News

Abu Dhabi Developer To Build World’s First Healthy Living Island

The exclusive resort will be situated halfway between Abu Dhabi and Dubai, and will feature a helipad, 86 residential villas, and 49 apartments.

Published

2 years ago

April 25, 2024

Nour Nasir

abu dhabi developer to build world's first healthy living island

Abu Dhabi-based real estate developer IMKAN has formed a partnership with the world-renowned SHA Wellness Clinic to construct a unique private island resort at Al Jurf, halfway between Abu Dhabi and Dubai.

The development is known as SHA Residences Emirates and will combine a holistic health resort with 86 residential villas and 49 apartments — two of which will be penthouses. The “healthy living island” will also offer easy beach access, a fantastic climate, and even a former royal palace.

Raed Al Hadad, chief of marketing and sales at IMKAN, explained why the idyllic location was chosen: “We have turquoise water here, cooler temperatures, and breezes. This is the place where the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan used to come and reflect on key policies. This palace is where one of the first talks about the formation of the UAE took place”.

IMKAN is currently working alongside Abu Dhabi’s Department of Culture and Tourism to rejuvenate the historic palace and turn it into a tourist attraction.

Also Read: Abu Dhabi To Develop $1 Billion eSports Island Facility

Construction of the resort will begin in July and should be finished by 2025. The island will eventually be home to a full staff of doctors, therapists, yoga instructors, personal trainers, and world-class chefs. Residents and visitors will benefit from a full suite of services, including wellness programs, detox treatments, spas, and blood tests.

“Al Jurf as a destination has all the potential to promote wellness tourism. People from Saudi Arabia, India, and Russia are just a few hours away from this place,” Raed Al Hadad added.

The exclusive healthy living island will be accessible by road and also feature a helipad. Meanwhile the developers plan to add connections by water from Abu Dhabi and Dubai.

News

Samsung And Spotify Offer Free Premium Deal In MENA

Nearly seven in ten streams in the region come from 18-to-34-year-olds — the audience Samsung is hoping to entice into its ecosystem.

Published

7 days ago

August 7, 2026

Nour Nasir

Samsung

Samsung has announced a partnership with Spotify spanning the Middle East, North Africa, and Türkiye, bundling Spotify Premium with select devices across its ecosystem. The headline offer — up to four months of Premium for free — is a first for the region.

Customers in Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Türkiye who buy any OLED or 98-inch television, or any Galaxy S or Z series mobile device, get four months of Spotify Premium. The offer, tiered by market and device, is available at retail and on Samsung.com, and redeemed through the Samsung Promotion and Samsung Members apps.

For Samsung, the strategy is less about free music than about lock-in. The Korean tech giant’s pitch is continuity: a track starts on a Galaxy smartphone through Galaxy Buds on the commute, moves to a Samsung TV and soundbar in the living room, and stays controllable from a Galaxy Watch. The more seamlessly music travels between those devices, the harder it becomes to swap any one of them for a rival’s.

“Technology should bring people closer to the things they love, and few things connect people the way music does,” said Omar Saheb, Regional VP of Marketing and Online Business at Samsung Electronics MENA. The partnership, he added, gives customers “a genuine reason to choose Samsung for the experience, not only the product”.

Also Read: Shokz OpenFit Pro Review: Open-Ear Audio Finally Grows Up

For subscribers, Premium brings the usual package: ad-free listening, offline downloads, richer audio quality on Galaxy Buds and Samsung sound devices, and Jam, which lets friends build a shared queue.

“At Spotify, we are always working to make every listening moment feel more personal, meaningful, and worth it,” said Rami Jamal, Head of Partnerships at Spotify for South Asia, Middle East, and Africa.

The demographics go a long way to explaining the strategy. Across MENA, Türkiye, and Pakistan, nearly seven in ten Spotify streams come from listeners aged 18 to 34, according to the company — precisely the audience Samsung wants inside its hardware ecosystem before buying habits harden.