In the first decade of the 21st century, the Gulf region became an architectural sanctuary, with project approvals for insanely expensive and fanciful projects seeming to come almost weekly. No one knows exactly what projects will be on design screens in the next years, but they will have to be pretty spectacular to match these best Middle East construction projects. So, take a look!

1. Museum of Islamic Art, Doha, Qatar

2. Ferrari World, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

3. Infinity Tower, Dubai, United Arab Emirates 

4. Burj Khalifa, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

5. Abraj Al Bait Towers, Mecca, Saudi Arabia

6. The Chedi Muscat, Muscat, Oman

7. Bank Muscat, Muscat, Oman

8. World Trade Center, Bahrain

9. King Abdullah Petroleum Studies and Research Center, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

As said by Simon Fraser, managing director of Hopkins Architects Dubai, “things are definitely picking up, more interesting buildings are coming out, both from the government and private developers.”