Does a Youtube video from 2010 give a sneak peak into what life will be like in the revamped neighbourhood in the nation’s capital?
Get ready for a major reboot of Zayed Sports City. Abu Dhabi’s 43,000-seater sports complex is set to get its own mall, a waterfront, plus housing for another 30,000 residents. And the good new is the plans will complement the existing sports facilities, as opposed to replacing them. The new area is set to be called Arzanah.
While the plans for Arzanah were only confirmed at this year’s Cityscape conference in Abu Dhabi last month, this video from developers Mubadala, made back in 2010, suggests the project has been under consideration for some time, and gives a glimpse into what life could be like in the new city.

The mall will cover an area of 316,918 square feet, and as well as retail outlets will feature a bowling alley and ice rink. Zayed Sports City already has its own rink and ten-pin facility, but whether ZSC will keep those has yet to be confirmed. The mall will be the first part of the project to be completed.

Developers Mubadala Real Estate and Infrastructure have said the new area will feature amenities suitable for three-year-olds all the way to 80-year-olds, with hotels, healthcare outlets and villas all mooted to be part of the new plan. A rain forest-themed dome has also been discussed, according to Mubadala’s associate director Saed Arar. Arzanah will also be home to a Healthpoint hospital and an Imperial College London Diabetes Centre.

“Arzanah will present an exciting urban living concept to existing and potential residents of Abu Dhabi, allowing them to benefit from the multitude of facilities on offer and the additional amenities being constructed as part of the surrounding Zayed Sports City,” says Ali Eid AlMheiri, Executive Director of Mubadala Real Estate and Infrastructure.
Zayed Sports City is already home to 14 football pitches and nine outdoor tennis courts, but Mubadala also claim that the new apartment buildings could feature even more.

The project at ZSC is just one of several rubber-stamped by city officials last month. The capital is also set to get seven new markets, including ones in Al Shamkha, Wathba and on Yas Island. Khalifa City will also be home to one, as will Mohammed Bin Zayed City. Finally, there’s Zayed City, near Khalifa City, which will have at least 3,000 homes and will cost Dhs3.5 billion to construct, with some of the project scheduled to be finished by 2019. No completion date has been given yet for Arzanah.