Inside 300 Eerie Dubai Islands Which Are Mostly Empty and Built for the Super Rich

Shutterstock // Markus Mainka

One of the megaprojects that Dubai is known for is the man-made islands called the World Islands. The cost to make them was in the millions of dollars, and some of them were sold to rich people from around the globe. Given the massive price tag on each island, it is also no wonder that some of them are as empty as they were when they were made.

Developing the Islands

Dubai made the islands using Persian Gulf sand placed on top of rocks, and their collective looks like a world map when viewed from the sky. The 300 islands dot an area that is five miles long and range in size from 250,000 to 900,000 square feet. When the project was conceived, the hopes were that rich people would quickly buy all of the islands, but that didn’t happen.

Shutterstock // Sergey Orlov

In 2008, the United Arab Emirates was affected by the financial crisis, and many real estate projects were halted or scaled down. So back then, visitors could only visit one island. Over a decade later, a resort was opened on the islands corresponding to South America. Now, the World Islands are entering the next phase with The Heart of Europe project. It is meant to give each island luxury hotels, floating villas, and private mansions.

The Heart of Europe Is Coming

The Heart of Europe will give its visitors the chance to visit the Raining Street. This is a very peculiar street where artificial rain appears when the temperature hits 80F. The plan is to make the islands corresponding to Europe celebrate the best of the old continent’s lifestyle and design features. The Heart of Europe will be a complex of six islands next to the Dubai coast.

The plan for The Heart of Europe is to use some of the most modern German technology to make the first temperature-controlled streets. The islands will have 16 hotels, but there will also be thousands of residential units. Visitors and residents will be able to enjoy dozens of attractions that will be placed near a coral lagoon. The resort is expected to be completed in 2026.