Dubai's largest, publicly listed master developer
Emaar Properties was founded in 1997 by Mohamed Alabbar, and listed on the Dubai Financial Market in 2000 — becoming the first company in the UAE to open its shares to foreign nationals, a structural difference from privately-held peers like DAMAC. It trades under the tickers EMAAR and EMAARDEV. Downtown Dubai, launched in 2003, is Emaar's defining project: the Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest building, opened in January 2010, and The Dubai Mall — one of the world's largest shopping and entertainment destinations, with over 1,200 stores — soft-opened in November 2008 and was formally inaugurated in May 2009.
From 2004, Emaar expanded internationally through Emaar International LLC, building a presence across more than ten countries including the US, where it acquired John Laing Homes. Domestically, it built out Dubai Marina, Arabian Ranches and the wider Emirates Living neighbourhoods alongside Downtown. For Q1 2026, Emaar reported AED 22.4 billion in sales (up 16% year-on-year), AED 12.4 billion in revenue (up 23%), and a backlog of AED 163.4 billion (up 29%) — on a land bank of roughly 600 million sq ft, about 317 million of it in the UAE. For full-year 2025, the company reported AED 71.1 billion in property sales.
Where the growth is now: Dubai Hills Estate and Dubai Creek Harbour
While Downtown Dubai remains Emaar's flagship, its current growth engines are Dubai Hills Estate and Dubai Creek Harbour — large master-planned communities built on the same backward-integrated model (Emaar develops, sells and often manages the retail and leisure infrastructure around its residential product). Dubai Hills Estate includes Vida Residences, Emaar's first branded-residence line, which reportedly sold out ahead of its 2028 handover — a useful signal of demand for Emaar's newer branded offerings, distinct from the Downtown-era reputation most buyers already know. Dubai Creek Harbour, on the creek opposite Ras Al Khor, is Emaar's other major current masterplan, positioned as a long-term alternative to Downtown's density.
What we've verified directly, versus what's public reporting
As with every developer profile on this site, Emaar's founding date, DFM listing, and the Downtown Dubai/Burj Khalifa/Dubai Mall history above are drawn from independent reporting — Wikipedia and general coverage of the company's history. The Q1 2026 and full-year 2025 financial figures come directly from Emaar's own press releases (an 11 May 2026 Q1 2026 announcement, and its full-year 2025 sales announcement), and the secondary-market transaction figures on our full Emaar page come from fäm Properties. We haven't been sent current project-level pricing, floor plans or brochures directly from Emaar or a channel partner, so treat any pricing mentioned on our full page as background rather than a live price list — real inventory is expected in the coming days and the page will be upgraded once it arrives.
Read the full page
Our full Emaar developer page covers Downtown Dubai, Dubai Hills Estate and Dubai Creek Harbour in more detail, including the secondary-market transaction data we currently have: