Dubai Creek Harbour: Emaar's creekside district and the tower ten years in the making
How the seven islands of The Lagoons became an Emaar district, what happened to Calatrava's tower, Aeon, The Grand, new towers through 2030, entry prices and what you do not see at a viewing.
Dubai Creek Harbour is Emaar's new district on the shores of Dubai Creek, opposite Downtown and beside a reserve where flamingos spend the winter. A tower taller than Burj Khalifa was promised here, but ten years on, only its foundation has been built. But an island with a marina, a promenade and dozens of residential towers has taken shape, and the cost of entry is nearly a third lower than in Downtown. Our catalogue lists 49 developments in the district, 23 of which are due for completion from 2026 onwards, all from the same developer. We look at how the district came about, what happened to the tower, how the developments differ, what the cost of entry is and what you do not see at a viewing.
What is happening in the area
The district is being built in waves. The first developments on Creek Island, beside the marina, are complete and occupied. The second wave of lower-rise buildings is nearing completion: its developments are due for handover in 2026. The third wave of tall towers runs through 2030.
For a buyer, this means three things. First, there is one developer, Emaar. The quality of the buildings, management and shared amenities is more consistent here than in districts where twenty different companies are building side by side. Second, prices are consistent. A one-bedroom apartment in a new development costs AED 1.78 million to AED 1.98 million. There is no tenfold spread as in Downtown. Third, the district's main promises have yet to materialise. There is no tower, no mall, and the metro will open in 2029.
If you are buying in the UAE for the first time, start with “How to buy property in the UAE”: it explains the Dubai transaction from reservation to handover.
The seven islands that never happened
This shoreline has seen a major plan before. In April 2006, Sama Dubai, the development company within Dubai Holding, announced The Lagoons: seven islands on Dubai Creek linked by bridges, with homes, offices, marinas, the city's first opera house and a planetarium. It was to cover 70 million sq ft and cost AED 65 billion.
The crisis came two years later and the project came to a halt. The land by the reserve lay dormant until 2013.
On 7 October 2013, Dubai Holding and Emaar signed a joint venture agreement. The project covered 6 million m², "more than three times the size of Downtown". For Emaar, it was a logical move: the company had already built Downtown around a tower and was now setting out to repeat the model by the water.
On 27 October 2014, the project was presented under a new name: Dubai Creek Harbour. The first developments, Dubai Creek Residences, were announced the same day. Sales opened on 1 November in four cities at once: Dubai, Abu Dhabi, London and Moscow. Emaar chairman Mohamed Alabbar said at the time: "Dubai Creek: the cradle of our heritage and the artery that drove the city's growth."
By 2016, more details of the plan had emerged: 6 km², a 4.5 km waterfront, nine districts, 22 hotels, a yacht club and a marina. By 2018, it included 7.3 million m² of housing, 700,000 m² of parks and more than 200,000 future residents. The first homes on the island, the six Dubai Creek Residences towers with 872 apartments, were due for completion in Q1 2019.
In August 2022, Emaar bought the district outright. It paid AED 7.5 billion for Dubai Holding's stake, half in cash and half in its own shares. For a buyer, this means one simple thing: the district has one owner, and it is building all 49 developments in our catalogue.
The tower ten years in the making
The centrepiece of the district was to be a tower taller than Burj Khalifa. In February 2016, Spanish architect and engineer Santiago Calatrava won an international competition. His design was selected from six entries. Its form drew on a lily and a minaret: a slender stem, an elongated bud with observation decks at the top, and cables fanning out to the ground.
In April 2016, Alabbar put the cost of the tower at around $1 billion and said it would be "one notch higher" than Burj Khalifa. The foundation stone was laid in October 2016, and the tower was promised to be the world's tallest by 2020.
The foundation was substantial. By August 2017, more than 145 piles had been driven to a depth of more than 72 m. The slab above them was completed in May 2018: 50,000 m³ of concrete weighing around 120,000 t, and 16,000 t of reinforcement.
The tower never rose above its foundation. Construction was paused while the design was revised. In August 2023, Alabbar confirmed that the tower was being redesigned. In February 2024, he said the new tower would be lower than Burj Khalifa: "Burj Khalifa will be a man, and Creek Tower a woman."
In January 2026, Alabbar promised a tender within three months and explained the change: "After Burj Khalifa, height alone is no longer enough." On 21 September 2026, he said he was waiting for the situation in the region to settle: "For now, I am simply waiting." There is no tower now, and no completion date either.
Flamingos outside your window
The district's neighbour is not going anywhere. Ras Al Khor is a reserve at the end of the creek, with 620 ha of salt flats, lagoons and mangroves. Dubai has protected it since 1 March 1998, and in 2007 it became the UAE's first Ramsar wetland.
