Marsa Al Saadiyat is Aldar’s AED 100bn waterfront district on Saadiyat Island, launched on 22 July 2026 and covering 6.4 million square metres. It is the final phase of the Saadiyat Island masterplan: a marina of up to 350 berths, 8 km of waterfront, a 1 km retail and dining promenade, and eventually more than 58,000 residents. It was called Saadiyat Marina District until launch, when the Crown Prince directed the renaming to reflect UAE maritime heritage.
The masterplan in numbers
- Gross development value
- AED 100 billion
- Total area
- 6.4 million sqm640 hectares
- Waterfront
- 8 km
- Beaches
- 5.6 km
- Marina berths
- up to 350Abu Dhabi’s largest marina
- Target population
- more than 58,000 residents
- Walking paths
- around 140 km
- Cycling loop
- 46 km
- Retail and dining promenade
- 1 km
- Central parksingle source
- 73,800 sqm
- Hillside villa elevation
- 22.5 m above the shoreline
- Luxury hotels
- 2
Figures as published by Aldar and the Abu Dhabi Media Office. Two lifestyle outlets have published a 4 million sqm area and 6 km of beach; both contradict the official figures above.
What will be built here
Aldar has confirmed six residential typologies, released as separately branded projects inside the masterplan, each with its own pricing, floor plans and payment plan. The first, Talay, went on sale on 23 September 2026; the rest are still to be released.
Private mansions
The largest and most private plots in the masterplan.
Luxury villas
Family product, positioned near the parks and clubhouses.
Waterfront apartments
Around the marina, the promenade and the beaches.
Branded residences
Hospitality-operated, partnered with hotel brands.
Hillside standalone villas
An elevated enclave rising to 22.5 m for panoramic Gulf and marina views. Raised ground on an otherwise flat island is genuinely scarce in Abu Dhabi, and this is the one product here without a close local comparable.
Apartments in the wider district
Released as separate named projects inside the masterplan.
Inside the district
Marina and waterfront
- Abu Dhabi’s largest marina, up to 350 berths, sized from sailing boats to superyachts
- A dedicated yacht club as the social and dining anchor
- A 1 km promenade forming the commercial core — retail, cafés and restaurants
- Two luxury hotels on the promenade
- A beach club, which Aldar pairs with the promenade as setting the district’s daily rhythm
Parks and recreation
- A landscaped central park of 73,800 sqm, flowing to the waterfront through linear green space
- Community clubhouses with outdoor swimming pools
- Children’s play areas and sports courts
- Protected natural habitat and native wildlife — Hawksbill turtles nest on Saadiyat’s beaches
Schools and healthcare
- Two private schools and one public school inside the district
- Six nurseries
- Premium healthcare facilities
- NYU Abu Dhabi close by; Cranleigh, Berklee, the American Community School and Harrow are on or near the island
Dining
- The Culinary Mile — Aldar’s own name for the dining offer, artisanal and pairing local with global
Dar Al Funoon, inside the district
The cultural anchor of Marsa Al Saadiyat is Dar Al Funoon Abu Dhabi — “House of the Arts” — designed by Frank Gehry (Gehry Partners) for the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi and opening in 2030. It carries more than 6,000 across four venues, which makes it one of the region’s largest performing arts venues. It sits inside the masterplan rather than beside it.
- Multipurpose performance hall
- 2,000+ seats
- Open-air amphitheatre
- 3,500 seats
- Studio theatre
- 400 seats
- Jazz venue
- 250 seats
An orchestra pit for up to 120 musicians, a rooftop terrace, and food, beverage and retail space.
The Cultural District next door
A pedestrian walkway connects Marsa Al Saadiyat directly into the Saadiyat Cultural District. Dar Al Funoon sits inside Marsa; everything below is the walk.
- Louvre Abu Dhabi
- Open
- teamLab Phenomena Abu Dhabi
- Open
- Abrahamic Family House
- Opened 2023
- Manarat Al Saadiyat
- Open
- Guggenheim Abu Dhabi
- Opening 11 December 2026reported
- Zayed National Museum
- Opened 2025
- Natural History Museum Abu Dhabi
- Opened 2025
Design with intent
Aldar’s own four structural pillars for the district. The façade and acoustic-barrier detail appears on Aldar’s project page and in none of the launch coverage.
Seamless connectivity
46 km of cycling paths, around 140 km of walking paths, and a future Etihad Rail station.
