Mystery in the Hills of Jebel Ali

Despite the fact that several hundred freehold villas had finished being built long ago, they still remain 'mysteriously' uninhabited and no local papers have ventured to find out why.

Nakheel (self-proclaimed builders of the "vision of Dubai") the company behind these villas set on rolling sandy hills in Jebel Ali has also been eerily silent on the issue, so it was with interest that I read the following article about the 208-villa hillside ghost town.

The sale on these villas are on hold currently,” said a Nakheel sales representative, when approached by Arabian Business. Currently we are not selling these villas. It has not been said as to when they will be up on sale again, but as of now until further notice, it’s on hold.”




After the launch of the Garden View Villas sales drive two years ago, Nakheel claimed to have sold over 200 of the villas on a freehold basis. But since the initial batch of tenants were relocated when the cracks first appeared on the buildings, the powers that be at Nakheel have stopped sales.