Mall of the Emirates opened on 29 September 2005 at Al Barsha 1 on Sheikh Zayed Road in Dubai, with approximately 255,000 sqm of gross leasable area and more than 600 retail and service units. Majid Al Futtaim owns and operates the property as its flagship mall asset within the MAF Malls portfolio of 29 centres across 13 countries. In 2025 MAF announced a AED 5 billion expansion and renovation programme adding approximately 20,000 sqm and 100 new stores, targeting completion by 2028.
Ski Dubai occupies 22,500 sqm inside the mall, a full-scale indoor ski slope with real snow, five ski runs, a snowboard halfpipe, and a dedicated Snow Village featuring sub-zero dining. In the desert climate of Dubai, the presence of a functioning ski resort inside a shopping centre changes the commercial mechanics of the visit: ski trips are planned, half-day activities rather than opportunistic drop-ins, and the dwell time they generate across F&B and retail before and after ski sessions is higher than any fashion anchor produces. The Vox Cinemas multiplex with IMAX, the dedicated Magic Planet family entertainment, the Harvey Nichols luxury department store anchor, and more than 80 restaurants and cafés including Paul Bakery and Shake Shack complete the leisure and dining circuit. Primark, opened May 21, 2026 as the brand’s third Dubai location following debuts at Dubai Mall and City Centre Mirdif, joins the Inditex cluster and the major international fashion chains on the retail floors alongside premium UAE boutique and lifestyle retailers.
The Mall of the Emirates metro station sits immediately at the entrance on the Dubai Metro Red Line. The Al Barsha, Jumeirah, and Motor City residential belt contributes the core daily catchment. The Sheikh Zayed Road hotel corridor, Marriott, Sheraton, Pullman, Novotel, adds a significant tourist and business traveller segment. Dedicated parking for over 7,000 vehicles serves the car-dependent portion of the catchment. Mall of the Emirates recorded over 40 million visitors in 2024.
MAF opened Mall of the Emirates before the 2008 financial crisis and has maintained it as the leading western Dubai retail destination for two decades. The 2025 AED 5 billion expansion is the largest single retail investment in MAF’s history and reflects the property’s continued commercial performance. The mall remains the reference point for destination retail anchored by a leisure concept — Ski Dubai — that no competitor anywhere in the Gulf has replicated at this scale.
