Aljada is Arada’s mixed-use megaproject in Sharjah, and just over a third of its planned homes are built. Madar, East Boulevard, two schools and two hotels are open. The biggest landmarks, including Madar Mall, Il Teatro and the Sports Park, are still under construction. This guide sets out what exists today, what is only targeted, and who published each figure.
Aljada in numbers
Arada’s own page gives the plan: 24 million sq ft, 25,000 homes, 250,000 m² of green space, a 4.4 km boulevard, 500,000 m² of offices, 165,000 m² of retail, three schools and four hotels (Arada).
Delivery has been steady rather than fast. Arada reported 7,500+ homes complete in March 2024 and 9,000 after the Il Teatro Residences handover on 20 April 2026 (Arada). On 2 September 2026 The National still quoted “more than 9,000”. About 20,000 people lived there in March 2026 (ME Construction News). Bayut dates the launch to September 2017, with construction from 2018 (Bayut).
Aljada Sharjah location and travel times
Aljada sits in Muwaileh Commercial, Sharjah, beside University City, where Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Road (E311) meets Al Dhaid Road (E88) (Bayut). For a map pin, 2GIS places the Aljada Discovery Centre at 25.317906, 55.474019 (2GIS).
Published drive times vary a lot, so here is who says what:
| To | Published time | Published by |
|---|---|---|
| Sharjah Airport | 5–7 min | The National, 2 Sep 2026 |
| Sharjah Airport | about 13 min | Bayut area guide |
| Dubai International | 15 min | Arada, 3 Sep 2026 |
| Dubai International | 25–30 min | The National, 2 Sep 2026 |
| Central Dubai at peak | 1–1.5 hours | Residents on Reddit, Mar 2025 |
There is no metro and no bus stop inside Aljada; the nearest is the Muwaileh bus stop (Property Finder). Etihad Rail’s Sharjah passenger station at University City is scheduled for 30 March 2027 (Gulf News). Inside the community, Yalla e-bikes and e-scooters are available to riders aged 18 and over.
Districts and landmarks
- Naseej District: 19 buildings (Tiraz 1–8, Sokoon 1–5, Il Teatro Residences 1–2 and the four Vida buildings). Arada declared construction there complete on 20 April 2026. Misk is not part of Naseej.
- East Boulevard: the main shopping and dining street, open since 28 June 2022 (Arada). Nesba, The Gate 3–4, Vida and Rove sit along it.
- West Boulevard: Safa, Jenna, The Gate 5–6 and Raffles World Academy.
- Madar: the family district, designed by Zaha Hadid Architects.
- East Village: 16 colourful apartment blocks between SABIS and Naseej.
- Arada Central Business District: 4.3 million sq ft of offices. Cluster 1 (eight buildings) is targeted for Q1 2027 (Construction Week).
Every residential project and its status
Arada lists 16 residential lines at Aljada, not 12 as older guides say (Arada). Status is as of 30 September 2026.
| Project | Homes and types | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Nesba | 1–3BR apartments, no studios | Five buildings targeted Q2 2028 (Arada contract, Mar 2026) |
| Safa | 660 homes, 1–3BR | Selling; targeted Q2 2028 |
| The Gate | Gate 1–2: 120 homes; Gate 3–6: 1–4BR | Gate 1–2 handed over by end-2024; Gate 3–6 targeted Q2 2028 |
| Sokoon | 482 homes in 5 buildings, 1–3BR | Handover began late Mar 2026; sold out |
| Nasaq | 6 phases, 1–3BR | Sold out; completion notice still pending |
| Tiraz | 920 homes in 8 blocks, studio to 2BR apartments | Completed (Arada, 27 Mar 2024) |
| Il Teatro Residences | 138 homes, 1–3BR, including double-height lofts | Handover began 20 Apr 2026; Arada still selling 1–2BR |
| Misk | 1–4BR plus penthouses, no studios | Ready; sold out |
| Rehan | Studio to 2BR | Three buildings completed Jan 2021; sold out |
| Areej | 7 buildings, studio to 2BR | First four handed over from 30 Mar 2021; sold out |
| Sarab | 2–3BR villas; 2–3BR townhouses and 4BR villas in Sarab 2 | Ready; sold out |
| East Village | RIFF, LINK and SOLO blocks, mostly studios and 1BR | 1,621 homes in 14 blocks done by Jan 2023 |
| Jenna 1–6 | 631 homes, 1–3BR | Launched 23 Apr 2026; targeted end of Q1 2029 |
| The Boulevard 1–3 | Studio to 3BR | Ready; sold out |
| Vida Residences | 255 residences and 149 serviced apartments, beside the hotel | Handed over from 9 Apr 2026 |
| Rove Home | Residences and serviced apartments with the Rove hotel | Targeted Dec 2027 |
Two more names come up often. Nest is a 12-building student campus with the Nest Hotel beside it. Anber is a villa and townhouse cluster that Property Finder lists as off-plan for Q4 2027; Arada’s own list leaves it out, so its status is unconfirmed.
