Hudayriyat Island, Abu Dhabi: Modon’s masterplan, Nawayef and Bashayer, and what people are actually buying

In June 2023 Abu Dhabi unveiled the masterplan for Hudayriyat Island. At more than 3 000 hectares, the island sits off the capital’s southern shore, minutes from downtown, and until recently was known mainly for its cycling track and beach. State developer Modon is building it out, and in three years the island has gone from a sports park to one of the fastest-selling residential locations in the emirate.

What the masterplan sets out

The island’s concept is sport and nature next to the city. The first things to open were not homes but destinations: in 2024 Surf Abu Dhabi, a wave pool built for international competition, went live. Around it sit a cycling track and paths, beaches, a mangrove park and the Bab Al Nojoum beachfront resort. Housing is being built in clusters around this infrastructure rather than the other way round.

For a buyer that is the main difference from many new districts: by the time homes hand over, leisure on the island is already running, and a tenant sees a working beach and sports facilities next door, not a construction pit.

The island’s residential projects

• Nawayef — a quarter built on artificial green hills roughly 50 metres high: houses, mansions and villas with city views. Nawayef Village, the island’s first townhouses, sold all 378 homes — worth about AED 2bn — on launch day.
• Bashayer — Modon’s first waterfront community on the island, with apartments, penthouses and townhouses along a 3.5km promenade. The first phase sold out on 10 December 2025 in a single day for about AED 3bn; the final 300-unit phase also sold out in a day, for a further AED 1.25bn. Modon says 71% of buyers in that final phase were new to the company.
• Hudayriyat Golf Estates — villas beside a golf course, aimed more at end-users than flippers.

Why it sells out in a day

Three reasons. First, a state developer: Modon is responsible for developing the capital, and buyers treat its risk as close to zero. Second, scarcity: few new waterfront villas are being built within Abu Dhabi’s city limits, and the island sits closer to downtown than many suburban districts. Third, financing: Abu Dhabi now has under-construction mortgages, including with Modon’s participation, which we covered in our piece on off-plan mortgages.

The flip side of the rush is that launches move fast — you need booking funds, a deposit and paperwork ready on launch day. Units that later appear on the resale market already trade above the launch price. And handover on the early clusters stretches to the end of the decade, so buying here is a multi-year bet, not a quick flip.

Prices, live listings and a map of the island are on our Hudayriyat page, and the waterfront project is covered on the Bashayer page.