The eagerly anticipated Dubai Mall opened yesterday, on the same day as Westfield London in White City.

The 12 million sq ft Middle Eastern scheme, developed by Emaar Malls Group, contains 3.77 million sq ft of retail space and more than 1,200 retailers. It is thought to be the world’s largest shopping centre.

The Dubai Mall is home to the first branch of Waitrose outside the UK and Parisian department store Galleries Lafayette. Its 440,000 sq ft Fashion Avenue precinct has 70 haute couture stores.

It also features an aquarium (pictured), Olympic-sized ice rink and the world’s largest gold souk.

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