About Meydan

Meydan City Corporation is a public corporation wholly owned by the Government of Dubai. Dubai Law No. 5 of 2009 established the corporation, and Law No. 7 of 2024 provides its current legal basis.

In March 2024, the Ruler of Dubai directed the incorporation of Meydan and Nakheel into Dubai Holding. Current residential collections are presented through Dubai Holding Real Estate and Nakheel.

District One and District 11

District One spans 45 million sq ft and includes freehold villas, waterfront residences, plots and 14 km of shoreline. Current projects within the collection include District One West and Naya at District One.

District 11 Opal Gardens is presented as a community of 435 villas and semi-detached villas. Construction progress is published on Nakheel's official site.

Canal Front Residences

Canal Front Residences is a waterfront apartment development beside Dubai Water Canal — the project GRAF sells on this page. Nakheel maintains a dedicated official handover page for the project. For how it compares with other Dubai waterfront addresses, see our off-plan buyer's guide.

Wider Meydan destination

Meydan also includes the racecourse, leisure and business activity. Meydan Free Zone is a separate business within the wider destination and is distinct from residential development.

Integrated Dubai communities centred on District One, District 11 and Meydan

Master developerCommunitiesWaterfrontDistrict oneDubai

Who owns Meydan?

Meydan City Corporation is a public corporation wholly owned by the Government of Dubai. Dubai Law No. 5 of 2009 established it with legal personality and financial and administrative autonomy; Law No. 7 of 2024 amended Articles 2, 3, 5, 8, 9 and 11 of that law and allows the corporation to delegate functions to Dubai Holding under a franchise agreement approved by its Chairman, who is appointed by the Ruler. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum directed the incorporation of Nakheel and Meydan into Dubai Holding on 16 March 2024, and the same directive abolished the boards of both companies. Meydan now signs its releases as a member of Dubai Holding Real Estate.

Source: Government of Dubai — Law No. 7 of 2024 amending Law No. 5 of 2009 establishing the Meydan City Corporation · UAE Government Media Office — incorporation of Nakheel and Meydan into Dubai Holding, 16 March 2024 · Dubai Holding — Nakheel and Meydan incorporation, 16 March 2024

Track record

Buildings that made the name

  1. 01 Meydan Racecourse Opened 27 March 2010 as the permanent home of the Dubai World Cup, replacing Nad Al Sheba. Grandstand 1.6 km, seating capacity over 60,000. 2010 completed
  2. 02 The Meydan Hotel The first five-star trackside hotel, built into the grandstand and opened with it. 2010 completed
  3. 03 District One Launched as the first phase of Mohammed Bin Rashid City, a low-density villa community developed by Meydan and Sobha. Launched 2013
  4. 04 Crystal Lagoon, District One Crystal Lagoons published the lagoon at 100 acres and over 7 kilometres, the largest crystalline lagoon it had built. Published 2020
  5. 05 Naya at District One AED 529 million construction contract awarded on 15 January 2025 for three towers and 456 apartments. Contract awarded 2025
  6. 06 District One West, Phase Two Contract worth over AED 1 billion awarded on 20 January 2025 for 229 villas. Contract awarded 2025
  7. 07 District 11 Opal Gardens Building Completion Certificates secured for 204 of the 435 homes; both phases above 99% at the inspection of 11 June 2026. 99% complete, 2026

Meydan track record

Meydan Racecourse opened
27 March 2010
Grandstand 1.6 km, seating capacity over 60,000
Homes at District 11 Opal Gardens
435
Phase 1 at 99.92% and Phase 2 at 99.23%, inspection 11 June 2026
Building Completion Certificates at Opal Gardens
204 villas
Meters installed and energised for all villas
Apartments under construction at Naya, District One
456
Three towers G+20, G+12, G+16; completion targeted Q3 2027
Villas under construction at District One West Phase Two
229
Four, five and six bedrooms; completion targeted Q1 2028
Construction contracts awarded in January 2025
Over AED 1.5bn
AED 529m for Naya on 15 January, over AED 1bn for District One West Phase Two on 20 January

Delivered assets and homes under construction are counted separately and are never added together. Contract values name one project or phase, not a company total.Progress percentages are the figures Nakheel publishes for Dubai Holding Real Estate, with the inspection date attached.

What Meydan is known for

Grandstand at Meydan Racecourse
1.6 km
Racecourse seating capacity
Over 60,000
Crystal Lagoon at District One
Over 7 km long
Homes at District 11 Opal Gardens
435
Construction contracts awarded in January 2025
Over AED 1.5bn
Owner
Government of Dubai, within Dubai Holding since 2024

Racecourse dimensions come from Dubai Racing Club and the Emirates Racing Authority. Lagoon figures are published by Crystal Lagoons.Home counts and contract values come from Dubai Holding's press office and Nakheel's construction-progress pages.

