Tallest sandcastle: Turkish Airlines breaks Guinness World Records record (VIDEO) MIAMI, FL, USA -- A towering sandcastle in Miami broke the Guinness World Records world record for tallest sandcastle in the world at 45 ft. 10.25 in.;the sandcastle was commissioned by Turkish Airlines as part of the inauguration of their nonstop service from Miami to Istanbul, according to the World Record Academy. Photo: The world's tallest sandcastle has been crowned at Historic Virginia Key Beach. At 45 feet 10.25 inches tall, the castle put together by Turkish Airlines is now officially the tallest ever. Photo: Ray Santana Photography/Turkish Airlines (enlarge photo)
The Guinness World Records' record for the tallest sand castle is 12.59 m (41 ft 3.67 in) tall and was unveiled by Caterpillar Inc. in Caminho Niemeyer, Niterói, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on 11 November 2014.
Guinness World Records also recognized the world record for the most sandcastles built in one hour; it is 2,230 and was set by Abenteuer Leben, Kabel Eins (Germany) with support of Thomas van den Dungen (Netherlands), in St Peter-Ording, Germany, on 13 July 2013. The previous world record belonged to a sandcastle built by Caterpillar in November of 2014. That structure, which was in Brazil, stood 41 feet 3.67 inches tall.
The Turkish Airlines build was led by sand-sculpting royalty Ted Siebert who now holds eight records. About 18 to 20 other artists took part in the build and used over 1,800 tons of sand to complete the structure.
"Turkish Airlines has manifested its commitment to enhancing the links between Turkey and the U.S. by providing another route to the U.S., which is crucial for us," said Ilker Aycı, Chairman of Turkish Airlines. "The beautiful city of yours will be our first destination in Florida, 8th destination in the U.S. and 12th destination in the world."
Depicted in the sculpture's design are popular landmarks from around the world like the Taj Mahal, the Statue of Liberty and the leaning tower of Pisa. Notable sites from Istanbul are displayed prominently up front. Behind it is the downtown Miami skyline.
