Tilal Al Ghaf

Location

Junction of Hessa Street and Sheikh Zayed Bin Hamdan Al Nahyan Street, near Dubai Sports City, Dubai^[1][2]

Developer

Majid Al Futtaim^[1][17]

Launched

April 19, 2018^[1][2]

Area

3 million square meters^[1][18]

Homes

3,500 under the 2021 master plan (more than 6,500 planned at launch)^[5][18][1]

Status

Under construction in phases; the developer said in June 2026 that work was on schedule^[17]

Overview

Tilal Al Ghaf is a master-planned community of villas, townhouses and mansions in Dubai, built around a swimmable lagoon by Majid Al Futtaim, the group behind Mall of the Emirates and Ski Dubai.^[1] Launched on April 19, 2018 as the company's first residential project in Dubai, it covers 3 million square meters and takes its name from the ghaf tree, which the developer presented as a symbol of the country's heritage.^[1][2] Majid Al Futtaim's own figures give 3,500 homes, 15,000 residents, a 110,000 square meter recreational lagoon and an RGS school.^[18]

0:03 The lagoon and its first homes The developer's September 2023 progress film opens high over the lagoon, its beach and the rows of finished homes around it, with Dubai's towers in the haze beyond.

The community was first planned with more than 6,500 freehold homes, from apartments to large villas, for completion in 2027.^[1] A revised master plan in late 2021 cut that to 3,500 homes, enlarged the lagoon and added more green space.^[4][5] On November 6, 2026, the listing site Homes.me counted five off-plan projects in the community, all listed under Majid Developments.^[19]

Location

The site lies at the junction of Hessa Street and Sheikh Zayed Bin Hamdan Al Nahyan Street, near Dubai Sports City, according to reports of the 2018 launch.^[1][2] Gulf News described it in 2020 as part of Dubailand.^[3]

History

Majid Al Futtaim announced Tilal Al Ghaf on April 19, 2018 as an AED 14 billion investment to be built over ten years in four walkable neighborhoods.^[1][2] The first two, Serenity and Harmony, went on sale at once: Serenity with 40 five- and six-bedroom villas facing the lagoon, Harmony with homes from single-story bungalows to three-story villas.^[1] The first phase was put at 800 homes priced from AED 6 million to AED 16 million, with completion planned for the end of 2020.^[2]

0:14 Townhouse streets from above The same film looks straight down on streets of townhouses, gardens and a community pool, then pulls back over the neighborhood.

In September 2020 the developer said a third release of homes in the Elan neighborhood, 322 three- and four-bedroom homes, had sold within 48 hours, after the first two releases sold out within seven days.^[21][3] Gulf News, citing estate agents' websites, reported prices from Dh1.2 million, and said the first handovers were scheduled for December 2022.^[3]

On December 1, 2021, Majid Al Futtaim Communities published an enhanced master plan with a lagoon 50% larger, 20% more greenery and a new waterfront neighborhood, Lagoon Islands.^[4] Zawya reported that the plan reduced the community from the 6,500 homes and 1.4 million square meters of floor area allowed in 2020 to 3,500 homes and 1 million square meters.^[5] Chief executive Hawazen Esber said the plan set "a new benchmark for luxurious and sustainable living in Dubai."^[4]

Later launches moved toward larger homes. Elysian Mansions, launched in March 2022, offered 92 five- and six-bedroom villas in two phases, priced from Dh18 million to Dh35 million at the sales center, The National reported.^[6] In late October 2022 the developer began Lanai Island, a private island in the lagoon with 13 mansions designed by SAOTA with interiors by Kelly Hoppen, the first phase of a concept it called Island Estates.^[7][8][9] Serenity Mansions, 106 six- and seven-bedroom mansions, followed in November 2023, and Plagette 32, 28 Club Villas and four Water Bungalows beside a beach club run by Sunset Hospitality, was announced on November 28, 2023.^[12][20][13]

0:30 Elysian Mansions at handover The developer's August 2026 handover film passes the Elysian Mansions sign and walks through a finished mansion's double-height rooms, staircase, terraces and pool, ending on the neighborhood's gardens.

