The Middle Eastern Theme of Dunes

Located on over 85 total acres of land, the Dunes Hotel & Casino was designed by industrial designer Bob Dorr and built by the McNeil Construction Company of Los Angeles, conceived as a modern version of Baghdad as depicted in the folktales of The Arabian Nights. Upon opening, the Las Vegas Review-Journal described the property as “a spectacular oasis in the Nevada desert,” featuring “rare and beautiful tress, shrubs, and flowers [contributing to a] park-like effect.”

The property’s signage was an extension of this theme, perhaps best appreciated in its grinning sultan and large tower signs, both of which became synonymous with the Dunes over the years. The property’s grinning fiberglass sultan, looming over the main entrance of the Dunes from its grand opening in May 1955, was designed by Ben Mitchem of the Young Electric Sign Company (YESCO) and memorably featured a “diamond” in its turban, fashioned out of an oversized automobile headlight. In 1964, the property’s flashing marquee was erected, standing 180 feet tall and featuring 25,000 light bulbs and over 16,000-feet of neon tubing. This signage was designed by Lee Klay for Federal Sign and evoked the onion-dome architecture commonly found in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, believed to have originated in Syria sometime during the Umayyad Period (661-750 CE). The popularity of these bulbous domes spread beyond the Middle East, and today they can be found around the world, in locales such as India, Austria, China, and the United States.

The Middle Eastern theme was often reflected in how the property marketed itself, from the Dunes calling itself “Aladdin’s wish come true” to describing its culinary offerings as “conjured up to tempt the Sheik of Araby.” Other properties that have featured a similar theme include the Algiers, the Aladdin, and the Sahara.