More than 20,000 waterbirds of 67 species winter here, and more than 450 animal species live here in all. The main residents are flamingos: a count in January 2011 recorded 3,100 birds. In July 2025, the reserve closed for an AED 650 million upgrade.
For a buyer, the reserve means one thing: this is protected land, so no towers will be built there. The view of the water and mangroves from this side of the district will remain.
What is already open
Creek Island is now a lived-in place: homes are occupied, the promenade is open and yachts are moored in the marina. The yacht club accommodates more than 80 vessels. The 223-room Address Grand Creek Harbour hotel opened in December 2022. Around 40,000 people lived in the district in June 2025.
People come here for the view. The #DubaiCreekHarbour sign by the waterfront pool is positioned so that Burj Khalifa appears in the frame. Viewing Point opened nearby in January 2023: a 70 m viewing walkway extending 26 m over the water. Entry is free.
This is how the island looks in the evening: the first residential towers around the marina, with Emaar and Vida signs on their facades.
Metro in 2029, ferry for now
The district's weak point is road access. There is no metro here yet. The Blue Line will run for 30 km with 14 stations and a 1,300 m viaduct across the creek. The AED 20.5 billion contract was signed in December 2024, with opening scheduled for 9 September 2029.
The line's foundation stone was laid in June 2025 and the district's station was unveiled: 74 m high, designed by SOM, the same practice that designed Burj Khalifa. The station is designed for 160,000 passengers a day.
For now, people get here by car. In December 2022, RTA opened bridges to the district with a combined length of 1,730 m and capacity for 10,600 cars an hour. There is also an RTA ferry: the stop costs AED 2. In 2024, the district's water routes carried around 30,000 passengers a month.
Dubai Square: a mall you can drive into
The district's second promise, after the tower, is Dubai Square. It was announced in July 2018 as a retail district built around technology. In December 2025, Emaar unveiled it again: a mall that you can enter in an electric car and drive past shop windows.
Construction is under way and is due to take three years. The new figures for the whole district are more than 11 million m² and AED 180 billion in investment. The district began with 6 million m² in 2013. Treat this as a plan, not a fact: the tower has already seen delays.
Aeon: two buildings beside a park the size of six football pitches
Aeon: a two-building development on Creek Island. The first tower has 20 floors and there are 262 apartments in total. Burj Khalifa is around 10 minutes away and the airport is around 15 minutes away.
The key detail is what lies next door. Central Park, the island's park the size of six football pitches, and a 700 m urban beach are nearby, while the district's marina has berths for 81 yachts. The development rules allow pets, which matters in a district with a park and waterfront.
The apartments currently on sale start at AED 3,197,888 for a two-bedroom, 119.75 m² unit, or AED 26,705 per m². Handover is due in Q2 2028; the project is 90% complete. The payment plan is 10% on booking, 70% during construction and 20% on handover. Ask the developer for the current plan in writing. The service charge is AED 215 per m² per year, higher than nearby developments.
The Grand: a completed tower by the marina
The Grand: one of the island's tallest residential towers. It stands on Creek Island and was completed in Q4 2022. It has 575 apartments and rises to the 62nd floor.
The apartments are arranged by floor. One- and two-bedroom apartments occupy floors 2 to 48, three-bedroom apartments floors 50 to 59, while penthouses sit on floors 61 and 62. Sizes range from 73.56 to 307.47 m². Residents have an infinity pool and tennis court.
This is for buyers who do not want to wait. It is built, you can walk around it and check the view before completing the purchase. The most affordable apartment currently for sale is a three-bedroom unit of 211.6 m² for AED 7,400,000, or AED 34,972 per m². The price per square metre is a third higher here than in the district's developments under construction: that is the price of a completed building and an established island.
Low-rise buildings: from 8 to 22 floors
The district's second wave is different. There are no towers of fifty storeys here: Mangrove and Moor at Creek Beach rise to 8 floors, Cedar and Lotus to 11. Such a building has fewer neighbours: Mangrove has only 156 apartments.
Mangrove, Cedar and Moor are already 100% complete, with handover scheduled for the second half of 2026. Only larger apartments remain on sale: two-bedroom apartments at Mangrove from AED 2,856,888, three-bedroom apartments at Cedar from AED 3,784,888 and at Moor from AED 4,087,888. The Cove II nearby is taller at 22 floors, and still has one-bedroom apartments from AED 1,780,000.
