Inside Aljada - the megaproject that is going to wow Sharjah

Four hotels, three schools, a business district, a mall, tree-lined avenues and an entertainment complex designed by the acclaimed Zaha Hadid Architects. Welcome to the megaproject that represents a new era for Sharjah.

Aljada, a sprawling 2.2-square kilometre site close to the emirate's airport, universities and the E311 motorway, is now about 30 per cent complete with major elements such as the mall and business district still to be built.

But the development is already buzzing and not just with its own residents. Aljada, which loosely translates as “the district”, has become a destination for people from across the UAE, who come to enjoy its cafes, farmers market, outdoor cinema, restaurants, supermarkets, skateparks and bike paths. There is even a shop selling Emirati farm produce.

To get a sense of how transformational Aljada could be and why so many people are already spending time there, The National was invited to tour the site, given a rare look inside the major construction areas and shown renderings of the mall that have not been released before.

“In the Sharjah real estate market, we say there is a phase before Aljada and a phase after Aljada,” said Maher Metraji, senior development director at Arada, who is responsible for delivering the project. “Because we have set not only a new standard but a very high standard of how a master development should look; what should it include; how it should be designed; how it should be executed; and handed over.”

Building a destination

Construction of what Arada describes as Sharjah’s largest-ever mixed-use project began in 2018.

In 2020, the first phase of its Madar entertainment complex opened, featuring a skatepark and food district.

Despite the challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic with its stay-at-home measures and travel bans, Aljada welcomed more than a million visitors in its first year and by the start of 2021, people were moving into the first homes.

By the end of 2023, it is expected 12,000 people will live in the self-contained city.

There is also a nursery for the trees that line its roads. The trees are indigenous where possible and old ghaf trees that were growing on the site when it was just a remote patch of sand have been preserved.

“When you drive to Aljada, you can see parks, gyms, pools, open cinemas, jogging tracks, shops, restaurants – everything you would require whether you live here or visit,” said Mr Metraji.

“That is very interesting to us – that we have built a destination and not just projects.”

Aljada will also be home to what Arada say will be Sharjah’s largest gym. It is just a few months from opening and an army of workers are racing to complete the job. Located in the Madar entertainment district, the 6,038-square metre facility will have an elevated running track winding around the outside.

A trampoline park managed by Bounce will open beside it.

Construction of the mall will start next year, and while Arada are tight-lipped about what will be inside, the developer said it is going to be something special.

Renderings shown to The National reveal a series of futuristic, curved buildings surrounding an observation deck. It will also feature a “showpiece water feature”.

“We are so excited to start this as soon as we can because it is going to be another transformation … not just for Sharjah but the public of the UAE,” said Mr Metraji. “Trust me: it is going to be wow.”

Green spine

The scope of Aljada does not stop there. Four hotels will be built including a Rove, Address and Vida with construction of the Vida already under way.

The central business district, a network of about 40 buildings, has ambitions to be the new commercial centre of Sharjah. Construction is expected to start next year and is styled as the region’s first “post-pandemic business district”.

A striking feature is its “green spine” of trees along with shaded paths, green terraces and spaces for outdoor meetings.

“In Sharjah there is no [specialised] business district,” said Mr Metraji. “This is where we find it very interesting to develop such a product and introduce it to the market. And we are sure this will contribute to the business success of Arada and Sharjah.”

Arada, a venture between KBW Investments – a company controlled by Prince Khaled bin Alwaleed and Sharjah's Basma Group launched in 2017.

Arada has unveiled three master communities in Sharjah – Aljada, Masaar and Nasma Residences. It also bought land on Dubai’s The Palm Jumeirah for Dh240 million but construction has not begun.

For those wishing to purchase a property in Aljada, units are freehold. This is part of a wider trend in Sharjah that started in 2014 when all nationalities were allowed to buy in the emirate in certain areas on 100-year leasehold.

By 2022, Sharjah allowed freehold to all nationalities. This encouraged a more diverse mix of investors, helped development expand beyond the historic centre and also eased some of the traffic issues in central Sharjah.

Major infrastructure development undertaken by the Sharjah government, such as the Al Badee interchange works that eased a bottleneck on the E611, have also helped in this regard.

Arada said projects in Sharjah were also boosted by rising populations in both Sharjah and neighbouring Dubai. In July it reported a 186 per cent increase in sales during the first half of this year. It sold 1,616 homes worth Dh4.26 billion ($1.16bn) in the first six months. Apartments cost around Dh786,000 to buy, while rent for a two-bed starts at around Dh55,000.

“It has always been the case that whenever the Dubai market does well, it has an effect on Sharjah as well,” said an Arada representative. “We see the effects of that over the past couple of years.”

The entire Aljada site has a total sales value of Dh24 billion (a construction cost was not revealed) and will ultimately have 25,000 residential units of which most are apartments.

As of July, more than 6,000 residential units, the first school, the first phase of Madar, the student housing community of 12 buildings and the first prime retail spaces have been completed.

Arada said residential investors are primarily Emiratis, other Gulf nationals, Indians, and then Europeans, Australians, Britons, Americans and other nationalities.

It is a similar picture when it comes to renting and people commute to other emirates from Aljada.

Cars are still the only way to get to the development but it is expected that public buses will stop at Aljada in the future. The project is set to finish in 2028, when it will have 75,000 residents.

Arada says Aljada is “transformational” for Sharjah as it is the first master development that looks to the future but also tries to incorporate some of its past.

For example, some of the buildings took inspiration from the Al Khan historic neighbourhood where buildings are grouped together in a certain way to channel the wind and keep them cool.

Today, much of the development still lies ahead, But as Mr Metraji, a veteran of the megaproject game who worked on Dubai Mall, drives around the site his passion for helping to deliver what is undoubtedly a new era is clear.

“Aljada is a very interesting project; very complex and challenging,” he said. “There is a story behind every spot of this project. I'm proud.”

Madar at Aljada opens in 2020 – in pictures