02/06/2023
What happened to Palm Deira – Dubai’s largest palm island?
The full story, from 2004 until now
Back in 2001, long before the Burj Khalifa stood, Dubai planned to put itself on the world map with two man-made islands. Shaped like palm trees, the Dubai Palm Islands was a hugely ambitious project helmed by developers Nakheel.
While you now know Palm Jumeirah as one of the city’s top leisure destinations and you’ve heard that Palm Jebel Ali’s construction has restarted, another Palm Island was announced in 2004.
The third and largest Palm Island was Deira Palm. Originally set to be completed in 2015, you might be wondering what happened to it.
Still standing today, Deira Palm took a different trajectory to its neighbouring Palm Islands. To explain
what happened to Deira Palm, let’s go back to the beginning…
When did the Dubai Islands project start?
n 2004, the team at Nakheel (which was a private company back then) were busy working on their trilogy of artificial islands across the city’s coastline. Comprising of Palm Jumeirah, Palm Jebel Ali and Deira Palm.
Construction started in 2001 on Palm Jumeirah and Palm Jebel Ali in 2002. In 2004, Nakheel announced the final island and a year later, work on Palm Deira began.
What was Palm Deira supposed to be?
Palm Deira was planned to be the biggest man-made island in the country. Spread over 49 million sqm, the island required 60 percent more sand to be built than Palm Jumeirah.
It was to extend out from the Deira Corniche, with the extension becoming a “major destination in its own right”.
When did work stop on the Dubai Islands?
Palm Jumeirah was completed in 2007 and the first residents began to move on to the man-made isle soon after.
By the time it was completed, Palm Jebel Ali was 90 percent reclaimed, with the palm-shaped isle (twice the size of Palm Jumeirah) visible from an aerial view and Palm Deira was said to be a quarter of the way reclaimed.
The financial crash of 2007-2008, saw work on Palm Jebel Ali and Palm Deira coming to a halt.
What happened to Palm Deira?
After construction halted in 2007, the Palm Deira project lay dormant for six years. In 2013, Nakheel rebranded the project to be known as the Deira Islands.
Moving away from the palm tree shape, the Deira Islands were planned to comprise three man-made islands. On the island, there was a night souk planned and a huge Deira Mall.
In 2022, the former Palm Deira and then Deira Islands were rebranded as Dubai Islands.
You might also like: How the Palm Jebel Ali might look when complete
Palm Deira: Everything we know about Dubai Islands
The first island is already populated and open to the public, with Souk Al Marfa and Centara Mirage Beach Resort being popular destinations to visit.
Once complete, the Dubai Islands will soon consist of five islands, covering a total of 17sqkm. According to Dubai Media Office, it will be home to 80 hotels, parks and a golf course.
Deira Central will be the Dubai Islands’ crown jewel, which will be home to residential properties and entertainment outlets. The Deira Mall is also hotly anticipated to become one of the city’s biggest malls
