Inside Dubai’s $12 Billion Ghost Islands—Built For Billionaires, Now Left To Decay

With some incredible construction projects scattered throughout the city, Dubai has long been a playground for the ultra-wealthy.

These include the Burj Khalifa, the tallest structure in the world, which debuted in 2010, as well as numerous other enormous shopping centres and construction projects.

However, what about the Islands of the World?

These entirely artificial islands, located about two miles off the city’s shore and arranged roughly like the seven continents, were part of Dubai’s efforts to demonstrate that, with enough money, everything was possible.

Back at the end of 2023, the YouTube channel Top Luxury gave a detailed tour of the islands, and there are a tonne of fascinating details in the video.

Each of the 260 islands is large enough to accommodate a very expensive mansion or house, should somebody dare to construct one.

To make the island archipelago a wealthy refuge, there were actually a lot of ambitious plans for the islands, including imagined luxury hotels, resorts, and more.

Rather, however, little has ever come to pass, and the islands remain, largely uninhabited.

The few islands that have been developed have a few attractions, such as upscale dining options and beach clubs, but they are by no means self-sufficient.

The majority of the buildings there appear to be powered by diesel generators, thus fuel must be delivered daily to keep everything operating. This is hardly a sustainable structure.

Furthermore, the islands may not be as permanent as you might think because reports suggest that the sand that was transported in to form them has been degrading over time.

You can see why the project didn’t quite meet expectations, considering that it reportedly cost an astounding $12 billion.

Although nothing significant has been constructed in a long time, Dubai’s tourism office continues to claim on its website that a wave of construction is planned for the World Islands, reportedly including new homes and mansions.

The islands have been dubbed a “sandy ghost town” by Elite Traveller magazine and one of “The Most Useless Megaprojects in the World” by Top Luxury, among other publications.

Saudi Arabia, a neighbouring Gulf state, will be praying that its massive city, The Line, doesn’t wind up going the same way. This is just another example of a massive project that hasn’t really gone anywhere.

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