A Dh25-billion ($6.8 billion) Riviera-style coastal destination that will celebrate Dubai’s maritime heritage while creating a future-ready lifestyle address is set to take shape soon by the historic Dubai Creek in the heart of the city.

The project is the brainchild of leading UAE developer Emaar, which has joined hands with P&O Marinas – a unit of Dubai-based global marine terminal operator DP World – to launch ‘Mina Rashid’.

P&O Marinas made the land available to Emaar and will continue to develop world-class marinas and berthing facilities at the project.

Mina Rashid ... the project will boast a few firsts in the city.

Mina Rashid, which was Dubai’s first modern port,  opened in 1972, realising the vision of the late Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum; it ushered in a new era of prosperity for the city, transforming it into an important port of call between the East and the West, states the developer.

The redevelopment project will boast a few firsts in the city such as ‘The Dubai Mall by the Sea’ – an elite waterfront retail, dining and leisure destination; a floating yacht club; a pristine sandy beach of over 12,600 sq m – the size of about two-and-a-half football fields; and Dubai’s longest swimming pool.

Mina Rashid will have over 430 wet berths, several of which can accommodate the largest yachts in the world and will also catalyse cruise tourism.

Taking place of pride at the mega development is the QE2, the world’s most celebrated ocean liner – now a 13-deck hotel, dining, entertainment and events destination – docked permanently, and offering visitors an interactive exhibition of its glorious heritage from the 1960s, sailing over 5.6 million miles and carrying over 2.5 million passengers, says Emaar.

With a choice of mid-rise waterfront residences, Mina Rashid will have vibrant promenades and a Venetian piazza with retail and food and beverage (F&B) outtlets overlooking the sea. In addition, the development will feature signature hotels, a private beach club, interconnected parks, a 500-m-long palm tree-fringed canal, art galleries, a theatre, museum and more.

Mina Rashid will also be a modern link to the heritage of the city with a direct pedestrian bridge connecting the House of Sheikh Saeed Al Maktoum to a museum and theatre.

The new facilities will also complement the Hamdan bin Mohammed Cruise Terminal, one of the most advanced cruise terminals in the world and the Middle East’s leading cruise destination.

Emaar Properties and Emaar Development chairman Mohammed Alabbar says: “With Mina Rashid, we are creating a future-ready city that honours the legacy of the Al Maktoum family and salutes the farsighted vision of Dubai’s rulers who have consistently built not for now and then but for the future and beyond. The evolution of the city today as a knowledge-based economy, offering significant opportunities across all business sectors, drives demand for world-class developments that will further enhance economic growth.”

Emaar now offers the first opportunity for investors to become part of ‘Mina Rashid’ with the launch of Sirdhana, a limited collection of one-, two- and three-bedroom waterfront apartments and townhouses.

It is named in honour of the British Royal Mail Ship, the first commercial vehicle to dock at Mina Rashid. Located by the main entrance of the promenade and adjacent to the canal pool, Sirdhana will be within walking distance to QE2, a community park and ‘The Dubai Mall by the Sea’.