The photograph was taken by a guest at the hotel, Pete Egington, who had stepped out for a morning walk. He was intrigued by the large stretch of desert that was in the process of being fenced off as far as the eye could see, which was the Sheraton. Mr Egington recalled he had "no clue what it was at the time but could see it was going to be something quite big". What was being built was Jumeirah Beach Residence (JBR), two square kilometres of apartments and hotels that is now home to around 15,000 people. Construction on Dubai Marina had started in 2000 and both districts would reshape Dubai's skyline.