something scribbled on the stall door. Thanks for clearing it up gplpark92.
      • bonds, on 08/29/2008, -0/+5Let em talk how thay want
      • nick111, on 08/29/2008, -0/+2@bonds - so long as they don't try to use Twitter - that's banned in Dubai.
      • bonds, on 08/29/2008, -0/+2Thay banned twittar?1
      • veins, on 08/29/2008, -1/+1They
      • tkotam, on 09/03/2008, -0/+1Dubaian?? Are they related to Dubya??
    • Scriabin, on 08/29/2008, -3/+4But can it list? Dubai isn't an oil power, and is trying to be an economic power... and they are in debt already, obviously. Will it last? What if their supercity doesn't survive?
      • hiphoc, on 08/29/2008, -1/+2Very true, a new economic bubble is being built in the middle east. They should learn from our mistake and say no to the Money Masters.
      • Culyt, on 08/29/2008, -0/+6They are trying to ensure that it will survive by generating tourist revenue, encouraging corporate entities to setup headquarters and getting the rich and famous there.

        I also don't think the worlds tallest tower and some of the worlds best hotels are going to disappear.

        The only problems I can see is that its a completely artificial destination, there doesn't seem to be much other than desert and what they built, you can't go on a hike somewhere scenic, or see some local events (unless that camel racing track counts). Also the laws there could cause problems, 2 people have been arrested for having a microscopic gram of marijuana, one of the bottom of his shoe, the other in pocket lint and there was that male 15 yo French rape victim that had to flee the area.

        ☢
      • roodammy44, on 08/29/2008, -0/+5Dubai:

        Come for the architecture, stay because we put you in prison
      • funkywood, on 08/31/2008, -0/+1These are people with too much money. When things turn down just like when America was building higher and higher in the 1920's these buildings will be left empty and unlike America they don't have a diverse economy that can regain those heights of hubris again.

        Oh and LOL@ Dubai: Come for the architecture, stay because we put you in prison
    • farfromsubtl, on 08/29/2008, -0/+1Why not... put the money into a social infrastructure rather then a testament to economic flexing..
    • sporg, on 08/29/2008, -5/+2The picture shows this structure as being located in the desert but I'm confused because that area is reserved for the slave camps. Maybe they will have dank tunnels underneath this thing and hidden stairwells which the slaves can use to scurry about the place. Welcome to the future.
    • 4ntigravity, on 08/29/2008, -0/+2And they're called 'Dubaians'
    • morpheus69, on 08/29/2008, -0/+6Yeah, but Dubai doesn't even have 1 million people, if you exclude foreign workers who aren't paid enough to live in futuristic pyramids (they have to live in cubes).

      "Dubai is unusual in that the majority of its population of 1.37 million is comprised of expatriates. The vast majority are low income workers from the Indian subcontinent and the Philippines..."

      http://www.dubai-online.com/essential/population.h ...
  • Kalamazooian, on 08/28/2008, -6/+9sweet!
    • Nouman6, on 08/29/2008, -1/+5yes, there is a starbucks on every floor.
    • eyepatch100, on 08/29/2008, -0/+1That's it. I'm *****' moving to Dubai.
      • c89a, on 08/29/2008, -0/+1nah, ill stay in america its so much better here
  • fabriciostudio, on 08/28/2008, -12/+11Would be really great if all the cityes was like that. The only problem I would bet that Human would distroy the rest of the world and no body would see it.
    • gplpark92, on 08/28/2008, -1/+33cities
      were
      humans
      destroy
      nobody
      • DeathJux, on 08/29/2008, -0/+15That's a pretty sweet abstract poem in its own right.

        "Cities were humans... destroy nobody."
      • kohoutec, on 08/29/2008, -1/+3English
        may
        not
        be
        their
        first
        language
      • orlyfactor, on 08/29/2008, -0/+4They
        should
        learn
        English
        or
        gplpark92
        will
        come
        a-knockin'
    • Elude107, on 08/29/2008, -4/+0What?
  • lifeisgoooooood, on 08/28/2008, -5/+38The idea is great, looks awesome !!!!!!!
    With the population set to touch 10 billion by 2050, we can expect to see more of these !!!!!!!!

    • failedpimp, on 08/29/2008, -0/+9I'd rather live in a sphere.
      • spaceshipsix, on 08/29/2008, -0/+0A million man sphere?
      • volume2k345, on 08/29/2008, -0/+7A Dyson sphere
      • orlyfactor, on 08/29/2008, -0/+2Only if I can live with Dustin Hoffman, Samuel Jackson, and Sharon Stone.
    • JoeF8577, on 08/29/2008, -1/+8I guess it's just me, but grouping your entire city like that raises some defensive issues.

