Al Lulu Island Abu Dhabi: the facts as they stand
Ten lines, each one labelled. Where a figure has not been announced, this page says so rather than reaching for a plausible number — which is the whole difference between a guide and a rumour.
- Name
- Al Lulu Island — لولو, the pearl. Widely written Lulu Island, which is the form the press uses; they are one place.ConfirmedPublic record
- Developer
- Eagle Hills Properties, chaired by Mohamed Alabbar, founder of EmaarConfirmedThe National, 25 August 2026
- Location
- A man-made island roughly 500 m off the Abu Dhabi Corniche, at the head of Abu Dhabi IslandConfirmedThe National, 25 August 2026
- Size
- About 400 hectares of reclaimed sandConfirmedThe National, 25 August 2026
- Built
- 1986–1992, originally as a breakwaterConfirmedThe National, 25 August 2026
- Access today
- By boat only. Workers are currently ferried across by speedboatConfirmedThe National, 25 August 2026
- On site, August 2026
- Cranes and excavators working; a handful of show homes visible facing the city; a canal being formed through the islandConfirmedThe National, 25 August 2026
- Projected population
- About 20,000 residentsExpectedPlan Abu Dhabi 2030, Capital City Framework
- Building typology
- Low-rise, a maximum of three or four floors — apartments, villas and mansionsExpectedThe National, 25 August 2026
- Connectivity
- Bridges to Abu Dhabi Island, with potential links towards Marina Mall, the Corniche and Mina ZayedExpectedThe National, 25 August 2026
- Launch, prices, unit mix
- Not yet announcedPublic record
What Eagle Hills has actually said about Al Lulu Island
Very little, and it is worth being precise about how little.
Eagle Hills Properties confirmed to The National that it will undertake the development of the island. It gave no further detail — no masterplan, no unit count, no phasing, no prices — and said that further information will be communicated in due course through its own official channels and those of its partners. Confirmed
That is the entire published position of the Eagle Hills Al Lulu Island project as of 26 August 2026. Everything else circulating — floor counts, launch windows, price points — is either inference from planning documents or invention, and this page keeps the two apart.
For context on the developer rather than the project: Eagle Hills is chaired by Mohamed Alabbar, who founded Emaar. It is also the developer behind Ramhan Island in Abu Dhabi and has projects in more than twenty countries. Confirmed
Forty years in the making: the Al Lulu Island timeline
Lulu Island is not a new idea. It is an old one that ran out of money in 2008 and has just been picked up again — which is the most useful thing a buyer can know about it, because it explains both the scepticism and the appetite.
- Historic
The island is reclaimed from sand and completed as a breakwater sheltering the Corniche. It is named Al Lulu — the pearl — after the trade Abu Dhabi was once known for.
Source: The National, 25 August 2026
- Historic
Al Geemi Contracting is awarded a Dh25 million development contract for the island.
Source: The National, 25 August 2026
- Historic
The island opens to the public with restaurants, coffee shops, a camel and horse-riding track and two artificial lakes, reached by passenger ferry from the city. Sorouh Real Estate appoints the Miami practice Arquitectonica to masterplan it.
Source: The National, 25 August 2026
- Historic
The global financial crisis halts progress.
Source: The National, 25 August 2026
- Historic
The ferry service stops and public access ends. The island falls quiet for fourteen years.
Source: The National, 25 August 2026
- Historic
Sorouh Real Estate merges with Aldar Properties.
Source: The National, 25 August 2026
- Historic
The island opens daily to visitors for Public Art Abu Dhabi, with installations sited across it — the first sustained public access since 2009.
Source: The National, 25 August 2026
- Historic
Heavy machinery and workers are observed on the island. Show homes appear, facing the city.
Source: The National, 25 August 2026
- Confirmed
Eagle Hills Properties confirms to The National that it is developing the island. No further detail is given.
Source: The National, 25 August 2026
Why the location is the story — and the Lulu Island bridge question
Every other island in Abu Dhabi’s luxury cluster asks you to leave the city. This one sits about five hundred metres from it.
Al Lulu Island lies at the head of Abu Dhabi Island, directly opposite the Corniche. The Plan Abu Dhabi 2030 framework describes it as perhaps the most important single element of the Capital City Framework — the view that ends every approach into downtown. That is a planning judgement made long before Eagle Hills was involved, and it is the reason the island has never quietly become something else. Confirmed
What follows from that geography is connectivity, and connectivity is where the value sits. Three potential connections have been discussed: westward towards Marina Mall, straight across to the Corniche at several possible points, and eastward towards Mina Zayed. None is confirmed, no route has been published, and no opening date exists. Expected
A single bridge would make Al Lulu Island a destination. Three would make it part of the city — a place somebody could live on and commute from without the day being shaped by the crossing. That difference is far more consequential to value than any specification the developer eventually publishes, and it is the thing worth watching over the next twelve months.