The next wave: towers through 2030
The third wave consists of high-rise towers. Completion dates are furthest away, and this is where you find the most affordable one-bedroom apartments. Silva has 47 floors and is due for completion in Q3 2029; a 68.75 m² one-bedroom apartment starts at AED 1,790,888. Altan and Albero at Green Gate are two 53-floor towers with the same starting price of AED 1,813,888. Valia has 55 floors and is due in 2030; construction has not yet begun.
Valo and ALTUS are closer to completion: 66% and 64% complete, with completion dates in 2028 and early 2029. The apartments remaining for sale have two and three bedrooms. Montiva by Vida and Lyvia by Palace are launched under Emaar's hospitality brands, both completing in 2029.
The price of entry
The median entry price for new developments in the district is about AED 2.86 million. That is close to Business Bay, where the median is around AED 2.8 million, and notably less than Downtown at AED 4.1 million and Dubai Marina at AED 4.5 million. Compare other districts across the city in "How Much It Costs to Enter Dubai's Property Market".
The ‘from’ price is always for the smallest available apartment in a development. At Silva, that is a 1-bedroom apartment of 69 m²; at ALTUS, it is a 3-bedroom apartment of 148 m². It is fairer to compare the price per square metre. On that basis, the area is surprisingly consistent: almost all new developments fall between 23.8 and 28.3 thousand dirhams per square metre. Only Mangrove and Creek Haven cost more, while the completed The Grand stands apart.
Completed buildings, including Mangrove, have a different schedule: 20% on booking and 80% on handover.
In addition to the price, the buyer pays the 4% Dubai Land Department registration fee and, after handover, an annual service charge. For most new buildings in the district, it is AED 183 per m² per year. At Aeon, Valo, ALTUS, Cedar and Mangrove, it is AED 215 per m² per year. We explained how it works in our article on the costs of owning an apartment. Emaar uses one payment plan here for under-construction buildings: 10% on booking, 70% during construction and 20% on handover. We explained how to read it in our article on developer payment plans.
A waterfront district instead of a famous address: a case from our practice
Here is an example from Dubai. Our client Anna was looking for an apartment of up to $500,000 that would generate at least $3,000 a month, and she considered Dubai Marina and Downtown. In established, well-known areas, such an apartment would bring in no more than $2,500.
We suggested a 1-bedroom, 70 m² apartment in a developing waterfront area and negotiated a 10% discount with the developer: $450,000 instead of $500,000. The apartment is rented out for short stays and brings in $3,800 a month.
There is one lesson from this example that is particularly relevant to Creek Harbour. A district still under construction is priced below an established address with the same water views. What you pay for is time: the metro, mall and tower are still to come.
What you don’t see at a viewing
Who it suits and who it doesn't
| What matters to you | Which development | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Smaller budget | The Cove II, Silva | One-bedroom apartments from AED 1.78m and AED 1.79m |
| Move in now | The Grand | Completed in 2022, located on Creek Island |
| Low-rise building | Mangrove, Cedar, Moor | 8-11 storeys, 100% complete |
| Park and water nearby | Aeon | By Central Park and the urban beach, completing in 2028 |
| Long payment plan | Altan, Albero, Valia | Payments spread out until completion in 2029-2030 |
| Hotel brand | Montiva by Vida, Lyvia by Palace | Emaar hotel brands, completing in 2029 |
Who it is not for. Anyone who needs a metro station on their doorstep today. Anyone looking for a beach by the sea: there is a creek and a lagoon here, and the sea is far away. Anyone wanting a choice of developers: there is only one in the district. Read our guide to freehold ownership to learn how foreign ownership works in the Emirates.
Buying mistakes
Quick answers
Where is Dubai Creek Harbour?
On the shore of Dubai Creek, by the Ras Al Khor Wildlife Sanctuary, across the water from Downtown. Burj Khalifa is around a 10-minute drive away, and the airport about 15 minutes.
Who is building the district?
Emaar, the developer of Burj Khalifa and Dubai Mall, is building the entire district. Until 2022, it was a joint project with Dubai Holding. In August 2022, Emaar bought the project outright for AED 7.5bn.
How much does an apartment in Dubai Creek Harbour cost?
We will calculate the price for the apartment you are looking for.
Has Dubai Creek Tower been built?
No. The foundations were completed in May 2018, then the project was redesigned. The tender has been postponed and there is no completion date for the tower.
Is there a metro station in the district?
Not yet. The Blue Line, including a station in the district, is under construction and is due to open on 9 September 2029. For now, people travel here by car and on the RTA ferry at AED 2 per stop.
How do you pay for an apartment under construction?
New Emaar buildings in the district use a 10/70/20 plan: 10% on booking, 70% during construction and 20% on handover. On top of that, there is a 4% Dubai Land Department fee. By law, the money goes into the building's escrow account.
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