'The end of an era' — Dubai's Jebel Ali Village about to change forever

Construction to transform the old community into a luxury development has begun but signs of the old days remain

Jebel Ali Village in Dubai. Many of the old villas have been demolished for the construction of the new development. Pawan Singh / The National

The roads and street lights of the old development remain. Pawan Singh / The National

Street signs for the old Jebel Ali Village still stand. Pawan Singh / The National

Palm trees sway in the breeze in old Jebel Ali Village. Pawan Singh / The National

Jebel Ali Village houses being demolished in 2022. Victor Besa / The National

Jebel Ali Village houses marked for demolition last year. Victor Besa / The National

Developer Nakheel is planning a new Jebel Ali Village with luxury townhouses and villas, as these renderings show. Photo: Nakheel

Nakheel said the development would offer a luxurious living experience. Photo: Nakheel

Amenities in the new development would include a mosque, bike trails, jogging tracks, cycle paths, pools, parks and sports courts. Photo: Nakheel

Now Jebel Ali Village, seen here 2017, is just a memory. Anna Nielsen / The National

Old signs point to villas that no longer exist, patches of sand and stone stand where homes once stood and palm trees that provided shelter to old residents sway forlornly in the warm April breeze.

Walking through Dubai's Jebel Ali Village today, it is as if the community barely existed. But generations of Dubai residents travelled down these roads, went to its school and grew up in its villas.

Its residents had a front-row seat to the dizzying pace of change in Dubai through the decades.

Demolition work started on Jebel Ali Village’s old villas last year and real estate developer Nakheel appointed a contractor on April 6 to build the new luxury development.

It said construction works to transform the site are now under way. But for many of the people who lived and worked at the old Jebel Ali Village through the years, the memory of the old days endures.

“When I drive through it today, it feels like the end of an era,” said Fiona Cameron, deputy head teacher at Jebel Ali School from 1993 to 2016. “It has been such a massive part of my life.”

Ms Cameron is preparing to leave Dubai and return to her home in the UK after more than three decades, and feels the new development is “sad but also inevitable”.

Many old villas have now been demolished as construction of the new development has begun. Pawan Singh / The National

“It is really easy to be nostalgic. But it wasn’t all easy,” she said. “The people and community spirit was unbelievable. I feel blessed to have come when it was like that, and to be here now. With the old village going and me leaving, it feels almost like full circle.”

Jebel Ali Village was originally built in the 1970s to house British and Dutch staff who were building nearby Jebel Ali Port.

It speaks to a different era in Dubai, with the opening of the Chicago Beach Hotel and Dubai Country Club, and when Pancho Villa's was the coolest place in town.

But the hotel was demolished in 1997 while the country club closed ten years later. Pancho Villa's is a shadow of itself and Jebel Ali Village is next.

Old Dubai is becoming a memory as a new city rises in its place.

Jebel Ali Village was initially marked for redevelopment in the late 2000s before the global financial downturn put the plans on hold. The villas were renovated and reopened in 2013.

An aerial view of Jebel Ali in 1979. Photo: Anita van der Krol

Jebel Ali Club, one of Dubai’s oldest and most treasured venues, was revamped and opened to the public in 2017. The club is expected to be part of the new development.

When announcing the redevelopment in 2021, Nakheel said it recognised Jebel Ali Village’s importance to Dubai’s history and it later outlined further details about the new development.

“Jebel Ali Village is a gated community offering luxurious living experiences with green spaces and water features,” Nakheel said.

“The community amenities will include green trails, cycling tracks, sports courts, children’s play areas, community parks, a community vegetable farm and a recreation club.

“The development of Jebel Ali Village underlines Nakheel’s commitment to building happiness and prosperity for citizens, residents and visitors.”

The old Jebel Ali Village is now about to be swept away forever. Soon, even the old street signs will go and the old community will live on in memory, sepia-tinted photographs and social media pages dedicated to the good old days.

“I drove through the village a few weeks back as I hadn’t been over that way since we moved,” said another former long-time resident, Amanda James, who is from the UK.

“It [was as if] it had quite simply been erased. It was actually a bit surreal seeing it like that but, on the flip side, memories prevail and the march of progress continues.”