Al Thuriah, one of Sharjah’s leading property developers, is constructing two high-rise residential projects, which are positioned as the gateway to the UAE emirate.

Easily accessible on Dubai-Sharjah Highway, the projects – Sahara Tower 4 and Sahara Tower 5 – are part of the Sahara Complex, in which apartments are available on a freehold basis to GCC nationals and other Arabs with a UAE resident visa.

Sahara Towers 1, 2 and 3 have already been completed and handed over to the investors.

Construction work is under way at Sahara towers 4 and 5. Tower 5 is currently on the second typical level while Tower 4 is still in the foundation stages.

Describing the project, George Khouzami, operations and commercial manager at Al Thuriah Group, says: “The unique selling point of the project is its proximity to Dubai.

Tower 4 ... a rendition and (below) the lobby.

“Sahara Tower 4 comprises a ground level, six parking levels and 27 typical floors. The tower consists of 297 one-, two-, three- and four-bedroom apartments, ranging in size from 1,080 sq ft to 2,470 sq ft. All the units are spacious with floor-to-ceiling windows and high-end finishing.

“Sahara Tower 5 is smaller in size and comprises a ground level, five parking floors and 15 typical floors offering 135 one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments in sizes ranging from 1,065 sq ft to 2,080 sq ft.”

Work on Sahara Tower 4 is scheduled for completion in May 2017 while Sahara Tower 5 will be ready a year earlier, in May 2016.

“We are a Sharjah-based development company which carries out design, construction and maintenance all of its projects. We have been in the market for 25 years and decided to stay in Sharjah because it is home for us. Sharjah itself offers a lot of perks as it is cultural and family-oriented destination. We are one of the few developers in the emirate who specialise in residential and high-rise towers.”

Established in 1996, Al Thuriah started out as a contracting company and its first project was building the fence around the Lycee George Pompidou School in Sharjah in that year.

From 1996 to 2000, the company focused on small building projects ranging from one to three floors. In the early 2000s, Al Thuriah established a reputation for itself in a prominent real estate venture offering a full spectrum of realty services, ranging from development and construction to sales and management of high-end residential communities, commercial towers, hotels, shopping malls, villas, schools, warehouses and mosques.

The company now deals in properties, construction, facilities management and sub-leasing.

As a property developer, the company has handled more than 15 million sq ft of space in the corporate and retail markets. Its portfolio also includes quality developments for the residential, office and industrial sectors, with some of its projects including the Sahara Complex, Al Ikhlas Tower, Al Thuriah Tower, Future Tower, Beach Tower 2 and 3.

As a contractor, the company has been associated with the Petrofac Tower 1 and 2, and Bank of Sharjah headquarters, to name a few.

Commenting on the market, Khouzami says: “The real industry in Sharjah is not as developed as the one in Dubai but is improving. In Sharjah, there is more supply than demand. In general, the construction sector is looking up as there are several projects and also with a lot of public works going on.”