      With a few of the right bombs we're talking the entire city leveled in a matter of moments.
    • TheThirdWheel, on 08/29/2008, -0/+5With our current grammatical situation there will be over 300 billion exclamation points by 2050.
      • lifeisgoooooood, on 08/29/2008, -0/+1Interesting Calculation, how did you do it, if you can share with us.
    • DeFex, on 08/29/2008, -0/+1when there are too many people they can "harvest" one of those things at a single gassing.
    • DUDI0, on 08/29/2008, -0/+0BUILD TO DREAM
      build to dream
      dream to build
      the other side
      kills the dreams
      dream to kill
      we build
      thy ruin
      we build
      thy hate
      We Will Win
  • maxjames007, on 08/28/2008, -5/+25Did this work in Egypt? The pyramids lasted there.

    J
    • spaceshipsix, on 08/29/2008, -0/+20Perfect example of how far we've come with innovation. 1 million people in one pyramid when it used to be 1 person and it used to be one dead person. Take that ancient Egyptians! Superb.
    • evanscott07, on 08/29/2008, -2/+1if you build it, they will come
  • kwasmosis, on 08/28/2008, -2/+32I guess they're trying to compete with Tokyo.

    http://dsc.discovery.com/convergence/engineering/p ...

    @lifeisgoooooood : I think you are right.
  • razorsharpwit, on 08/28/2008, -2/+57Dubai is the new Atlantis
    • minnymoo, on 08/28/2008, -1/+16it's where the cool architects eat at lunch.
    • agentem, on 08/29/2008, -0/+2It looks like Vivec to me.

      I wonder if the Ordinators will outfitted with expensive armor for me to steal.
    • stud76, on 08/29/2008, -0/+1seriously, Dubai is out of control with all this crazy architecture.
  • dazealex, on 08/28/2008, -2/+4Movin' on up!
  • tykwondingo, on 08/28/2008, -2/+9I've always wanted to live in a pyramid...
  • tekavideos, on 08/28/2008, -3/+11What about cars? Do we need car in that city? I don't like drive. :)
  • bstory, on 08/28/2008, -3/+6I want to the top floor room
    • kss42, on 08/29/2008, -0/+9Did you steal a "to" from tekavideos?
      "I don't like drive." --tekavideos
      "I want to the top floor room" --bstory
      And you almost got away with it, too.
  • CrackpotPress, on 08/28/2008, -2/+26the air conditioning bill is a bitch.
    • WHOOMP, on 08/29/2008, -0/+3nah the pyramid provides its own energy using wind and solar power
  • CrackpotPress, on 08/28/2008, -7/+7fortunately, they can pay for it with my money.
    • DeFex, on 08/29/2008, -0/+3its not your money if you spent it.
    • pileofstraw, on 08/29/2008, -0/+5I once wrote my name and phone # on a 20$ billl asking to call me in case I lose this bill and once in a while I still get calls by people telling things like * uh... r u retarded* or * ***** you lol*.

      so i think you're right. not mine anymore.
  • Babblin5, on 08/28/2008, -10/+3And Dick Cheney will be their Pharoah!!! 8D
  • failedpimp, on 08/29/2008, -1/+32This is why the terrorists hate us.... wait a minute.
  • thankuvrylittle, on 08/29/2008, -3/+6Is it me or did they totally ***** up this idea as a hotel in North Korea?

    http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6c ...
    • Talka1ot, on 08/29/2008, -0/+4Is it me or does is the tourism industry in North Korea nonexistent and foreign businesses ne'er found anywhere?
    • talonstriker, on 08/29/2008, -0/+1Actually it think it looks good. But alongside modernistic looking buildings, I'm sure its an eyesore.
  • saqer, on 08/29/2008, -13/+7Muslims ftw.
  • cowcowmoomoo1, on 08/29/2008, -1/+1There was an episode of Extreme Engineering about something almost exactly like this design, I suggest watching it. I think they sell episodes on itunes...
  • rowjimmy, on 08/29/2008, -3/+8dubai - living proof that so long as you are cutthroat, ruthless and completely without any sense of love or respect for the free-agency of your fellow man, capitalism is great!
    • videodroner, on 08/29/2008, -6/+1Oh, did Green Day come out with a new CD?
      • rowjimmy, on 08/29/2008, -0/+1wow, that was an enlightened and well thought out comment. did you come up with that yourself?
      • videodroner, on 08/29/2008, -0/+0Fits perfectly with your over-enlightening comment.