For live transaction data on the other side of the country, see NOOMA Maps. It reads the Dubai Land Department’s registers and covers Dubai only — we hold no Abu Dhabi transaction data, and Abu Dhabi coverage is on the roadmap rather than in the product. Saying otherwise would be the same failure this page exists to avoid.
The Al Lulu Island masterplan: confirmed, expected and historic
The third column is the one most Al Lulu Island coverage gets wrong. Earlier masterplans are freely available and full of specifics, which makes them very easy to quote as though they described the current project. They do not.
Confirmed
Stated by the developer or a government planning document, or reported as directly observed by The National.
- Eagle Hills Properties is the developer. The National, 25 August 2026
- Construction is under way — cranes, excavators and workers on site. The National, 25 August 2026
- A canal is being formed through the island. The National, 25 August 2026
- Show homes are standing, facing the city. The National, 25 August 2026
- Access is by boat only; there is no public access. The National, 25 August 2026
- The island is about 400 hectares, reclaimed between 1986 and 1992. The National, 25 August 2026
Expected
Reported by market participants or implied by planning documents. Not confirmed by the developer.
- Low-rise typology, a maximum of three or four floors. The National, 25 August 2026
- A mix of apartments, villas and mansions. The National, 25 August 2026
- Around 20,000 residents. Plan Abu Dhabi 2030, Capital City Framework
- Bridges to Abu Dhabi Island, towards Marina Mall, the Corniche and Mina Zayed. The National, 25 August 2026
- More detail within roughly the next twelve months — a market expectation, not a developer statement. Public record
Historic
From an earlier masterplan or a past event. Not the current plan.
- A detailed Sasaki masterplan for the island proposed about 469 hectares and up to 30,000 residents in roughly 16,000 homes, arranged as low-rise mixed-use districts with every home within a five-minute walk of water or a park. Earlier masterplans, superseded
- The 2007 Arquitectonica masterplan set aside roughly three quarters of the island for residential, resort, cultural and retail use, and roughly a quarter for parkland and canals. Earlier masterplans, superseded
These are what earlier plans envisaged. Eagle Hills has not published a masterplan of its own, and nothing above should be read as the current plan.
Al Lulu Island development in Abu Dhabi’s island cluster
Al Lulu Island joins a wave of low-density, ultra-luxury island communities — Ramhan Island, Hudayriyat Island, Saadiyat Island, and the Bvlgari Resort & Mansions. What separates it is proximity: it is the one closest to the city centre.
The demand signals behind that wave are real and recent. Al Hudayriyat Island topped Abu Dhabi property sales in the first half of 2026, and Modon sold more than 1,800 units in six days in June 2026 — reported as a UAE record. Confirmed The National, 25 August 2026
On ownership: Abu Dhabi has permitted foreign freehold ownership in designated investment zones since 2019. Confirmed Whether Al Lulu Island carries that designation has not been announced, and it is one of the first questions worth asking when the developer does publish.
| Island | Developer | Typology | To the Corniche | Launched | Entry price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Al Lulu Island | Eagle Hills Properties | Low-rise apartments, villas and mansions (expected) | About 500 m | Not yet announced | Not yet announced |
| Ramhan Island | Eagle Hills Properties | Villas and mansions | Not yet announced | Not yet announced | See developer |
| Hudayriyat Island | Modon Properties | Villas, apartments and leisure | Not yet announced | Not yet announced | See developer |
| Saadiyat Island | Aldar Properties and others | Apartments, villas and cultural district | Not yet announced | Not yet announced | See developer |
| Bvlgari Resort & Mansions | Eagle Hills Properties | Branded mansions and resort residences | Not yet announced | Not yet announced | See developer |
Al Lulu Island villas and apartments: what a serious buyer should do now
The asset here is the address, and I mean that literally rather than as a figure of speech. There is no other large-scale new island community in the UAE that sits within sight of a capital’s waterfront promenade. Saadiyat and Hudayriyat are excellent and they are journeys. Lulu is opposite the Corniche, and the possibility of up to three separate entry points into the city changes what living there would actually feel like.
The second thing worth saying is about supply rather than this project. Abu Dhabi has a genuine shortage of ultra-luxury residential stock. The capital is attracting high-net-worth buyers who want large, well-built homes near water, near a golf course, with private outdoor space — and there is not a great deal of it. That is a different market condition from Dubai, where the ultra-luxury end has had several years of heavy delivery. Abu Dhabi is not oversaturated at the top, and a low-rise island community facing the Corniche is aimed squarely at the gap.
What I would not do is act on any of that yet. There is no price list, no floor plan and no launch date, and anybody showing you one has made it up. What a serious buyer should do now is narrow the brief: decide the typology, decide the budget honestly, and get on a list that will be told when the developer publishes rather than when a broker wants a call. Then wait.
