Al Ain: Real Estate in the UAE's Desert Oasis City

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July 14, 2024

This is another article in our series of writing about the UAE. Al Ain is one of the most important cities in the United Arab Emirates, as it stands on the highway between Abu Dhabi and Muscat-Seeb agglomeration of Oman. However, before we provide an overview of Al Ain's districts and neighborhoods, some context about its history and location would be useful to the reader.

Founded in 1971, the UAE itself is an extremely recent political polity. But the northeastern Arabian Peninsula region that the UAE currently inhabits has a far richer and longer history. Al-Ain is considered to be one of the Emirates' oldest permanently inhabited settlements, with evidence of human habitation going back at least 4,000 years. In areas such as Hili, evidence of the agricultural revolution and some modern state building was noted. There are ancient tombs and irrigation systems around the city dating back to the Bronze Age.

Currently, the city of Al Ain is not so far from its historic roots, and it is known for a more earthy cityscape than the futuristic glass and steel towers of Dubai and Abu Dhabi. Al Ain is known as the “Garden City” colloquially due its springs and green areas. The city's most important oasis is has an irrigation system that has seen use for centuries, which predates by far the establishment of the UAE. But Al Ain is the birthplace of the late founding father of the UAE, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan. Besides that, it stands along an important trading route between the UAE and Oman and the wider eastern Arabian Peninsula.

Interesting historical landmarks within the city limits include the Al Ain National Musuem, the fort of Al Jahili, and several UNESCO protected sites such as the Hili Park, Bidaa Bint Saud tombs, and the Oasis of the city’s namesake.

Photo credit: Grand Mercure Hotel, Al Ain

Uploaded to iStock by Jeff Kingma April 2022

Now, I will write about its districts and real estate market:

1) Al Ghadeer

This is considered one of the cheaper areas of Al Ain. Amenities for locals and tourists are bountiful, with hotels, restaurants and other facilities being common, thus it is a mixed-use district, albeit with a lack of public transportation.

Real estate prices for apartments (there are no villas in this district) start from 300,000 AED ($81,678), with monthly rents being around 2,000 ($545) to 2,500 AED ($681).

2) Al Bateen

A much more expensive and classy district than Al Ghadeer, villas dot the landscape here with greenspace to spare. There are several apartment complexes of high quality. It is also located by the sea, so there are several resorts in this district. Service facilities are not lacking, the main landmarks here are the Palace and the Marina. Fishermen also live by as this is one of the main fishing ports of the country

The prices for the villas start at 7 million AED ($1.9 million), while the rent or purchase prices for apartments are not so different from those in the multi-family buildings of Al Ghadeer.

Photo credit: Night view from Mount Hafeet in Al Ain

Uploaded to iStock by pespiero July 2023

3) Al Foah

This small oasis and green area is located near Al Hili Archeological Park, there are hospitals, schools, and other amenities in the area. There is also no lack for public transportation as Emirates Transport organizes bus routes. There are also villas here, with similar property values to Al Bateen.

4) Al Maqam

This is a district inhabited by many students, full of educational facilities, such as the UAE University, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, and the Fatima College of Health Sciences. there are also expensive amenities and social gatherings in the area, such as the Al Ayn Equestrian, Shooting and Golf club.

Since it is inhabited by students mostly, the real estate here is quite cheap, with apartments valuations starting at 100,000 AED ($27,225), however, rents are completely different as landlords wish to make a profit on their property, with rent starting at 4 to 4.5K AED ($1,225) a month.

5) Al Jimi

A mostly green area which can be considered a suburban district. There is nothing unique about this area, except that it's quiet. Real estate valuation does not change much compared to the previously discussed districts.

Photo credit: Al Ain Wildlife Park and Resort entrance

Uploaded to iStock by Jeff Kingma April 2022

6) Manaseer

Another quiet suburb located at the outskirts of Al Ain at a distance of 15 kilometers , the only notable landmark here is that the city Zoo is located in this area at the foot of Jebel Hafeet. The full name of the zoopark is Al Ain Wildlife Park and Resort. Valuations for apartment complexes nearby remain roughly the same as in Al Jimi.

7) Jahili

One of the oldest districts of Al Ain, here the fort and the park of the districts name are located, real estate does not differ much from the previous districts.

8) Al Sarooj

A District more known for relaxing and as a “vacation” spot, famous hotel chains such as the Hilton and Danat have hotels in the area, and there are some fun activities you can do in the area, there are more amenities in the area that caters for the entertainment of its residents.

9) Bida Bin Ammar

A quiet and cheap district, mostly inhabited by the middle class, there's not much to say about this area, real estate valuation does not also differ much from other districts.

Photo credit: Al Ain necropolis, looking toward the mountains

Uploaded to iStock by Stefano Barzellotti September 2021

To sum up the real estate market in Al Ain:

Al Ain and the surrounding suburbs are considered one of the emerging areas in the UAE, as the firm that is managing the real estate market in Al Ain (originally known as Seba Properties, now as Al Ain Properties) is one of the largest real estate companies in the country, its portfolio spanning across four continents

The average price for properties, when calculated, are as follows:

• 2 bedroom apartments can start from 2.8 million AED ($762,320)
• 3 bedroom apartments starting from 4.3 million AED ($1.17 million)
• 4 bedroom ones cost over 9.5 million AED ($2.59 million)
• penthouses in the apartment complexes can go up to 30 million AED ($8.17 million)
• five bedroom penthouses start from 28 million AED ($7.62 million)

Up and Coming Major Projects Around the Al Ain Area and Highway to Abu Dhabi

There are several important development projects that are on-going in Al Ain, such as the Al Bateen Residences at JBR – with 304 apartments to boast, it is considered a successful project with high potential due to its strategic location.

Another developmental project is the Address Beach Residences, a two-tower real estate property located in Jumeriah Beach, with 77 levels to its name and standing over 300 meters tall. A third project is the Q Residencies – which already was finished for over four years, the Q Residencies has 35 apartments and is over 8 stories tall, it can also house staff and other commercial needs, as it boasts 132 staff rooms which can house at least 550 workers.

The configuration of these properties varies depending on the level and the need of the investor, with anywhere from one bedroom to five bedroom units being built.

There are other commercial projects, such as DoubleTree by Hilton, which offers 110 suites and the perimeter consisting of a 1.7 kilometer front by the sea, the hotel is over 24 levels tall.

The awards that Al Ain has to its name in terms of its real estate market are numerous, with awards in the Arabian Property Awards, the Award of Excellence for the CTBUH, and the World Luxury Travel Awards of 2021 being awarded and recorded in the honor of this city.