        Grrr!! Evil Corporations!! Money bad!! GRRR!! I'm so xHxAxRxDxCxOxRxEx!!
        You sound like every moron that thinks they are unique because they hate the oh-so-evil capitalist world. You want change? Go do something about it instead of complaining on Digg. Until then, you are just another brick in the wall.
    • OMGIAMTHEMAN, on 08/29/2008, -2/+1because only western powers are allowed to modernize and democratize on questionable labor practices, right?... I'll bet you have no problem discussing any points of the glorious history of say, britain, without mentioning any of the poor south asian laborers who literally slaved away to build the wealth of a few cut-throat, ruthless businessmen without any sense of love and respect for the free-agency of their fellow man. Dubai has serious problems, especially horrible labor practices, but those are regional problems requiring regional solutions. If you live in the west, which you almost certainly do, you have absolutely in no position to criticize, you hypocrite.
      • rowjimmy, on 08/29/2008, -0/+1wow. if you knew the slightest bit about me, you'd know that i spend most of my time on digg criticizing western imperialism (now masked as multi-national globalization). however, it sickens me how much of the west praises dubai as an example of how capitalism is "the great equalizer". the west got where it was from raping the rest of the world - dubai is following suit, and these absurd and unsustainable "development goals" need to be exposed for what they are, not praised. learn to think a bit before you post knee-jerk reactions.
  • rjhomuth, on 08/29/2008, -3/+14Dubai- making cool, worthless ***** in a hot, worthless place for years, but damned if it doesn't look sweet.
    • werries, on 08/29/2008, -1/+1How is a city worthless?
      The support for a million people in a pyramid is a great idea for infrastructure, and with everything inside there is no need for cars. This is great engineering, so hush.
      • rjhomuth, on 08/29/2008, -0/+1How many people do you think are going to flock to Dubai with all their things and move in there? Plus, look at all the other stuff they've done. Helipads, tall-ass buildings, moving towers- it's crazy.
      • sporg, on 08/29/2008, -1/+1....
      • Navicerts, on 08/29/2008, -0/+2Well, is a million people actually live there i guess you are correct sir. Although I wouldn't label it as "environmentally friendly" without more info.
  • PhantomPhoenix, on 08/29/2008, -0/+2Wasn't something similar suggested for Tokyo Bay?
    • noseeme, on 08/29/2008, -1/+4I'd rather see the Japanese make it, because at least most of their money comes from hard work and not just natural resources.
      • ThatGeek, on 08/29/2008, -1/+2most of dubais money comes from tourism, not oil
      • WHOOMP, on 08/29/2008, -1/+2yeah drawing comics of underaged girls with ***** dick nipples getting molested by octopi can give you carpal tunnel and *****
  • SouljaBoySTFU, on 08/29/2008, -2/+0Amazing Future with hovercars and stuff, here we come!
  • cedarpointfan, on 08/29/2008, -0/+15*sigh*

    http://www.inhabitat.com/2008/08/25/ziggurat-dubai ...
  • noseeme, on 08/29/2008, -3/+3Aww, I wish the US had that kind of fresh oil money.
    • santaliqueur, on 08/29/2008, -5/+1Wouldn't the US have to actually have oil first?
      • BossKey, on 08/29/2008, -0/+5We did, but we used it all up. Old timers will remember how all the oil company names came to be.

        Pennzoil...when Pennsylvania produced oil.

        ExxonMobil, formerly Mobil, formerly Socony...Standard Oil Company of New York.

        Texaco...Texas.

        Chevron, formerly Socal, Standard Oil Company of California.

        Gulf...Gulf of Mexico south of Texas.

        Some think we could restore these times of old by adding ANWR, but 100 years from now kids will not remember when ANWR was emptied too.
      • santaliqueur, on 08/29/2008, -0/+3Old timers, or those who have access to Wikipedia.
    • DeFex, on 08/29/2008, -1/+3if US had that money it would be spent on a city? no it would be spent on a city size private yacht and then a few bucks thrown to a university building to have their name put on it.
    • joe122370, on 08/29/2008, -0/+1the US has more oil than Saudi Arabia, we just don't use it, we let environmental wackos block us from using it
  • pavelmah, on 08/29/2008, -1/+13So... Inhabitat posts an original article. It gets in the digg frontpage. Gizmodo copies sources from inhabitat and does a mostly copy&paste job and than it still goes to frontpage...

    Again. Why is gizmodo so famous? They very rarely have original content.

