BUY DUBAI / MASTERPLANS
Photo: Tim.Reckmann · Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0When does a plan become a place?
Dubai sells visions. The real test is what opens, who builds it and how people use it.
Explore 12 masterplans →Watch Alabbar
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Three plans, three stages of delivery
OPEN ANCHOR
The mall is open.
Dubai Hills shows what it looks like when an anchor becomes a working destination.
Explore Dubai Hills Estate →Photo: Alaaeldahshan · Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0
STILL EVOLVING
The skyline has arrived.
Creek Harbour has homes and waterfront life. Its landmark tower is still a future promise.
Explore Dubai Creek Harbour →Photo: SHARON VISHAKHAM · Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0
HISTORICAL AERIAL
The next Palm is taking shape.
A 2008 aerial shows the original landform. Check what has opened today before buying the future.
Explore Palm Jebel Ali →Photo: Imre Solt · Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0
Find a masterplan
Choose a place. Each guide shows the developer, the anchor, a map and the registered sales for its corresponding Land Department community.
Alabbar on what makes Dubai work
Mohamed Alabbar discusses why the UAE succeeds in this original interview with The National. Hear his argument, then look at how individual places have been built.
Portrait: Webmasteremaar · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0. Original full interview: The National. Open on YouTube.
See the scale of the city
Map preview: BUY DUBAI sales heat map. Open the BUY DUBAI property map · © OpenStreetMap contributors for the interactive map.
The reporting behind the story
What to check before you buy
- What is open? Visit the anchor, roads and public spaces. Check the delivery dates for anything still promised.
- Who built your home? A master developer may have sold the plot to another builder. Read the building’s record.
- What did buyers pay? Compare recent sales in the same building. The community data on each guide is context, not a valuation for one home.
Questions about Dubai masterplans
What is a masterplan in Dubai?
A plan for a master project, including its land, infrastructure and shared facilities. The master developer may build homes itself or sell plots to other developers.
Is the master developer always the developer of my building?
No. In plot-sold areas such as JVC and Business Bay, other developers built the towers.
Are the sales figures exact masterplan totals?
No. The detailed guides use the corresponding Dubai Land Department community as a proxy. Boundaries may not match exactly.