District One West Phase Two reflects our commitment to redefining luxury living within this master development.
Khalid Al Malik Chief Executive Officer, Dubai Holding Real Estate Dubai Holding, 20 January 2025

Where Meydan builds

Canal Front ResidencesApartments in DubaiVillas in DubaiTownhouses in DubaiHandover in 2027

Current projects via GRAF

Canal Front Residences — Dubai Water Canal, Al Safa

Canal Front Residences

Dubai Water Canal, Al Safa

From AED 3.33M

View project →

How Meydan differs from other Dubai developers

Meydan was created by a Dubai law, not by a founder, and its first asset was a racecourse rather than a tower. The residential portfolio grew outward from that destination into Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum City.

Created by legislation
Dubai Law No. 5 of 2009 established Meydan City Corporation as a public corporation wholly owned by the Government of Dubai. Law No. 7 of 2024 amended it.
Owned by the emirate's holding company
A subsidiary of Dubai Holding since 16 March 2024, when the boards of Meydan and Nakheel were abolished by directive.
Built around a sporting venue
Meydan Racecourse opened on 27 March 2010 with a 1.6 km grandstand and seating for over 60,000, and it still anchors the district.
Develops with a partner in District One
District One launched in 2013 as a joint venture of Meydan and Sobha, with a 40-hectare Crystal Lagoons lagoon at its centre.
Publishes construction progress by phase
Nakheel prints dated percentages for each Meydan project: Opal Gardens Phase 1 at 99.92% and Naya at 46.07% at the inspection of 11 June 2026.
Reports by project, not by consolidated accounts
Meydan has no listed shares, and Dubai Holding reports the group rather than Meydan alone. What it does publish are dated project figures — contract values, unit counts and construction percentages — rather than an annual report.
Why GRAF recommends Meydan

GRAF sells Canal Front Residences on the Dubai Water Canal at Al Safa — Meydan suits a buyer who wants a waterfront apartment address whose handover status is already published, from a developer answerable to the Government of Dubai.

What the record shows
  1. The handover page is already liveCanal Front Residences already carries a Nakheel handover page — unlike Naya and District One West Phase Two, which are still under construction with a targeted completion quarter.
  2. The corporation is set out in law, not a brochureDubai Law No. 5 of 2009, amended by Law No. 7 of 2024, establishes Meydan City Corporation as wholly owned by the Government of Dubai — read in full, not summarised.
  3. The wider Meydan platform has a public construction recordNakheel publishes dated, phase-by-phase construction percentages for Meydan's other communities — a level of disclosure most private Dubai developers don't offer.

GRAF editorial team

Meydan — frequently asked questions

Who owns Meydan?

Meydan City Corporation is a public corporation wholly owned by the Government of Dubai, established by Dubai Law No. 5 of 2009 and amended by Law No. 7 of 2024. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum incorporated Meydan and Nakheel into Dubai Holding on 16 March 2024, and the boards of both companies were abolished by the same directive.

Source: Government of Dubai — Law No. 7 of 2024

When was Meydan founded?

Dubai Law No. 5 of 2009 established Meydan City Corporation. Meydan Racecourse opened a year later, on 27 March 2010.

Source: Government of Dubai — Law No. 7 of 2024

What did Meydan build?

Meydan built Meydan Racecourse, opened on 27 March 2010 with a 1.6 kilometre grandstand and seating for more than 60,000, together with The Meydan Hotel inside it. In 2013 it launched District One in Mohammed Bin Rashid City as a joint venture with Sobha.

Source: Dubai Racing Club — Meydan Racecourse

What is District One?

District One is a low-density villa community in Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum City, launched in 2013 as a joint venture of Meydan and Sobha. Crystal Lagoons built its 40-hectare lagoon, which the company publishes at over seven kilometres long.

Source: Crystal Lagoons — Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum City lagoon, 15 January 2020

What is Meydan building now?

Naya at District One is 456 apartments in three towers of G+20, G+12 and G+16, on an AED 529 million contract with Bhatia General Contracting, targeted for Q3 2027. District One West Phase Two is 229 villas on a contract of over AED 1 billion with Ginco General Contracting, targeted for Q1 2028.

Source: Dubai Holding — District One West Phase Two contract, 20 January 2025

How far along is District 11 Opal Gardens?

Opal Gardens covers 435 homes in two phases. At the internal inspection of 11 June 2026, Phase 1 stood at 99.92% and Phase 2 at 99.23%. Building Completion Certificates were secured for 204 villas and meters were energised across the community.

Source: Nakheel — District 11 Opal Gardens construction progress

Does Meydan publish financial results?

Meydan has no shares traded on an exchange and publishes no financial statements. Dubai Holding does not report Meydan results separately. The figures Meydan publishes are project figures: contract values, unit counts and construction percentages with an inspection date.

Source: Dubai Holding — Nakheel and Meydan incorporation, 16 March 2024

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Official sources
Meydan collection — Dubai Holding Real EstateGovernment of Dubai — Law No. 7 of 2024 establishing Meydan City CorporationMeydan Racecourse — WikipediaMeydan Racecourse — Wikidata (Q7836567)Dubai Holding — parent groupDubai Racing Club — Meydan Racecourse
About this profile

Maintained by the GRAF editorial team from public sources and our own project data. Updated 20 August 2026. Contact us

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