We will not send you a countdown, a “pre-launch allocation” or a floor plan we cannot source. When Eagle Hills releases something, we will pass on exactly what was released and say plainly which parts are still unknown. On a project this early that restraint is worth more than access, because everybody will have access on launch day and very few people will have an accurate picture of what they are buying into.
Al Lulu Island Abu Dhabi: frequently asked questions
Where is Al Lulu Island?
Al Lulu Island lies about 500 metres off the Abu Dhabi Corniche, facing the city, at the head of Abu Dhabi Island. It is a man-made island of roughly 400 hectares, reclaimed between 1986 and 1992.
Who is developing Al Lulu Island?
Eagle Hills Properties, the developer chaired by Mohamed Alabbar, who founded Emaar. Eagle Hills confirmed this to The National on 25 August 2026 and has not published further detail since. Confirmed.
Is Al Lulu Island the same as Lulu Island?
Yes, and Al Lulu Island is the formal name. Lulu — لولو — means pearl in Arabic, after the trade Abu Dhabi was once known for, and the article is part of the name. The press generally drops it, so the same island appears as Al Lulu Island, Lulu Island Abu Dhabi and Lulu Island. There is only one.
Can I buy property on Al Lulu Island now?
No. No sales, prices or launch date have been announced by the developer. Anyone offering you a unit on Lulu Island today is not working from published information. You can register interest to be contacted when the developer releases details.
What will be built on Al Lulu Island?
Low-rise residential is expected — a maximum of three or four floors, with apartments, villas and mansions. This is expected rather than confirmed: Eagle Hills has not published a masterplan.
How many people will live on Al Lulu Island?
The Plan Abu Dhabi 2030 framework projects around 20,000 residents. An earlier, superseded masterplan envisaged up to 30,000. Treat the first as expected and the second as historic.
Will there be a bridge to Abu Dhabi?
Bridges are expected, with potential connections towards Marina Mall, the Corniche and Mina Zayed. None of the three has been confirmed by the developer, and no route or opening date has been published.
Can foreigners own property on Al Lulu Island?
Abu Dhabi has permitted foreign freehold ownership in designated investment zones since 2019. Whether Lulu Island will carry that designation has not been announced, so the honest answer today is that it is not yet known.
How do I get to Al Lulu Island today?
By boat only, and not as a visitor. There is no public access at present; the passenger ferry stopped in January 2009. Workers are currently ferried across by speedboat.
Why did earlier plans for Al Lulu Island fail?
The 2007 masterplan was halted by the 2008 financial crisis. The ferry stopped in January 2009 and public access ended. Apart from the 2023 Public Art Abu Dhabi season, the island stayed dormant until 2026.
When will Al Lulu Island prices be announced?
Not announced. Market participants expect more detail within roughly twelve months, but that is an expectation and not a developer statement. We will publish the release here when it exists.
How is Nooma involved in Al Lulu Island?
Nooma is an independent brokerage and advisory. We are not the developer, we have no appointed role on Lulu Island, and we are not selling anything there. We track the project and prepare qualified buyers, and we will only pass on information the developer has actually released.
What has changed, and when
Append-only. Every entry has its own link, so a claim on this page can always be traced to the day it was added.
The story is picked up by regional and international outlets following The National's report. No new detail is added by any of them.
Link to this updateEagle Hills Properties confirms to The National that it is developing Al Lulu Island. Show homes and heavy machinery are reported on site.
Link to this updateIncreased activity is observed on the island by site watchers.
Link to this update
Be told when there is something to tell
No launch has been announced. Registering means Nooma contacts you with verified information only — no rumours, no pressure.
Where every claim on this page comes from
Three sources, doing three different jobs. They are not interchangeable, and the difference between them is most of what this page is for.
The National, 25 August 2026 Confirmed
The report that broke the story, and the source for the developer’s confirmation, the site observations, the island’s size and history, the expected typology and the Abu Dhabi sales figures.
Abu Dhabi’s Lulu Island primed for revamp as development plan confirmedPlan Abu Dhabi 2030 Expected
The Capital City Framework, which projects around 20,000 residents and describes the island’s role in the approach to downtown. A planning document is a statement of intent, not a developer’s commitment — which is why everything drawn from it is labelled Expected.
Earlier masterplans Historic
The Sasaki proposal and the 2007 Arquitectonica masterplan. Both are real, both are detailed, and neither appears in the 2026 report — they are superseded plans for the same piece of land. They are on this page as history and are not attributed to The National anywhere.
Something here look wrong? Tell us and we will check it against the source and correct it in the Lulu Island Watch with the date. Reach us through the contact page.
Nooma Prime Properties L.L.C. is an independent real estate brokerage licensed in Dubai. This page is editorial information compiled from public sources, including The National (25 August 2026) and the Plan Abu Dhabi 2030 framework. Nooma is not affiliated with, appointed by, or acting for Eagle Hills Properties. Project details are subject to change and confirmation by the developer. Nothing on this page is investment advice.