Elevated coastal living
Nearly 8 km of coastline, the marina and the 1 km promenade.
Sustainable by design
Targeting the Estidama 2 Pearl Community Rating. Aldar specifies the Community rating; press coverage drops the word, so most pages quote a different certification from the one being sought.
Designed by the shoreline
Engineered façades and acoustic barriers to reduce ambient noise.
Getting there
Etihad Rail
An underground high-speed passenger station inside the district, within a transit-oriented development hub.
The Abu Dhabi–Dubai high-speed line targets a 30-minute journey at up to 350 km/h, with a Saadiyat Island stop among its six stations.
Roads and tunnels
A new network connecting to Umm Yifeenah Island and Al Reem Island, cutting drive time to central Abu Dhabi.
Bridge
A new bridge to a further island Aldar is developing off the Saadiyat coast.
The station is the detail worth weighing. An underground high-speed station built into a residential waterfront district is a heavy, irreversible piece of engineering, and it is committed on expected long-term passenger volume. It is the strongest structural argument for holding here.
The wider rail picture
Abu Dhabi to Dubai in a target 30 minutes, at speeds up to 350 km/h. The high-speed line is planned with six stations — Al Reem Island, Saadiyat Island, Yas Island, Zayed Airport, Near Al Maktoum International, Al Jaddaf — on a network of around 1,200 km linking 11 cities across all seven emirates.
- Introductory passenger phase opened, Mohamed bin Zayed City to Fujairah Al Hilal City30 June 2026
- Jumeirah Golf Estates and Al Dhaid stations30 September 2026
- Al Dhafra region stations30 December 2026
- Sharjah University City, completing the initial route30 March 2027
Passenger rollout dates as announced. No opening date has been published for the Saadiyat high-speed station itself.
Timeline
- Official launch and inauguration22 July 2026
- Site enabling and primary infrastructure works beginQ3 2026
- First release, Talay, opens for sale (public launch 25 September 2026)23 September 2026
- Guggenheim Abu Dhabi opens in the adjacent Cultural Districtreported11 December 2026
- Dar Al Funoon Abu Dhabi opens2030
No overall completion date has been announced.
The risk here is supply and competition, not the developer
Aldar’s scale, backlog and profitability make developer failure remote. The real pressures are different: Marsa’s own later phases will compete with its first, other Saadiyat releases will keep coming, and ADREC’s pipeline points to a large volume of new stock across the emirate before this district is finished. Early buyers should also expect to live beside active construction for years.
- Additional homes expected across Abu Dhabi by 2030
- around 71,000
- Share of incremental supply from six districts, Saadiyat among them
- 77%
- Units under construction on Saadiyat Island
- around 3,250
- Share of the development pipeline held by nine developers
- 76%
Source: ADREC, H1 2026.
Buying here
- Tenure
- Freehold. Saadiyat Island is a designated investment zone, so non-GCC nationals take registered title in their own name — no local sponsor, no leasehold ceiling.
- Golden Visa
- Property investment from AED 2 million qualifies for the 10-year renewable residency, applied for through ICP after registration.
- Tax
- No capital gains tax and no income tax on rental income in the UAE.
- VATverify before relying on it
- A developer’s first sale of a residential unit within three years of completion is zero-rated; resale between private individuals is exempt. Confirm with your conveyancer.
- Regulator
- Abu Dhabi Real Estate Centre (ADREC). Broker licence status is publicly verifiable through the ADREC portal.
The developer, and who launched it
Aldar Properties PJSC was established in 2004 and listed on the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange in 2005. Its portfolio spans Yas Island, Saadiyat Island, Al Reem Island, Al Raha Beach, Fahid Island, Yas Point and Al Ghadeer. Overseas and expatriate-resident buyers accounted for AED 7.6 billion, around 80% of Aldar’s UAE sales in H1 2026. Aldar is not exclusively a luxury developer. Its 2026 programme pairs family and mid-priced product with ultra-prime branded residences.
The masterplan was inaugurated on 22 July 2026 by the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, who toured the site and directed the renaming. On a project with no announced completion date, that level of attendance is the clearest public signal of state backing available.
