The Dubai Palm Islands - Witness History As It's Made

Witness History As It's Made – The Dubai Palm Islands

Begun as a concept to expand the shorelines of Dubai, the Palm Islands have gone far beyond plans and expectations. Often loosely referred to as the eighth world wonder, the Dubai Palm Islands are three distinctively shaped man-made marvels, boasting high-end luxury living and commercial districts. Located along the Dubai coast in three separate locations, the islands are named Palm Jumeirah, Palm Jebel Ali and Palm Deira.

Each palm island stands true to its name, shaped like a date palm tree, which is a historically and culturally significant icon in the UAE. Complete with a trunk, crown and fronds, each island is different in size, but designed in similar style. Construction on Palm Jumeirah began in 2001, after an initiative by The Vice President and Prime Minister of UAE and Ruler of Dubai, HRH Sheikh Mohammed. By 2006, most of the residential communities in Palm Jumeirah were completed and handed over to buyers.

Development on Palm Jebel Ali began in 2002, just a few months after Palm Jumeirah was launched. The two islands were in the original development plans, while Palm Deira was added much later, in 2005, because of the high property demand on the original two islands.

All three islands are developed for specific purposes, with Palm Jumeirah as a residential community, Palm Jebel Ali as a lifestyle and tourist destination and Palm Deira as a residential and commercial mixed-use project. The three islands are to increase Dubai's shoreline by an extra 520 kilometres.

The Palm Jumeirah is already occupied by residents, while Palm Jebel Ali is nearing completion at the moment. Palm Deira, the largest and most recent development, is still carrying on dredging works on most parts, although several bridges to the main land and infrastructural foundations have been completed. Developed by government-supported Dubai-based premier real estate developer, Nakheel Properties, the Dubai Palm Islands will be home to luxury hotels, freehold residences and commercial complexes, shopping malls, theme parks, beaches, recreational facilities, resorts and much more.

Dubai Islands - Palm Jumeirah - The First Major Man-Made Island Development

Dubai Islands - Palm Jumeirah - The First Major Man-Made Island Development

Inaugurated in 2001, the Palm Jumeirah in Dubai is the first massive man-made island development project undertaken anywhere in the world. Quickly gaining international attention for its myriad possibilities, the Dubai Palm Jumeirah was completed by the end of 2006 and most properties were handed over to the owners. Spanning 25 square kilometres, the structure of the island resembles the date palm tree,which is highly significant to the United Arab Emirates. The island consists of a trunk, crown and 17 fronds, adding 78 kilometres to the shoreline of Dubai.

The Palm Jumeirah is a destination built for family living, but without compromise on the facilities such as luxury leisure, entertainment, retail and resort venues. The island is home to some of the most luxurious hotels in the entire world, including the Trump International Hotel and Tower and Atlantis-The Palm. Central to the Palm's design, the trunk holds a two-kilometre stretch of bustling residential, tourism and retail areas.

The trunk is linked to mainland Jumeirah via a monorail system and the gateway bridge. The entire region houses a range of luxury living units, marinas, shops, restaurants and several five-star hotels. The 17 depicted fronds are home to a region housing beachfront residences. Accessible via the monorail and a sub-sea tunnel, this is the region with the most luxurious residential community on Palm Jumeirah. The popular Palm Jumeirah Villas and Garden Homes are located here.

The island's crescent acts as the breakwater and is a high-end tourism destination by its own. The recently launched Atlantis-The Palm is located on the crescent, as well as other luxurious hotel properties such as Kempinski Hotel Emerald Palace, Kingdom of Sheba, Taj Exotica Resort & Spa and Royal Amwaj.
The Dubai Palm Jumeirah is the smallest out of the three palm island under development at present. Over 4000 residents currently call the Palm Jumeirah their home and some properties are already on the resale market from those who bought villas and apartments as investments. Since the property is available on a freehold basis, the Palm Jumeirah is home to a large number of Western and European expatriates.

A Star With Worldwide Fame – The Palm Jebel Ali, Dubai

Dubai Islands: A Star With Worldwide Fame – The Palm Jebel Ali, Dubai

The Palm Jebel Ali is non other than the sister project begun immediately after the Palm Jumeirah development was launched. This second palm island is expected to provide accommodation to 1.7 million residents by 2020. From the three palm islands belonging to the massive land reclamation project, Palm Jebel Ali is the mid-sized development and will primarily be an entertainment and leisure-oriented venue. Upon completion in 2015, the Dubai Palm Jebel Ali will be among the highest tourism revenue-generating locations in the Middle East.

Located on the Dubai coast, jutting out from the Jebel Ali area, the artificially created geographical and infrastructural marvel is shaped as a date palm tree, a staple of sustenance in ancient Arabia. A trunk, a crown and 17 fronds make up the island. The trunk holds the majority of lifestyle venues, while the crown acts as the breakwater and the fronds are mostly residential communities.

