Nujoom, which is the Arabic word for ‘stars’, was first announced in September 2005 at an estimated cost of Dh18 billion as the largest commercial, residential and tourist landmark in Sharjah and the frontrunner of other developments in the emirate.

The project, being developed by the Saudi-headquartered Al Hanoo Holding, one of the biggest real estate development companies in the Middle East, consists of a total of 10 artificial islands with water canals ranging between 100 to 400 m wide.
Said to be the first of its kind in the Middle East in terms of engineering design, Al Nujoom Islands consists of a group of islands that are interconnected with each other and boasts a comprehensive list of top-class facilities including a five-star hotel, residential and commercial towers, villas and townhouses, shopping malls, hospitals and other services and is well connected to the rest of the country.
 This huge project is being developed in three stages. The first stage, which consists of five sections, is equivalent to 20 per cent of the total project area.
The developer is now putting the final touches on the first phase while preparing to begin work on phase two, which will take approximately two and a half years to complete. The entire project is expected to be completed in 2010.
 “Al Nujoom Islands is one of the region’s most comprehensive waterfront projects, and we have made sure that all the necessary services will be in place to provide residents with every advantage in the future. The project includes business, residential, office and green spaces, in addition to ports that cater for large ships as well as smaller fishing and recreational vessels,” says Sheikh Abdullah Fahid Al Shakrah, chairman of Al Hanoo Holding.
Halcrow supervised the main designs of the project.
Excavation has been completed for the waterway, which converted 3 km of the Hamriya coast to land in between the islands, with a 33 km waterfront and ports able to hold 500 vessels of a variety of sizes.
Al Hanoo has specified that 60 per cent of the total project area will be dedicated to canals, as well as green spaces, gardens and parks, while only 40 per cent of the 60 million sq ft will be utilised for buildings and facilities. This makes the project a distinguished landmark in the Gulf in terms of investment size and building area, and especially concerning its strategic and unique location.
Speaking on the reclamation process, Sheikh Abdullah says: “We are using the latest engineering techniques in the reclamation process in order to ensure that the soil quality is uncompromised. Reclamation is done using a layer system, where each layer is 20 cm thick, and is combined together to reach no more than 95 per cent of dry soil density. The whole process goes through various tests using precise settings and high quality standards.
“The company is also in the final stages of steadying the deviation of canal banks to ensure that they stay in place, and will cover these with white beach sand with specific features. The sand will be sorted via a rinsing process which will separate rough grains of sand that are more resistant to drifting, a situation resulting from circulation of water inside the islands canals. This procedure also enhances the aesthetic features of the island banks, providing fantastic views for residents and visitors, and making the project comparable to international high-profile resorts.”
Sheikh Abdullah continues: “The cost of Al Nujoom Islands infrastructure is estimated to be Dh1.2 billion ($326 million), including bridge construction, roads and pavements, installation of electricity power lines and water services.”
The project consists of 13 sections – three mainland areas and 10 islands separated by canals that have been carefully designed according to the highest standards in relation to water circulation in the canals, movement which depends on tidal ebb and flow movements and utilisation of pre-designed schemes without causing any harm to the surrounding nature.
Al Hanoo Holding has recently updated the masterplan for Al Nujoom Islands at a cost of Dh600 million ($163 million). Development of the masterplan required the assistance of top international experts to design the masterplan of the water canals that separate the Al Nujoom Islands in a way that allows water to circulate freely, while at the same time enhancing the level of protection against dangers resulting from various natural phenomena, particularly erosion and interment.
Commenting on the adjustment to the plans, Sheikh Abdullah says, “The decision to make these adjustments to the masterplans for the canals was rooted in our desire to surpass international standards concerning water circulation. Currently, these standards mean that, in a project similar in size and complexity to Al Nujoom Islands, the water circulates completely every 12 to 15 days. Our new masterplan, prepared by Delft International, will allow water to circulate in a much shorter period of nine days.”
“This represents a huge achievement for Al Hanoo, and underlines our commitment to providing our investors with the latest and best in every aspect of our projects, particularly when it relates to endurance and safety. It emphasises the strength of the procedures we have followed in developing the project, provides extra resistance to natural incidents, and guarantees that the project will be a safe oasis in the future and one of the UAE’s most distinguished architectural landmarks,” he adds.
Al Hanoo Holding has also finished linking the islands of the project to the GIS, a space-based radio navigation system that provides reliable positioning, navigation and timing services to users on a continuous worldwide basis.
“Our decision to work on connecting the project’s islands to GIS was a natural one. We used the latest scientific methods to identify locations via satellite, using cutting-edge equipment and technology, with the supervision of navigation experts. This move should help project residents, visitors or remote individuals to always know where they are and be able to find their way to and from Al Nujoom Islands, as well as to any place within the project once it has been completed,” he says.
Al Hanoo Holding Company was established in 1972 and has been active in real estate market in Saudi Arabia and other neighbouring countries. Another major project being developed by the company in Sharjah is Emirates Industrial City project. Al Hanoo has joined hands with Hamad Abdullah Al Zamil Company, Mohammed Abd Al Aziz Company, Al Seedan Real Estate and Kal Development to develop this project.
Emirates Industrial City
Located in the Sajaa industrial district, Emirates Industrial City covers an area of 83 million sq ft and is divided into eight sections. Infrastructure work has been completed for the project, which enjoys a strategic location.
The eight sections have been allocated for warehouses and logistic support; industrial investment areas, which cater to investors’ industrial needs and provide support services; commercial areas for company offices; permanent sale exhibitions for factories; multi-purpose business centres able to host other activities and services; and housing and general services, where the project provides an environment fit for building residential complexes for workers and employees, providing them with basic and social services such as health care and shopping centres.
Emirates Industrial City is conveniently located near Sharjah International Airport, and can be reached via set of main highways. Al Hanoo has provided a full network of paved roads with a width of 25.7 m to offer traffic flexibility across the city. There is also a network of roads of up to 100 m in width to accommodate heavy-duty vehicles surrounding the city.
Last August, Sharjah General Contracting was awarded a contract worth over Dh41 million for the enhancement and expansion of the roads surrounding the city.
Al Hanoo has finished installing Dh1.5 billion ($408 million) worth of basic services, such as water and electricity grids, gas pipes and communications, for the project.