    If this was some unknown blog, it would be trashed as blogspam.
  • LowRentDiggs, on 08/29/2008, -2/+5I don't understand why so many people with money want to live in hot-ass deserts
  • kidwithsword, on 08/29/2008, -6/+1I thought we we through with the whole pyramid-building thing 1000 years ago. I guess we can devolve a bit...
  • Xionic, on 08/29/2008, -0/+5Aren't most of the buildings in Dubai mostly vacant? I think supply is far outweighing demand in this rich man's playground.
    • DubiousDrewski, on 08/29/2008, -0/+2It was the same thing in Kuala Lumpur when I visited there recently. They're building skyscrapers like madmen over there. For example, you could wander around their Times Square building (yes, they named it that), and you'd notice that the bottom floors are all occupied, but dozens of the top floors are completely vacant/not completely built. This allowed trespass-prone photographers like myself to wander around in some pretty eerie and surreal building interiors.
    • sporg, on 08/29/2008, -0/+2Only 300,000 or so of the people in Dubai are citizens. The majority of people there are indentured servants from all the surrounding poor countries.
  • engrishGamer, on 08/29/2008, -7/+0Why?! Just because you have money doesn't mean you need to spend it like this! I mean, really? A ***** PYRAMIND?!
  • jabberwolf, on 08/29/2008, -2/+2Isnt that going to blind any planes flying by???

    Are there required shades for pilots flying near that area?
  • hazyeight, on 08/29/2008, -1/+0Sign me up! I wish something like this would come somewhere near me
  • xen271, on 08/29/2008, -3/+4This is cool. We are definitely on our way to "BladeRunner" type buildings.
    • CressCrowbits, on 08/29/2008, -0/+2So, 'xen271' - tell me about your mother.
  • keyvoh, on 08/29/2008, -1/+7Sim City 2020.
  • WHOOMP, on 08/29/2008, -0/+5I think Dubai just builds all this awesome ***** to show America what we could have done with all that money spent on middle-eastern oil
    • MScrip, on 08/29/2008, -0/+2We've enjoyed our oil. Fast cars, SUVs, and the other good things we can buy with oil-based products. We're free to buy and do anything we want... while slaves in Dubai has been busy doing construction.
  • SirLoinChop, on 08/29/2008, -1/+2Sounds like another crazy tax scheme to make the rich richer and the poor dumber
    • dollar0dot02, on 08/29/2008, -1/+1It's a pyramid scheme. :-)

      Seriously, I already see the reaches on the top of it and the poor in the base. Everyone is trying to move up.
  • intuin, on 08/29/2008, -1/+2"You must summon more Ziggurats"
    • intuin, on 08/29/2008, -1/+1Dig me down since DDION already said this in the repost futbball09 pointed out = /
  • Danoz, on 08/29/2008, -1/+2Arthur C Clarke wrote a book about this..... the city and the stars.
    • doom777, on 08/29/2008, -1/+2Isaac Asimov called. He wants his city back.
  • nastronomical, on 08/29/2008, -1/+1vapour
  • phrawgh, on 08/29/2008, -1/+29Hmm, Seems rather Dubaious.
  • santaliqueur, on 08/29/2008, -0/+5Imagine the comments if the US ever tried to build something like that. The first comment would have been buried to the depths of hell.
    • graphictype, on 08/29/2008, -1/+1bad press
    • phrawgh, on 08/29/2008, -0/+3Or 'somebodies' (lets avoid profiling) would like to fly a plane into it.
  • futbball09, on 08/29/2008, -6/+3Duplicate!!

    http://digg.com/environment/Ziggurat_Dubai_Carbon_ ...
  • forestjohnson, on 08/29/2008, -5/+1***** dubai
  • ChrisJelly, on 08/29/2008, -2/+1Summon more ziggurats
  • Slackdragon, on 08/29/2008, -0/+2Mega City 1

    Respect the badge;
    He earned it with his blood!
    Fear the gun;
    Your sentence may be death because;
    I AM THE LAW!
  • Nouman6, on 08/29/2008, -2/+1I hope they have free wifi :)
    • Culyt, on 08/29/2008, -0/+1If they do I would be worried about using it, they block twitter according to a post above and seem to love arresting foreigners on any minor charge they can.

      ☢
  • snafuhalitosis, on 08/29/2008, -0/+3an arco?
  • MSchumacher, on 08/29/2008, -0/+2Hmmm... like this?
    http://www.cgw.com/Media/PublicationsArticle/13843 ...
  • Colindean, on 08/29/2008, -1/+9Archology much? Sim City 2000 FTW
  • graphictype, on 08/29/2008, -0/+1This one http://dsc.discovery.com/convergence/engineering/p ... may qualify as hyperluxurious but it does show the idea is not at all a new concept. Also agriculture highrise comes to mind.
    Don't get me wrong Dubai is making headlines right now I think its innovative.
  • justsayshmur, on 08/29/2008, -2/+3Maxis should sue. This is straight out of Sim City 2000. ("Launch Arcologies")
    • DeFex, on 08/29/2008, -0/+4which is a rip off of about 100 sci fi books about that happened to have pyramid cities.
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