House hunters queued from 3am on Wednesday to be among the first to buy property on Dubai's Palm Jebel Ali, amid a frenzy for luxury real estate in the city.
Hundreds of people waited outside developer Nakheel's sales centre to snap up the first available properties on the man-made island, which is 20km south of the Palm Jumeirah.
The waterfront villa project was revealed earlier this week amid strong demand for luxury homes.
The project, which will be centred on four fronds of the island, is to offer two types of villas – coral villas and beach villas.
The fact that a launch can cause so much frenzy says that the demand is still very high
Matthew Solomon,
Haus & Haus
The first properties were expected to be handed over in 2027, real estate agents said.
“People were queuing up from 3am,” said Matthew Solomon, sales team manager with estate agents Haus & Haus.
“The demand for these sort of high-end properties is continuing to grow and grow.
“The fact that a launch can cause so much frenzy says that the demand is still very high.”
Wednesday's sales included villas of up to 8,000 square feet, which fetched about Dh20 million ($5.4 million), Mr Solomon said.
Other sales included 12,000 square-foot villas, which were commanding fees of Dh30 million to Dh35 million, and plots were going for between Dh25 million and Dh30 million.
He said the properties appealed to those looking for modern luxury.
“You see a lot of people buying those kind of villas on Palm Jumeirah and renovating them to be more contemporary,” Mr Solomon said.
“The master plan for Palm Jebel Ali is showing the properties there are going to be more modern, like a Beverly Hills style.
“The days when people would be happy with a traditional-style villa are gone.”
The project, which was launched this week, follows the unveiling of new master plan for the Palm Jebel Ali development by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, in June.
“We are delighted to bring Palm Jebel Ali to market at this exciting time, with the island playing a transformative role in shaping the city’s future, raising the global benchmark on waterfront living,” Rasha Hasan, chief commercial officer of Nakheel, said on Monday.
Nakheel's website stated “the island will offer enhanced waterfront living, extensive green spaces and people-oriented mobility, while utilising smart city technology to streamline transportation management”.
The company also said the island would be home to more than 80 hotels and resorts, as well as several unique retail and dining experiences.
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Palm Jebel Ali over the years - in pictures
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Name: Lamsa
Founder: Badr Ward
Launched: 2014
Employees: 60
Based: Abu Dhabi
Sector: EdTech
Funding to date: $15 million
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Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins
Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
Tuesday's fixtures
Kyrgyzstan v Qatar, 5.45pm
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Dubai works towards better air quality by 2021
Dubai is on a mission to record good air quality for 90 per cent of the year – up from 86 per cent annually today – by 2021.
The municipality plans to have seven mobile air-monitoring stations by 2020 to capture more accurate data in hourly and daily trends of pollution.
These will be on the Palm Jumeirah, Al Qusais, Muhaisnah, Rashidiyah, Al Wasl, Al Quoz and Dubai Investment Park.
“It will allow real-time responding for emergency cases,” said Khaldoon Al Daraji, first environment safety officer at the municipality.
“We’re in a good position except for the cases that are out of our hands, such as sandstorms.
“Sandstorms are our main concern because the UAE is just a receiver.
“The hotspots are Iran, Saudi Arabia and southern Iraq, but we’re working hard with the region to reduce the cycle of sandstorm generation.”
Mr Al Daraji said monitoring as it stood covered 47 per cent of Dubai.
There are 12 fixed stations in the emirate, but Dubai also receives information from monitors belonging to other entities.
“There are 25 stations in total,” Mr Al Daraji said.
“We added new technology and equipment used for the first time for the detection of heavy metals.
“A hundred parameters can be detected but we want to expand it to make sure that the data captured can allow a baseline study in some areas to ensure they are well positioned.”
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Zayed Sustainability Prize
Zayed Sustainability Prize
US Industrial Market figures, Q1 2017
Vacancy Rate 5.4%
Markets With Positive Absorption 85.7 per cent
New Supply 55 million sq ft
New Supply to Inventory 0.4 per cent
Under Construction 198.2 million sq ft
(Source: Colliers)
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Welterweight:
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Day 2, Abu Dhabi Test: At a glance
Moment of the day Dinesh Chandimal has inherited a challenging job, after being made Sri Lanka’s Test captain. He responded in perfect fashion, with an easy-natured century against Pakistan. He brought up three figures with a majestic cover drive, which he just stood and admired.
Stat of the day – 33 It took 33 balls for Dilruwan Perera to get off the mark. His time on zero was eventful enough. The Sri Lankan No 7 was given out LBW twice, but managed to have both decisions overturned on review. The TV replays showed both times that he had inside edged the ball onto his pad.
The verdict In the two previous times these two sides have met in Abu Dhabi, the Tests have been drawn. The docile nature of proceedings so far makes that the likely outcome again this time, but both sides will be harbouring thoughts that they can force their way into a winning position.
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The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
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Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
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Cyber crime - This includes fraud, impersonation, scams and deepfake technology, tactics that are increasingly targeting infrastructure and exploiting human vulnerabilities.
Cyber terrorism - Social media platforms are used to spread radical ideologies, misinformation and disinformation, often with the aim of disrupting critical infrastructure such as power grids.
Cyber warfare - Shaped by geopolitical tension, hostile actors seek to infiltrate and compromise national infrastructure, using one country’s systems as a springboard to launch attacks on others.
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More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
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