City of Arabia is a masterplanned community at the gateway to Dubailand, developed by the Ilyas and Mustafa Galadari Group and planned for around 8,200 homes and 32,800 residents. It fronts Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Road and contains IMG Worlds of Adventure, one of the largest indoor theme parks in the world, open since August 2016.
It is also a community that has been partly built for a long time, and any honest guide has to say so. The anchor retail, Mall of Arabia, was due for completion in 2008 and has been on hold ever since. The promised in community monorail was never built. What stands today is IMG Worlds, the delivered residential phases and a masterplan that is still described as partly under construction.
Why buyers choose City of Arabia
- IMG Worlds of Adventure is inside the community, open since 31 August 2016 with capacity for over 20,000 visitors a day, 22 rides, 25 stores and 28 food outlets. A genuine operating destination on site rather than a rendering.
- Direct frontage on Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Road, which is the strongest single connectivity fact for the area and puts most of Dubai within a 25 to 35 minute drive.
- Gateway position into Dubailand, with Dubai Autodrome, Dubai Miracle Garden and Dubai Sports City in the surrounding catchment.
- A deliberately low density masterplan, 8,200 homes for 32,800 residents, rather than the tower density of Business Bay or JVC.
- Waterfront format apartments at an inland price in the Wadi Walk district.
- Entry pricing well below central Dubai for comparable unit sizes.
Prices and what your money buys
This is a value entry point rather than a prime one, and the pricing reflects a partly delivered masterplan. Expect wider bid and ask spreads and slower exits than in a completed community, and price the delivered phases on what is standing rather than on the 2005 masterplan.
Getting around
Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Road is the primary artery, with Emirates Road and Al Ain Road as secondary access. There is no metro station, and there will not be one when the Blue Line opens in 2029: its station list runs through the eastern corridor and does not include Dubailand. Car dependency here is permanent, which sits awkwardly against a masterplan that was originally designed to minimise car use.
What to watch
- A seventeen year stalled anchor. Mall of Arabia has been on hold since 2008. A 2016 statement projected revival within ten years, and that has not been confirmed as met. Do not buy on mall driven uplift.
- The masterplan is materially incomplete and openly described that way. The Restless Planet theme park was never built and the monorail does not exist.
- No metro, before or after 2029. Confirmed from the Blue Line station list.
- Single sponsor concentration. The masterplan, the theme park and the stalled mall all trace to one group. Community fortunes are tied to one balance sheet.
- A thin resale market. Partial build out plus low transaction volume means comparables are sparse and exits are slower than in central Dubai.
Frequently asked questions
Is Mall of Arabia ever going to be built?
It remains unresolved. It was due for completion in 2008, has been on hold since then, and a 2016 announcement projected a revival within ten years with no confirmed completion since.
Is IMG Worlds of Adventure in City of Arabia?
Yes. It opened on 31 August 2016 on Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Road and was built by the Galadari Group as part of the City of Arabia development within Dubailand.
How big is City of Arabia?
A USD 20 billion masterplan of roughly 8,200 residential components planned for 32,800 residents, at the gateway to Dubailand. The plan predates the 2008 crash and is only partly delivered.
Projects we hold in City of Arabia
Price levels move quarter to quarter, so we quote current figures per building and per unit type from Land Department transaction data rather than publishing an average that ages badly. Ask us for the live numbers on any address on this page.