HH Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan
Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Executive Council
HE Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak
Chairman, Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi; Chairman, Aldar
Talal Al Dhiyebi
Group Chief Executive Officer, Aldar
Frequently asked questions
What is Marsa Al Saadiyat?+
Marsa Al Saadiyat is Aldar's AED 100bn waterfront masterplan on Saadiyat Island in Abu Dhabi, covering 6.4 million square metres. Launched on 22 July 2026, it is the final phase of the Saadiyat Island masterplan and will hold Abu Dhabi's largest marina, at up to 350 berths, alongside more than 58,000 residents.
Who is the developer?+
Aldar Properties PJSC, listed on the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange since 2005. Aldar is responsible for the overall masterplan design and for delivering the primary infrastructure.
What are the prices at Marsa Al Saadiyat?+
Aldar has priced one release so far: Talay, with 4-bedroom villas from AED 13.5M, 5-bedroom from AED 15.5M and 6-bedroom from AED 17.2M, on a 50/50 payment plan. Talay Beach, its sister collection, has published sizes, floor plans and a Q4 2030 handover but no prices or payment plan yet. Beyond these two, Aldar has published no pricing for Marsa Al Saadiyat, and any figure quoted elsewhere is extrapolated from other Saadiyat projects rather than released by the developer. Our prices page sets out what comparable Saadiyat stock actually registers at, using ADREC transaction data, so you can judge the range without relying on an invented number.
When do sales start at Marsa Al Saadiyat?+
The first release, Talay, opened for sale on 23 September 2026, Priority Pass holders first, with the public launch on 25 September 2026. Aldar had earlier guided first sales to the fourth quarter of 2026. Later releases have no published dates. Site enabling and primary infrastructure works began in Q3 2026.
Can foreign buyers own property at Marsa Al Saadiyat?+
Yes. Saadiyat Island is a designated investment zone, so non-GCC nationals can take freehold title in their own name with no local sponsor requirement. Property investment from AED 2 million also qualifies for the 10-year renewable Golden Visa.
What was Marsa Al Saadiyat called before?+
Saadiyat Marina District. It was renamed at launch to reflect UAE maritime heritage — "marsa" is Arabic for harbour. Some listings and older coverage still use the former name.
Is Sei Saadiyat part of Marsa Al Saadiyat?+
No. Sei Saadiyat is a separate Aldar project in the Saadiyat Cultural District, not inside the Marsa masterplan. It is 778 homes across 6 buildings, with sales opening 16 September 2026. The two are frequently confused.
Sources
Every figure on this page traces to one of the below. We cite government bodies, the exchange, the state newswire and the press — not brokers, property portals or other agents’ pages, which is why the transaction figures come from the registry rather than from listing asking prices.
Government
- Abu Dhabi Media Office — Launch announcement.Government record of the launch, the 6.4m sqm area and the AED 100bn investment value.
- Abu Dhabi Real Estate Centre (ADREC) — Abu Dhabi real estate market report, H1 2026.Emirate transaction totals, district breakdown and the supply pipeline to 2030.
- Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange (ADX) — Aldar Properties PJSC company profile.The developer’s listed status and filings.
- WAM, Emirates News Agency — Investment newswire.The state wire, and where the next Marsa announcement is expected to appear first.
Developer
- Aldar Properties — Inauguration press release.The developer’s own canonical fact set and the masterplan figures it announced.
News
- The National — Underground Etihad Rail station at Marsa Al Saadiyat.The station detail and its place in the masterplan.
- Gulf News — Marsa Al Saadiyat launch coverage.Connectivity detail and the fullest single write-up of the launch.
- Khaleej Times — Launch report.Independent confirmation of the launch figures.
- Zawya — Enabling works to begin Q3 2026.Construction start and the Estidama 2 Pearl target.
- AGBI — Final phase of the Saadiyat masterplan.The ADX statement and H1 2026 foreign-transaction context.
- Knight Frank, via Zawya — Abu Dhabi residential prices, H1 2026.Commercial research used only to cross-check the registry figures, cited via the wire rather than the firm’s own site.
- Dezeen — Construction begins on Dar Al Funoon.Venue capacities and architectural detail.
- ArchDaily — Dar Al Funoon Abu Dhabi performing arts centre.Full venue breakdown including the orchestra pit.
- Gulf News — Work begins on Dar Al Funoon.The DCT Abu Dhabi commission and UNESCO Creative City context.
- Khaleej Times — Etihad Rail passenger service launch dates.The six high-speed stations including Saadiyat, and the 350 km/h target.
Last updated 24 September 2026 · Reviewed by Impala Real Estate, Abu Dhabi · Licensed brokerage CN-2820895