Night Souq to transform Deira into tourist magnet

Attraction will be located on upcoming Deira Islands, connected by bridges to mainland

Dubai: Hot on the heels of the full leasing of Nakheel’s new Night Souq at Deira Islands, the developer has issued a tender for the construction works, a spokesperson said.

The Night Souq at Deira Islands – home to 5,300 shops and nearly 100 restaurants – was fully leased last month, with hundreds of local businesspersons making a dash for units at the new attraction.

The project will stretch almost 2km along Deira Island’s waterfront, offering visitors quayside cafes and restaurants.

Nakheel describes it as a modern twist on the souq, a traditional Arabic marketplace. The Night Souq will join a list of attractions on Deira Islands, a development coming up near the Dubai shoreline.

Food and beverage outlets will be located to the front of the island, with the back portion taken up by a host of retailers. It will be easily accessible by road via bridges and by water, and be within walking distance of hotels, residences and the Deira Islands Mall, Nakheel’s other major retail project at the islands.

A Nakheel official had earlier said the Night Souq will transform the Deira district into a hub for tourism, retail and entertainment. Deira is the original trading heart of the city, where buyers and sellers from all over the world converge for business.

Deira Islands is a four-island waterfront city master planned by Nakheel that will add 40 km, including 21 km of beachfront, to Dubai’s coastline and pave the way for the development of hundreds of new hotels, serviced apartments, mixed-use buildings and residential waterside projects.

Nakheel itself is developing a significant amount of the 4.5 million-square-metre south island – home of the Night Souq – by creating a unique creekside destination, easily accessible from the mainland by bridges and by water via abras. Attractions will include Deira Islands Mall, a 250-room hotel; an amphitheatre for 30,000 people; and a marina that can accommodate large yachts.

All four islands will feature hotels, resorts and residential, commercial and retail units. Nakheel will master plan and complete infrastructure work ready for third party development on each island. The developer also plans to build five hotels of its own at Deira Islands.