Humanity has developed an obsession with pushing the envelope and setting new records just to repeatedly smash them. In actuality, the skylines of our cities have always been shaped by the powerful throughout history.

1. Burj Khalifa / Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP (828 m / 2,717 ft)
Dubai, United Arab Emirates

2. Shanghai Tower / Gensler (678.9 m / 2,227 ft)
Shanghai, China

3. Makkah Royal Clock Tower / Dar al-Handasah Shair & Partners + SL Rasch (601 m / 1,972 ft)
Mecca, Saudi Arabia

4. Ping An Finance Center / Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates (599.1 m / 1,965 ft)
Shenzhen, China

5. Lotte World Tower / Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates (554.5 m / 1,819 ft)
Seoul, South Korea