The tallest stained-glass mural in the world is looking for a new home. Installed in the atrium of the Ramada Dubai in the 1980s, it was the first Guinness World Record won by the UAE.
But the iconic hotel in Bur Dubai is closing at the end of August. And there will be no room for the mural in the new complex planned for the site because of design specifications, management say.
They have appealed for offers or suggestions on what to do with it and the hope is that the spectacular mural can stay in the country. “We want suggestions from the public. It’s a cultural product which relates to the entire country,” said Senol Sarisen, the hotel’s general manager. “If someone from the government side, or from another hotel or company has a location, we can discuss further. Come up with a suggestion and we’ll consider it.”
Installed in the hotel’s atrium, the back-lit mural is 41.14 metres high and 9 metres wide. It was the first Guinness World Records title achieved by the UAE and holds the record to this day.
The towering mural was designed by John Lawson, an Englishman who was one of the leading stained-glass artists in the world. Lawson, who passed away in 2009, also designed the stained-glass windows in the dome of Oman’s Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque and completed other private commissions across the Middle East.
Ramada Dubai opened in 1983 and has become a landmark in the city and the decisison has not been an easy one for management. “We have agonised over it for a long, long time,” said Abdellah Essonni, chief executive of the hotel’s parent, Abjar Hotels.
“We have come to a point with Ramada Bur Dubai where it is best to renew the whole thing.”
When the four-star hotel opened, it was surrounded by mainly desert but now it is in the centre of a fast developing area. The hotel will be demolished in the next few months and a new five-star hotel, apartments and mall will be built on the site. This new complex is expected to open in 2018.
jdennehy@thenational.ae
