Al Marmoom, the desert south of Dubai — about 45 minutes from the centre
A one-million-square-metre nature destination in the Al Marmoom desert: a man-made lake, camping, dunes and 14 km of trails. There is no housing in it — what it changes is how the south of Dubai looks.
Al Layan Oasis is being built in the Al Marmoom desert in the south of the emirate, about 45 minutes’ drive from central Dubai. The stated area is around one million square metres, or 10 million sqft. At its centre is a man-made lake of more than 250 000 sq m, surrounded by recreation zones, walking and sports routes.
The project is split into four functional “oases”: events and food, family leisure, camping for up to 100 caravans, and activities with retail and services. Restaurants, a cinema, an amphitheatre, a food court and yoga spaces are part of the plan.
There are 14 km of trails, 4 km of them raised five metres above the ground with views over the oasis. The network joins the existing Al Marmoom trails, so the project plugs into a working desert-leisure zone rather than standing alone in the sand.
This is an emirate project, not a private developer’s: it sits within the Blue and Green Roadmap 2030, the rural-areas development plan, the quality-of-life strategy to 2033 and the Dubai 2040 master plan. Investment is put at AED 4bn and projected attendance at around 330 000 visitors a year.
The first zones may open in 2027–2028. As with any large public project, the dates are worth re-checking as construction moves, rather than building them into a calculation as a given.
You cannot buy a home here: the project has no residential component. Its role is different — it gives content to a territory long summed up as “far away with nothing around”.
The closest communities are the southern ones along Al Qudra Road: Dubailand, The Acres, Town Square and their neighbours. For their residents Al Layan Oasis is one more reason to choose the suburban format — a lake, camping and trails half an hour from home, not just a cycle track and dunes.
It is too early to price the oasis into a particular house. It is better read as a signal: the emirate is investing in outdoor leisure in the south, and demand for family villa communities in this belt gains one more support.
Source of the figures — the project page at the developer.
A 10 million sq ft project with a 2.5 million sq ft artificial lake, camping, 14 km of trails and a target of 330 000 visitors a year. Dubai is turning desert into a standalone economic product — and creating demand for businesses around it.
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Kalba UAE Sharjah on the other coast: the Hajar Mountains, the Khor Kalba mangroves and Gulf of Oman beaches. The emirate is turning Kalba into an eco-destination — retreats, a beach cluster and a rock art centre. A one-million-square-metre nature destination in the Al Marmoom desert: a man-made lake, camping, dunes and 14 km of trails. There is no housing in it — what it changes is how the south of Dubai looks. The developer is Government of Dubai, the location is Dubai. The mix of the project, its economics and how people enter it are broken down above on this page.
In short: Outdoor leisure, Families in the southern suburbs, Watching the south develop. At length — in the write-up above. The project is worth looking at against a specific job: living in it, letting it and reselling it point to different formats inside the same community.
There is no housing in the project, and the 2027–2028 opening is a target, not a guarantee: buy a house “for the oasis” only if it makes sense without it.
The form of ownership is checked on the specific project rather than on the country or the district as a whole: in the UAE freehold zones a foreigner takes full ownership, while some jurisdictions offer only a long leasehold. A remote purchase by power of attorney is ordinary practice. What exactly is being sold here and on what title I will confirm on request, together with current prices and the payment plan.
Send me your budget and what the purchase is for — I will come back with the current price list, the available units, and which of the stated figures need checking against the contract.
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