A consortium of development partners led by Lebanon-based Erga Group has been selected to undertake the master planning and urban design of the prestigious Al Areen Desert Spa project in Bahrain.

Encompassing an area of 2 million sq m, Al Areen aims to create an authentic desert experience, which will incorporate a first-of-its-kind spa resort, themed residential communities, hotels, a thrilling water park, and commercial and entertainment facilities. 
The project, which is a 25-minute drive from the city centrr of Manama and a 35-minute drive from the Bahrain International Airport, comprises – a world signature spa resort, themed hotels,  residential communities, commercial and  entertainment facilities, and a world class water park. It will be strategically located within the Al Areen Wildlife Sanctuary adjacent to the Bahrain International Circuit.
The spa resort, the heart of the Al Areen project, will be developed as a pioneering development in Bahrain and the region, on an area of 85,000 sq m at an investment of $50 million. It will combine the most modern spa treatments and services with the essence of ancient culture and hospitality, offering an array of therapeutic packages.
The residential communities will encompass various internationally themed neighbourhoods consisting of residential villas and low-rise apartment buildings distributed over different clusters, meticulously designed to revive the beauty and grandeur of traditional, regional, and international architecture. Built on gradually decreasing elevations within the different clusters, the residential community will be set amidst gardens and walkways overlooking the desert landscape and the Al Areen Wildlife Sanctuary. The luxurious villas will vary in size and can be customised to meet the requirements of the buyers.
One of the prime developments of the Al Areen project will be Bahrain’s first world-class water park, ‘The Lost Paradise of Dilmun’ to the northern edge of the development – facing the Bahrain International Circuit (BIC) and overlooking the Al Areen WildLife Sanctuary across 81,000 sq m. The park will be designed to recreate Dilmun, Mesopotamian and Macedonian ruins, ancient artifacts and replicas of real historical sites.
The project is on a fast implementation track with several other key development and investment related announcements scheduled for release in the next few months and is expected to complete in 2008.
For Al Areen, the Erga Group and its international partners Borja + A4 (Chili), Ian Hogan (UK) and Francois Gauthier (France), will provide a complete solution – from the initial concept, master planning and feasibility, to schematic and detailed designs, tendering, site supervision as well as post-contract problem solving.
The project was officially launched in January 2004, under the patronage of Shaikh Abdulla bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Governor of the southern province of Bahrain.