On January 23, 2024, Majid Al Futtaim awarded contracts worth AED 3 billion for two neighborhoods: Innovo Build for 94 Elysian Mansions villas and Unec for Alaya, 130 villas across 200,000 square meters, both due by mid-2026.^[14] In April 2025 Dutco Construction won a contract worth AED 1.5 billion for 109 mansions in the Serenity Mansions cluster, MEED reported.^[16] In June 2026 the company denied foreign media reports that it had delayed handovers because of the regional war that began on February 28, calling its notices to buyers "standard procedural notifications" that did not change delivery timelines.^[17]

0:28 Alaya at handover The developer's August 2026 film of Alaya North's handover drives through its finished streets, tours a villa's rooms and pool, and ends on aerial views of the neighborhood's gardens and pools.

Master plan and lagoon

The 2018 plan centered on Lagoon Al Ghaf, a 70,000 square meter swimmable lagoon with 400 meters of beach and 1.5 kilometers of waterfront, inside about 355,000 square meters of landscaped open space with 18 kilometers of walking trails and 11 kilometers of cycle paths.^[1][2] It also promised a school for up to 2,000 pupils, three nurseries, a clinic and a boutique hotel, and the developer said Tilal Al Ghaf would be its first Dubai community to seek BREEAM certification.^[2] The 2021 revision raised the lagoon to 10 hectares, added two beach clubs, promised more than 35 parks and set 15 kilometers of cycling and jogging tracks.^[5] By the developer's current figures the lagoon covers 110,000 square meters and it lists more than 25 Majid Al Futtaim retail outlets.^[18]

Homes

The homes were announced as freehold, in a mix of apartments, townhouses, bungalows and villas.^[1] Gulf News called it an all-villa community in 2022.^[7] Lanai Island's Edge mansions have four to eight bedrooms and 30,000 square feet of gross saleable area, and its Shore homes 23,000 square feet with 40 meters of open waterfront each.^[7] Plagette 32's Club Villas have up to five bedrooms over three floors with an elevator, and its Water Bungalows four bedrooms with a roof lounge.^[13]

Prices and sales

Majid Al Futtaim reported gross sales of AED 4.4 billion at Tilal Al Ghaf in 2022, when it recognized AED 1.8 billion of revenue as construction progressed.^[10] It reported AED 4.7 billion of gross sales there in 2023, which it attributed to demand in the luxury and ultra-luxury segments.^[15] Khaleej Times reported in February 2023 that a Lanai Island house had sold for Dh91 million on January 26 of that year, then the highest price recorded in the community.^[9] In May 2023 the developer said a Lanai Island mansion had sold for Dh200 million, the highest price recorded at the project.^[11]

Timeline

1. April 19, 2018 Majid Al Futtaim launches Tilal Al Ghaf, an AED 14 billion community, with the Serenity and Harmony neighborhoods.^[1][2]
2. September 2020 A third release of 322 Elan homes sells within 48 hours.^[3][21]
3. December 1, 2021 An enhanced master plan enlarges the lagoon and lowers the count to 3,500 homes.^[4][5]
4. March 2022 Elysian Mansions, 92 villas, goes on sale.^[6]
5. October 2022 Lanai Island, 13 mansions on a private island, is launched.^[7][8]
6. May 4, 2023 A Lanai Island mansion sells for Dh200 million.^[11]
7. November 2023 Serenity Mansions and Plagette 32 are launched.^[12][13]
8. January 23, 2024 AED 3 billion in contracts are awarded for Elysian Mansions and Alaya.^[14]
9. April 9, 2025 Dutco wins the AED 1.5 billion Serenity Mansions contract.^[16]
10. June 12, 2026 Majid Al Futtaim denies reports of delivery delays.^[17]