The Palm Jebel Ali has attracted international attention mostly because of its 'water homes' concept. The water homes are built on stilts based on concrete foundations under sea level. All of the water homes are located between the palm's fronds and crown. Six marinas, water theme parks and a sea village are all to be included in the completed Palm Jebel Ali. Luxurious garden villas and signature villas are available as residential units, all of which face private beaches.
Beyond the island's residential and entertainment aspects, the Palm Jebel Ali is an incredible real estate investment opportunity as well. Many expatriates have chosen to live and retire here, but more than that, many have purchased units and complexes with the idea of reselling. Currently, the least expensive property unit (1 bedroom apartment) sells for a rate over $400,000. The beach front residences and water homes are priced between $1.5 million and $5 million.

The selection of apartments, penthouses and town homes on the trunk will stretch beyond the original Palm, and include exclusive sub-developments from global names in property. Perhaps the newest addition to the selection of freehold property in the Jebel Ali Palm is the development of water homes. These unique properties will be built on stilts and will be set out over the Arabian Sea, for a truly unique living experience. The location of the Palm Jebel Ali will be a bit further out from the city, right in heart of Jebel Ali and in close proximity to other freehold properties, with the intention of expanding the city even more.

Dubai Islands - Palm Deira - Simply Amazing

Dubai Islands - Palm Deira - An Incredible Afterthought

When the Palm Jumeirah and Palm Jebel Ali were master-planned, the developers didn't realise one major fact: the investment demand on the unique properties. By the time it was 2004, just two years after the Palm Jumeirah was launched, investors were running out of opportunities available on the world's latest man-mad marvels. So, as a way to appease the disappointed investors, the Palm Deira was born.
In 2005, the construction began on the Palm Deira, which is the largest palm island out of the three similar developments. Instead of the usual 17 fronds, this palm island will have 18, deviating from the original plan to include 41 fronds. Covering approximately 120 square kilometres in area, the Palm Deira will be home to hundreds of residential properties, marinas, sports and leisure facilities, shopping complexes, nightlife venues and business districts.

The residential regions are to be located on the 18 fronds, including 8000 units of two-level residences. These residences are defined by design and include Premier Villas, Vista Town Homes and Grand Villas. The Palm Deira is slightly elongated in design, when compared to the other two palm projects. This is because there was quite a considerable change in the Gulf sea depth after the development was planned. The adjusted design in 2007 requires the new look it has now. The Palm Deira is expected to be completed in 2015, although a more realistic completion date would be 2020, because of the current market conditions.
The Palm Deira is eight times bigger than the original palm island, the Palm Jumeirah. The island is too large to be completed within a few years, unlike the Palm Jumeirah. It's being developed in several small phases and at the moment, only parts of the infrastructure is fully finished. A bridge connecting to the mainland via Al Hamriya Port and Dubai Creek and some areas of the Deira Island Front are now complete. Other phases to complete over the years include the remaining Deira Island phases – Mamzar, North, South, Central and Trunk - as well as the Palm Crown, Fronds and Crescent.

Recreating the Geography of the World – The World Islands In Dubai

Recreating the Geography of the World – The World Islands In Dubai

Creating the world we live in was once the inclusive realm of nature, which made sure continents, islands, seas and everything else was formed over millenniums of geographical reactions. But today, it's no longer in Mother Nature's hands, because of projects like The World Islands and Palm Islands in Dubai. Among the world's two largest land reclamation projects (other being the Dubai Palm Islands), The Dubai World Islands project is a rough replica of the actual world geographical map.

Comprising 300 private and exclusive artificially created islands, the World is divided into four main classifications, which depict what can be built in the specific islands. They are private homes, estate home, dream resorts and community islands. Located four kilometres off Jumeirah shore, within easy reaching distance from the Palm Jumeirah, the World islands development can be seen from the Burj Al Arab hotel and Port Rashid. The completed project will span across 54 square kilometres. The Dubai World islands will only be accessible via sea and air transport.


Each of the 300 private islands span 250,000 to 900,000 square feet and has approximately 50 to 100 metres of sea between them. To be sold exclusively to private developers, the islands are priced at US$ 15 million and above. Since the World islands are built to fit continental themes (Asia, Africa, Europe etc), the master developers expect private developers to follow the same themes, although it's not strictly enforced. As such, the area which is Thailand in the original world map is named the Jasmine Gardens and is developed as a resort with a distinctively oriental theme. Australia of the new World consists of 19 islands and is named the Oqyana, which is also a resort.

Several Hollywood and Bollywood celebrities, as well as some of the world's wealthiest entrepreneurs, have already purchased private islands at the Dubai World. While most of the names are kept confidential, it's rumoured that Brangelina, Rod Stewart, David Beckham and Shah Rukh Khan have invested in the islands. The confirmed developments at present are mostly belonging to those of business world tycoons, such as John O'Dolan, Larionovo and Salya Corporation.