Living in Mina Rashid

History

Mina Rashid grew out of Port Rashid, Dubai’s first commercial port. It opened on 5 October 1972 and is named after Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum. By 1978 it had 35 berths. In January 2008 Dubai announced that the port would be redeveloped, with cargo moving to Jebel Ali and the old port becoming a cruise terminal.

The liner Queen Elizabeth 2 arrived on 26 November 2008 at the end of her last Cunard voyage, and reopened here as a floating hotel on 18 April 2018. Emaar, working with DP World, launched Sirdhana, one- to three-bedroom apartments in the new maritime district. Emaar now markets the residential area as Rashid Yachts & Marina and lists 19 projects there (October 2026).

What it’s like to live here

Homes are apartments in low- and mid-rise towers around Mina Rashid Marina, mostly one- to three-bedroom, with some four-bedroom homes in Baystar by Vida. Property Finder’s DLD records name buildings such as Seagate, Sundridge, Marina Views, Ocean Star, Clearpoint, Pier Point and Marina Place, and newer launches such as Sera 1 and Fior 1. Emaar lists infinity pools, gyms, children’s play areas and podium gardens in its newer buildings.

Much of the district is still being built. Nine of the ten latest sales shown on Property Finder were off-plan (October 2026). Emaar describes a promenade with shops and restaurants, parks and a floating yacht club, so ask what is open today. The QE2 is moored on the waterfront as a hotel, with the 503-seat Theatre by QE2 on board, and cruise terminals sit at the north end of the port. P&O Marinas runs the marina, whose quay walls take yachts of any size, with 24-hour fuel and on-site customs and immigration. Dubai Maritime City, a 2.27 million sq m maritime business district, is the neighbour to the west.

Who it suits

Property Finder matches the area most closely to working professionals (39%) and families (29%), then students (18%) and young professionals (15%). It suits people who want a new apartment on the water, close to old Bur Dubai, Downtown and the airport.

For investors it is mainly an off-plan and new-build market. Property Finder puts the gross yield at about 4.25% (October 2026), and Emaar’s current launches start at about AED 2.1 million.

Getting around

There is no Metro station inside Mina Rashid. Al Ghubaiba station on the Green Line is about 1.5 km from the marina in a straight line, next to Al Ghubaiba bus station and the water bus stops on Dubai Creek (OpenStreetMap). Sheikh Rashid Road and Al Mina Street run past the port.

Emaar says the community is less than 10 minutes from Sheikh Zayed Road, 15 minutes from Dubai International Airport and 20 minutes from Downtown Dubai. The airport is about 9 km away in a straight line.

Schools, healthcare and shopping

Property Finder lists no school inside Mina Rashid. In the KHDA data it shows, the nearest is New Academy School (American curriculum, rated Good, AED 9,000 to 25,000 a year). Ambassador School (Indian, Very Good, AED 23,000 to 46,000) and Lycée Français International (French, Outstanding, AED 29,000 to 62,000) are within about 5 km.

Aster Hospital and International Modern Hospital in Bur Dubai are both about 1.5 km away in a straight line (OpenStreetMap). City Centre Al Shindagha, by Al Ghubaiba station, has a Carrefour hypermarket and VOX Cinemas, and Al Shindagha Museum and the old Al Fahidi neighbourhood are close by. Emaar lists retail outlets in its newer buildings.

Things to check before you rent or buy

• Check the build stage. Most recent sales are off-plan, so read the handover date and payment plan in the sale agreement. The Emaar project pages we checked do not state them.
• Confirm the title. We could not find Mina Rashid on an official freehold list, so ask the Dubai Land Department what ownership a foreign buyer gets before you pay a deposit.
• Compare buildings. Recent recorded sales ranged from about AED 1,712 to AED 3,686 per sq ft across buildings (Property Finder, October 2026).
• Three-bedroom rents rest on few deals: only nine contracts in the past year (DLD data via Property Finder). Ask for comparable rents in the exact building.
• Expect a slower market. Property Finder recorded 513 sales in the past 12 months, 50.0% fewer than a year earlier.
• Ask about cruise days. The cruise terminals are at the north end of the port, so ask how traffic runs when ships are in.
• Ask for the latest service charge statement before you buy.