Superlatives Outside magazine's best ski resorts from Alaska to Vermont more By the Book New travel books: 100, 300, 500 and 1000 ideas more Are We There Yet? Happy birthday, world traveler: At 1, this baby's practically a frequent flier more CyberTrips Send a photo postcard from your phone: Apps make it easy to say 'Wish you were here' more Out There Yuppie 911 or legitimate life-saver? Rescue officials warn locator beacons abused by some more Travel Know How Tips for Planning Trips more Dispatches Leaving his job for the 'last true adventure on earth': He's driving around the world more Tourism Info National and international tourism Web sites more Travel Links Here Are Some Useful Web Sites for Planning a Trip more Yesterday's Places Explore one of America's first planned cities: Savannah, with historic squares and homes more

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) -- Visitors will have to wait until early next year for the opening of the world's tallest building in Dubai.

The media office of the city-state's ruler said Wednesday the hulking Burj Dubai will now debut on Jan. 4, a month later than expected. The new opening date is timed to coincide with the fourth anniversary of Sheik Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum's appointment as ruler of Dubai.

Excavation work on the silvery Burj Dubai, Arabic for "Dubai Tower," began more than five years ago. It has continued rapidly since.

By January 2007, some 3,000 laborers - mostly imported from India - had completed 100 stories on the building, at times adding a new floor almost every three days.

The tower is the centerpiece of a 500-acre residential and commercial development in central Dubai. It is flanked by dozens of smaller brand-new skyscrapers and the Middle East's largest shopping mall.

The tower reached 1,680 feet (512 meters) in the summer of 2007, surpassing Taiwan's Taipei 101 - the previous world's tallest.

The official opening date has become a moving target, however, as state-backed developer Emaar Properties races to put the finishing touches on its most ambitious project.

Installation of the aluminum and glass panels that cover the colossal tower's outside was completed only last month. The builder says the more than 1 million square feet (92,903 square meters) of glass panels used on the building's facade could cover 14 soccer fields.

Emaar has repeatedly said it planned to open the building this year.

Less than a month ago, Chairman Mohamed Alabbar told CNN he hoped to have the Burj Dubai ready to open by the Emirates national day on Dec. 2.

The skyscraper stands more than 2,600 feet (800 meters) tall. Emaar has yet to confirm is final height.

Emporis, a German company that tracks international building projects, lists the building's height as 818 meters, or about 2,684 feet.

Chicago's Willis Tower - the U.S. record holder formerly known as the Sears Tower - stands 1,729 feet (527 meters) from street level to the tip of its tallest antenna, according to the building's management company.

© 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Learn more about our Privacy Policy.