Al Jada Park: Madar, the Skate Park and the Sports Park
When people search for “Aljada Park” or “Al Jada Park Sharjah”, Google shows Madar. Three different parks share the name, and only two are open.
| Madar (“Aljada Park”) | Aljada Skate Park | Aljada Sports Park | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Status | Open since 27 Feb 2020 | Open; final phase Nov 2022 | Targeted: handover by end-2026 |
| Entry | Free | Free | Not announced |
| Size | Not published by Arada | About 90,000 sq ft | 400,000 sq ft |
| What is there | Madar Play Park, BOUNCE, Shajar tree nursery with The Hut café, Zad food trucks | Beginner to pro sections; phase three designed by Keegan Palmer; hosted the World Skate Championships 2022 | Planned football and 5-a-side pitches, padel, basketball, volleyball, squash, badminton, cycling and jogging tracks, water play, two cafés or restaurants, two floors of underground parking |
Sources: Arada, Madar opening; Arada What’s On; ME Construction News; Arada, 6 Nov 2025.
Madar has no official opening hours. Listings disagree: 8am–midnight (Property Finder, Feb 2025), 10am–midnight (TripAdvisor) and “open 24 hours” (Google, via Wanderlog). Venues publish their own hours, and those are reliable: BOUNCE is open Sun–Wed 10am–10pm and Thu–Sat 10am–midnight, and Wellfit Madar Sun–Thu 5:30am–11pm and Fri–Sat 7am–10pm (both checked 30 Sep 2026). Visitors rate Aljada Park 4.6/5 from 2,078 Google reviews (Wanderlog). For food there, see our Zad food trucks guide.
Schools
| School | Grades | 2026–27 fees (published by) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| SABIS International School–Aljada | Fee table runs PS to Grade 12 | AED 27,000–48,000 (SABIS fee PDF) | SPEA rating “Good” (Feb 2025 review); buses AED 7,000–8,000 a year |
| Raffles World Academy Sharjah | Pre-K to Grade 8, adding a grade each year | AED 40,000–64,000 founder fees, subject to SPEA approval (RWAS) | IB plus US diploma; official opening 10 Sep 2026; West Boulevard |
Sources: SABIS; WhichSchoolAdvisor; Arada; RWAS. Maple Bear Nursery runs on East Boulevard; its fees appear only in undated third-party listings.
Hotels
| Hotel | Rooms | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Vida Aljada (Emaar Hospitality) | 175 | Opened 2 Sep 2026; from about AED 635 a night (The National, Sep 2026) |
| Nest Hotel (Arada) | 395 | Opened late Dec 2025 |
| Rove Aljada | 192 | Targeted Dec 2027 |
Arada plans four hotels; the fourth has not been named (Arada; Arada, Nest; ME Construction News).
Parking since 15 July 2026
Parking is no longer free across Aljada. Parkin runs ticketless, number-plate-recognition parking under a deal with Arada (Arada, 15 Jul 2026):
| Where | Tariff | Paid hours |
|---|---|---|
| East Boulevard, on-street | AED 6.30 an hour (incl. VAT) | 24 hours |
| Off-street lots | AED 4.20 an hour | 8am–midnight |
| Retail parking at The Boulevard, Tiraz and Misk | First 2 hours free, then AED 10 an hour | Not stated |
Residents keep the bays allocated in their SPA or title deed. Pay through the Parkin app; the helpline is 800 7275.
Shops, health and worship
Spinneys anchors East Boulevard and Carrefour also trades in Aljada. Manbat sells Emirati produce at Areej 6, open 8am–midnight. Life Pharmacy (Misk 1) and Binsina (Boulevard 1) are inside the community, but no named clinic inside Aljada has been confirmed; Medcare Al Zahia is next door. The Quran Mosque, for 3,000 worshippers, opened in August 2025 (The Brew News). For cafés and restaurants, see Aljada restaurants.
What is targeted next
| Project | Target | Published by |
|---|---|---|
| Aljada Sports Park | Handover by end-2026 | Arada, Nov 2025 |
| CBD Cluster 1 | Q1 2027 | Construction Week |
| Etihad Rail, University City station (outside Aljada) | 30 Mar 2027 | Gulf News, Jul 2026 |
| Il Teatro (Tadao Ando, 2,000 seats) | 2027, set in 2023 with no update since | Arada |
| Rove Aljada hotel and Rove Home | Dec 2027 | ME Construction News, Oct 2025 |
| Nesba, Safa, The Gate 3–6 (2,210 homes) | Q2 2028 | Arada, 12 Mar 2026 |
| Madar Mall (400+ shops, 11-screen cinema, ice rink) | Dec 2028 | Arada, 18 Sep 2025 |
| Jenna 1–6 | End of Q1 2029 | Arada, 23 Apr 2026 |
Arada’s delivery record
Arada has delivered more than 9,000 homes here, but recent phases arrived late. Sokoon and Il Teatro Residences were planned for end-2024 (Arada, Mar 2024) and began handover in March and April 2026. Vida was planned for H1 2025 and handed over in April 2026. Nasaq was targeted for Q2 2024 (Arada) and still had no completion notice by 30 September 2026. In August 2026 Arada blamed war-linked supply-chain disruption for construction delays (AGBI). Treat every date above as a target that can move. Our off-plan guide has the full comparison.
Buying and renting, briefly
Sharjah Law No. 2 of 2022 and an Executive Council decision of 1 November 2022 let all nationalities own property outright in approved projects (Executive Council). Registration costs 2% for the buyer and 1% for the seller, plus AED 500, per Property Finder’s guidance, not a flat 4% (Property Finder). Bayut’s index put Aljada at AED 1,133 per sq ft in August 2026, up 4.62% in a year, with rents at AED 64 per sq ft a year (Bayut). Electricity and water come from SEWA.