Nakheel
Projects, delivery record and what to check before you reserve.
- Founded
- 2003
- Builds in
- Dubai
- Segment
- Premium
Illustrative image
Nakheel's delivery record
State-linked master developer of Palm Jumeirah, now part of Dubai Holding and building Palm Jebel Ali and Dubai Islands.
Completed landmarks
- Palm Jumeirah
- The Palm Tower
- Jumeirah Islands
- Jumeirah Park
- Jumeirah Village Circle
- Jumeirah Village Triangle
- Al Furjan
- Discovery Gardens
- The Gardens
- International City
- Residents in Nakheel communities
- About 700,000
- Master developments
- About 15,000 hectares
- Palm Jebel Ali villa contracts, April 2026
- AED 3.5 billion+ for 544 villas
- Jebel Ali Village handover, from August 2026
- 892 homes
- Founded
- 2003
- Builds in
- Dubai
- Segment
- Premium
- Legal name
- Nakheel PJSC
- Headquarters
- Dubai, UAE
- Ownership
- Member of Dubai Holding since the merger ordered by Dubai's ruler in March 2024. Previously owned by the Government of Dubai and, before 2011, by Dubai World.
- Official site
- nakheel.com
Nakheel developments
No Nakheel developments are listed at the moment
An adviser can send Nakheel's current launches with prices, payment plans and handover dates.
Buying from Nakheel
What to check before you reserve, and what they do well.
What to check before you buy
- Nakheel needed a state-backed rescue in 2009 and an AED 59 billion debt restructuring completed in 2011. The company today has a different owner and balance sheet, but the episode is part of its record.
- Palm Jebel Ali stalled in 2008 and was only relaunched years later; earlier investors were offered buybacks. Palm Deira was frozen until 2022. Its largest projects have a history of long pauses.
- Palm Jebel Ali and Dubai Islands are still being built out. Infrastructure and marine works contracts were being awarded in 2026, so early residents should expect years of construction and limited local services.
- Supply around Palm Jebel Ali is set to grow. Palm Springs alone, announced in November 2026, is planned for nearly 50,000 residents.
- Since the 2024 merger Nakheel has no board of its own and sits inside Dubai Holding. Sister brands Meraas and Dubai Properties are run by the same group, which decides what is launched where.
- Its older mainstream communities, such as International City and Discovery Gardens, are a very different product from its island villas. The name alone says little about quality or price level.
What Nakheel does well
- Built Palm Jumeirah and many of Dubai's largest established communities, which house about 700,000 residents by the company's count.
- Part of Dubai Holding, a group with a portfolio it values at more than AED 500 billion, which also became Emaar's largest shareholder in 2026.
- Visible construction spending in 2026: more than AED 3.5 billion of villa contracts on Palm Jebel Ali and more than AED 2.2 billion of infrastructure and building contracts at Dubai Islands.
- Began handover of 892 homes at Jebel Ali Village in August 2026, with further recent handovers at Tilal Al Furjan, Murooj Al Furjan, Lagoon Views and Canal Front Residences.
- Off-plan mortgage arrangements with four UAE banks, agreed in 2026, are available at the point of sale.
About Nakheel
Nakheel was set up in 2003 as part of the state conglomerate Dubai World and became the developer of Dubai's man-made coastline. Palm Jumeirah is its signature, and around it sit some of the city's largest mainstream communities: Jumeirah Islands, Jumeirah Park, Jumeirah Village Circle and Triangle, Al Furjan, Discovery Gardens, The Gardens and International City. The company says about 700,000 people live in its communities.
Its history includes the sharpest failure of Dubai's 2008 to 2009 crash. Nakheel posted a loss of AED 13.4 billion for the first half of 2009 and asked to delay repayment of a USD 3.5 billion bond that December. Abu Dhabi's support for Dubai averted a default, and Nakheel completed an AED 59 billion debt restructuring in 2011, when ownership passed from Dubai World to the Government of Dubai. Projects were frozen for more than a decade: Palm Jebel Ali stalled from 2008 and Palm Deira was shelved before being restarted in 2022 and renamed Dubai Islands.
In March 2024 Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid ordered Nakheel and Meydan to be folded into Dubai Holding and their boards abolished. Nakheel now trades as a brand of Dubai Holding Real Estate, alongside Meraas and Dubai Properties, under one chief executive. The Meydan and District One communities are now sold under the Nakheel name.
Current activity is concentrated on the two relaunched island projects and the land beside them. In 2026 Nakheel awarded contracts worth more than AED 3.5 billion to build 544 villas on Palm Jebel Ali, an AED 527 million infrastructure contract for Island B at Dubai Islands and main construction contracts for Bay Grove Residences there. It began handing over 892 homes at Jebel Ali Village in August 2026. In November 2026 it unveiled Palm Springs, a 3.8 million sq m master plan beside Palm Jebel Ali intended for nearly 50,000 residents.
Nakheel sets payment schedules project by project. In 2026 Dubai Holding Real Estate signed agreements with Emirates NBD, Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank, Commercial Bank of Dubai and ADCB to offer mortgages on its off-plan homes from the point of sale, for residents and non-residents, subject to approval. That gives buyers an alternative to relying only on the developer's instalment plan.
Nakheel: questions buyers ask
Is Nakheel a reliable developer?
Nakheel has built more of Dubai than almost anyone, including Palm Jumeirah, and since March 2024 it has been part of Dubai Holding, one of the emirate's largest state-linked groups. Its record also includes the 2009 debt crisis, when it needed state support, and projects such as Palm Jebel Ali that stalled for more than a decade. In 2026 it was awarding large construction contracts and handing over homes, including 892 at Jebel Ali Village. The practical risk for a buyer now is less about solvency and more about how long the big island master plans take to mature.
Who owns Nakheel?
Nakheel is part of Dubai Holding. In March 2024 the Ruler of Dubai ordered Nakheel and Meydan to be merged into Dubai Holding and their boards abolished. Nakheel now operates as a brand within Dubai Holding Real Estate, together with Meraas and Dubai Properties. Before that it was owned by the Government of Dubai, and before 2011 by Dubai World.
What happened to Nakheel in 2009?
After the 2008 financial crisis Nakheel reported a loss of AED 13.4 billion for the first half of 2009 and sought to delay repayment of a USD 3.5 billion bond. Abu Dhabi provided USD 10 billion to Dubai in December 2009, which averted a default, and Nakheel completed a debt restructuring of AED 59 billion in 2011. Several projects, including Palm Jebel Ali and Palm Deira, were put on hold for years.
Where is Nakheel building now?
In Dubai. Its current launches are on Palm Jebel Ali (including Palm Central Private Residences and beachfront villas), at Dubai Islands (Bay Villas, Bay Grove Residences, Bay Estate, Rixos Hotel & Residences), at Palm Beach Towers and Como Residences, and at Meydan and District One. In November 2026 it announced Palm Springs, a new master plan next to Palm Jebel Ali.
Can I get a mortgage on a Nakheel off-plan home?
Possibly. During 2026 Dubai Holding Real Estate announced agreements with Emirates NBD, Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank, Commercial Bank of Dubai and ADCB covering off-plan homes from Nakheel, Meraas and Dubai Properties. The Emirates NBD arrangement is open to UAE residents and non-residents, subject to the bank's approval. Terms are set by the bank, so get a written offer before relying on it.
Buying from Nakheel?
Current availability, how their payment plans work, and which projects we rate.
- Current price list and availability, direct from the developer
- No fee to you on off-plan purchases: the developer pays us
- One salaried adviser, not on commission, from first call to handover
