rated 4.00 out of 5

ranked #4 out of 9 Dubai Mega-Projects

total 65 votes

The Palm Islands

The Palm Islands in Dubai are said to be the 8th wonder of the world. “The Palm” is one of Dubai’s showcase projects. The three artificial islands in the shape of palm trees, surrounded by a crescent, located in the Persian Gulf are a technical masterstroke. The islands are constructed of sand and stone taken from the bottom of the relatively shallow Persian Gulf. Over 130 million cubic yards of sand were used for the islands. The Palms can even be seen from space.

The three islands are called

• The Palm, Jumeirah
• The Palm, Jebel Ali
• The Palm, Deira

The first island of this palm triology to be completed is The Palm, Jumeirah. Its construction started in June 2001 and is expected to be completed in the end of 2006. The Palm, Jebel Ali is expected to be completed in 2007 and the latest palm addition The Palm, Deira which will be the largest island of the three islands, will be completed in 2009.

The Palm islands will feature luxury hotels, residential villas, water homes, shoreline apartments, restaurants, shopping malls, spas, sports facilities, beaches, marinas, cinemas and various entertainment facilities.

The Jumeirah Palm island will contain various international hotel brands including Movenpick, Radisson SAS, Hilton, Mariott, Shagri La. In 2006 the construction of the Palm Trump International Hotel and Tower will begin. It will be located on the trunk of the Jumeirah Palm and will be shaped as a golden opening tulip.

Another luxury hotel is the Atlantis. Its design is based on the lost continent of Atlantis with Arabic design elements. It will have two towers with 2,000 rooms. One tower will have luxury suites, the other tower will target other tourists.

The trunk of the Jumeirah Island will contain the Golden Mile which will be an exclusive residential and retail boulevard.

The Palm, Jebel Ali will be 50% larger than the Jumeirah Palm island and will be more the entertainment island for children and adults. It will feature several marinas, a sea village, water theme parks and water villas built on stilts. A special attraction will be a boardwalk that circle the fronds of the palm which will spell out an Arabic poem.

The Palm, Deira will be the largest of the three palm islands with 41 fronds. Residential property will be located in the fronds. There will also be marinas, sports facilities, restaurants, cafes and shopping malls.

Three weeks after the sales started for the Jumeirah Palm island the residential properties were sold out. It is said that the buyers - many of them are celebrities - paid more than 1.25 million dollars for a luxury villa with pool and landing stage.

The Palm islands is a really bombastic project. Men-made islands in the Persian Gulf… an unheard thing! Hopefully the naming of one of the luxury hotels - Atlantis - isn’t a bad omen.