Dubai Creek Harbour

Location

On Dubai Creek, beside the Ras Al Khor Wildlife Sanctuary^[2][7]

Developer

Emaar Properties, in a joint venture with Dubai Holding^[1]

Launched

November 15, 2014 (first sales, Dubai Creek Residences)^[1]

Area

6 square kilometers; 7.4 million square meters of residential space and 500,000 square meters of parks, according to Emaar^[1][22]

First handover

Dubai Creek Residences, 872 homes in six towers, scheduled for the first quarter of 2019^[7]

Population

An estimated 40,000 residents (Gulf News)^[16]

Dubai Creek Tower

Foundations finished in 2017; redesigned; construction tender delayed by three to four months in June 2026^[6][9][13]

Overview

Dubai Creek Harbour is a waterfront district on Dubai Creek developed by Emaar Properties in a joint venture with Dubai Holding, with Emaar managing the project.^[1] It covers six square kilometers, which Emaar describes as nearly twice the size of Downtown Dubai.^[7] Emaar puts its planned residential space at 7.4 million square meters, with 500,000 square meters of parks and open space.^[22] Gulf News estimated its population at 40,000 in May 2026.^[16]

0:13 Dubai Creek Harbour in January 2025 Emaar's destination update, January 2025: the creek front, the marina, the Vida hotel and the finished towers of the district.

Sales began in November 2014, and the first homes were scheduled for handover in early 2019.^[1][7] The district was planned around Dubai Creek Tower, an observation tower designed by Santiago Calatrava that was promoted as taller than the Burj Khalifa; its foundations were finished in 2017, but the tower has since been redesigned and, as of June 2026, its construction tender had been postponed.^[6][9][13]

Location

The district lies on Dubai Creek, next to the Ras Al Khor Wildlife Sanctuary, a protected wetland of mangroves known for its flamingos and migratory birds.^[2][7] Emaar says the sanctuary covers 10.13 square kilometers, is listed under the Ramsar Convention as a wetland of international importance, and supports more than 20,000 water birds of 201 species.^[3] According to Emaar, the district is about 10 minutes by car from Downtown Dubai and from Dubai International Airport.^[2]

History

The project was launched as Dubai Creek Harbour at The Lagoons, on a site of about six million square meters.^[1] Its first project, Dubai Creek Residences, was a cluster of six towers, and sales of two of them, with more than 240 apartments, opened on November 15, 2014 in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Doha.^[1] The 2014 announcement described a wider plan with cultural, educational, healthcare, leisure and retail buildings.^[1]

In August 2018 Emaar said Dubai Creek Residences, the first project on the part of the district it calls Creek Island, would be handed over in the first quarter of 2019, with nearly 90% of construction done.^[7] The company said the 872 homes would house more than 4,000 residents and that Creek Island would eventually hold more than 33,500 people, linked to the mainland by three bridges.^[7] At the same time it listed seven more apartment projects, among them Creekside 18, Harbour Views and Creek Horizon, for handover in 2020.^[7][8]

On March 12, 2026, during the regional war with Iran, a drone believed to be Iranian fell on a residential tower with hotel services in Dubai Creek Harbour at about 2:45 a.m.^[23] The Dubai Media Office said the impact caused a minor fire that firefighters brought under control, residents were evacuated, and no injuries were reported.^[23]

Dubai Creek Tower

In February 2016 Gulf News reported that Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum had approved the tower's design by the Spanish-Swiss architect Santiago Calatrava, chosen from six competing firms, with its height to be announced later.^[4] Calatrava's studio describes a slender stem with an oval bud at the top holding observation decks, a form based on the lily and the outline of a minaret.^[21] Emaar says Sheikh Mohammed marked the start of work in October 2016.^[5]

0:13 Sheikh Mohammed breaks ground on the tower Gulf Business, October 2016: Sheikh Mohammed unveils the plaque for The Tower at Dubai Creek Harbour, with piling rigs behind.

0:13 Calatrava's original tower design Emaar's 2016 animation of the original Calatrava design: the cable-stayed spire over the creek and the observation decks in its top.

The National reported in August 2017 that the foundation, built on 145 barrette piles, had been completed in May of that year, and gave the tower's planned height as 928 meters, 100 meters more than the Burj Khalifa.^[6] Emaar said in August 2018 that concrete for the pile cap had been placed in May 2018, two months ahead of schedule.^[5][7]

0:13 Pouring the tower's foundation Emaar's construction update, September 2017: the excavated site, concrete batching and the round-the-clock pour of the tower's foundation.

Little visible progress followed. In August 2023 Emaar's founder, Mohamed Alabbar, said the tower was being redesigned, and The National noted that not much had been done on it in recent years.^[9] In February 2024 Alabbar said a new design had been approved and that the tower would not be as tall as the Burj Khalifa, calling the new tower the female counterpart to it.^[10]

On January 14, 2026 Alabbar told a project management forum in Dubai that the construction tender for the redesigned tower would be issued within three months, without giving its height or cost.^[11][12] In June 2026 Zawya Projects, citing Emarat Al Youm, reported that Emaar had delayed the tender by three to four months because port closures had raised the cost of materials, with Alabbar saying the company would then re-evaluate the tower's pricing.^[13] No height, cost or completion date for the new design had been published in those reports.^[11][13]

Master plan and amenities

Emaar's community page lists Dubai Creek Marina, waterfront promenades, a beach, schools, healthcare and retail among the district's features.^[22] Dubai Square, a large mall and retail district first announced in 2018 and revised in 2024, is under construction there; Gulf News reported in November 2025 that Alabbar expected it to open within three years and that it would be linked to the planned tower.^[14]

Transport

The Dubai Metro Blue Line will have a station in the district, named Emaar Properties Station, which at 74 meters is planned to be the tallest metro station in the world.^[15][16] Sheikh Mohammed laid the foundation stone for it in June 2025, and The National reported that the line is scheduled to be finished in 2029, crossing Dubai Creek on a 1.3-kilometer bridge.^[15]

Homes and sales

The housing is mostly apartments in mid-rise and high-rise towers, with penthouses in some buildings, all developed by Emaar.^[19][20] Emaar's sales page says the district recorded 4,225 property transactions in 2024.^[19] In the first half of 2026, Morgan's International Realty counted 355 branded-residence transactions worth Dh1.04 billion in Dubai Creek Harbour, third behind Meydan and Downtown Dubai, Khaleej Times reported.^[17] Springfield Properties named it among the most active locations of the third quarter of 2026.^[18]

1:18 New projects under construction Emaar's January 2025 update: building sites for Aeon and Aria, the DCH canal, Cove 2 and Creek Waters.

On November 6, 2026, Homes.me listed 22 off-plan projects in the district, all by Emaar, with starting prices from AED 1.23 million and listed handover dates from 2022 to 2030.^[20]

1. November 15, 2014 Sales open for Dubai Creek Residences, the first project.^[1]
2. February 2016 Santiago Calatrava's design for Dubai Creek Tower is approved.^[4]
3. October 2016 Work on the tower begins.^[5]
4. May 2017 The tower's foundation is completed.^[6]
5. Q1 2019 Scheduled handover of the first 872 homes.^[7]
6. August 2023 Alabbar says the tower is being redesigned.^[9]
7. June 2025 Foundation stone laid for the Blue Line's Emaar Properties Station.^[15]
8. January 14, 2026 Alabbar says the tower's tender will come within three months.^[11]
9. March 12, 2026 A drone falls on a residential tower in the district; no injuries are reported.^[23]
10. June 2026 The tender is reported delayed by three to four months over costs.^[13]