World Islands
Nakheel's 260 man-made islands off Jumeirah, in seven continent groups. There is no bridge or road, and most islands are still bare sand.
The World: the offshore one
The World is Nakheel's archipelago of 260 man-made islands off the Jumeirah coast, grouped into seven continents. There is no bridge or road. It suits a buyer who wants a holiday home or a rare asset and can wait. It doesn't suit a family: there is no school run from an island.
Most of the activity is on The Heart of Europe, Kleindienst Group's six-island cluster. Its first hotel, Côte d'Azur Monaco, opened at the start of 2023, and Kleindienst puts the cluster 15 minutes from Dubai by boat. The islands' first resort, Anantara's, opened in 2021 and closed in April 2026.
Treat a purchase here as a long hold. Kleindienst said in 2023 that The Heart of Europe would be finished by 2026, after earlier delays, so check what is actually built before paying for anything off-plan. Ask who runs the boats, who pays for them and what happens if the resort next to you closes.
Everything arrives by water: guests, staff, food and building materials. Nakheel says the archipelago added nearly 232 km of beachfront to Dubai's coastline. Plan every errand, and every trip to the airport, as a boat ride followed by a drive.
Be honest about it
Mostly still sand
Most of the 260 islands are undeveloped. The Heart of Europe is the main cluster being built.
Getting there
Boats only, no bridge
There is no bridge or road. Every guest, delivery and member of staff arrives by water.
Who buys here
A long-term bet
Buyers here want an island asset and can wait years for services to follow. It is no place to base a family yet.
Talk to Diamond
Twenty-five years in property, the last of them in Dubai. Ask about a specific building, what a mortgage would look like, or whether a price is fair.
Call or message on WhatsApp:
One-stop shop! My goal was a Golden Visa for my family and my parents. She organised the off-plan purchase, the financing, the visa, and now the rental management — and completed all of it without me ever being in the country. Couldn't ask for better full-service support.
Don't Blink
The World: islands you reach by boat
An archipelago of private islands where the boat is the commute, and most of the map is still open sand.
Arriving
Everything comes by water
No bridge or road. People, food and deliveries all come by boat.
Seven continents
Nakheel grouped the 260 islands into seven sets, one for each continent on the map.
Privacy by water
With no bridge, the only way on is by boat, so nobody wanders in off the street.
The reality
Built in clusters
The Heart of Europe's first hotel opened in 2023. Most other islands are still sand.
Who it suits
Buyers who can wait
A holiday asset or a long hold, not somewhere to live full time with children today.
