The 'new map of Dubai'

A unique set of images of Dubai's landscape and coastline has been released showing the areas remarkable growth

The photographs of Dubai’s past, present and future show how the area has been transformed as a city has literally grown out of the desert. Satellite imagery from major land reclaimer Nakheel also shows an image which shows what Dubai is predicted to look like once all of Nakheel’s currently announced developments are completed.

Nakheel is contributing to Dubai’s transformation in a number of extraordinary ways. The company is creating an extra 1000 kilometres of coastline through some of the world’s most iconic developments such as The Palm Trilogy and The World. Nakheel will be the provider of 50 per cent of Dubai’s residential supply by building homes for three million people and also plans to create 10 million sq ft of retail space.

Having already played a leading role in establishing Dubai as a leading tourism destination, Nakheel’s planned projects will include up to 250 new hotels – a 50 percent increase on the current number. The Palm Jumeirah alone is more than doubling the number of beachfront hotels in Dubai, with more than 30 hotels and 14,000 rooms.

Chris O’Donnell, Nakheel CEO comments:
“As symbols of Dubai’s transformation, developments such as The Palm and The World have already become new landmarks of the 21st century. Projects of this complexity and scale have never been attempted before and our achievements are changing the way the world looks at Dubai.  You only have to look at these images to see how Dubai has developed incredibly over the last few decades.  We are proud to be part of such an extraordinary story”

The palm trilogy
From the beginning of construction on The Palm Jumeirah to the first residents moving in it took just five years. The first residents began moving in at the end of 2006 and now over 1,500 homes have been handed over.  The Palm’s villas and apartments sold out within days of launch and now yield average premiums of 70-120 percent. Over the next three to four years, Nakheel will transform The Palm Jumeirah into one of the world’s premier resorts with an average of 25,000 hotel guests and 20,000 visitors a day. There will be 30 five star hotels including Atlantis and Trump Tower, luxury marinas, and a purpose built theatre for Cirque du Soleil. The QE2 will also be located off The Palm Jumeirah.  

The Palm Jebel Ali which adds a further 100 kilometres of coastline is progressing at a rapid pace. Reclamation on the project began in October 2002 and reclamation of land from the original masterplan is now 100% complete. Reclamation of additions to the original master plan, including the lengthening of fronds and widening of the spine is underway. Primary breakwater construction work was completed in December 2006 by leading engineering company, Jan de Nul, and infrastructure work commenced in April 2007 with the construction of six bridges by Samsung which will connect to the mainland.

The first residential properties at The Palm Jebel Ali are due to be ready at the end of 2010. To date, all released properties have been sold with many experiencing premiums of 100 percent. On completion, The Palm Jebel Ali will be a self-sufficient city of 250,000 people that, along with the Waterfront City development, will create a vibrant new area of Dubai.