DAMAC Properties Dubai: Developer Profile, Projects and Celestia

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Celestia — Furnished Apartments in Dubai South, Dubai

• $119,000

• Apartment, Cheap Houses

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DAMAC Properties Dubai: Who the Developer Is and What It Builds

DAMAC Properties Dubai is the property development business of the DAMAC Group of Companies, founded by Emirati entrepreneur Hussain Sajwani. According to the developer’s own About DAMAC page, the company was established in 2002, following the introduction of freehold ownership rights for expatriate owners in Dubai, and it has since grown into a developer of residential towers, master-planned communities and branded residences in the UAE and abroad. On its About DAMAC page DAMAC states that it has delivered more than 50,000 units and has more than 54,000 units in progress and planning. This profile explains who stands behind DAMAC Properties Dubai, what the company has built and announced, and where its single project on our Dubai list fits in.

Our live list for DAMAC Properties Dubai contains one project: Celestia in the Residential District of Dubai South, which some portals also show as NAIA Celestia. It is a completed, furnished apartment building with studios, one-bedroom and two-bedroom apartments, and DAMAC’s own project data gives a delivery date of 28 July 2019. The rest of the page sets that project in the context of the wider company: its history, ownership, community launches, hospitality brands, handover announcements and the way a purchase in Dubai is documented. Where a figure comes from the developer we say “according to DAMAC”; where it comes from the press or a portal we name the source.

Readers comparing developers can use our Dubai developers hub, which collects one profile for each developer whose projects appear on our site, and our Dubai real estate market and investment guide for the market background. If you are new to buying in Dubai, the guides on whether foreigners can buy apartments in Dubai and on freehold versus leasehold explain the legal basis for foreign ownership before you read about any single developer.

Everything here was checked on 11 October 2026 against the sources linked in the text and in the closing list. Prices on a developer’s site change, so treat every figure as a snapshot and ask for the current price list before you reserve.

DAMAC Properties Dubai at a Glance

Ownership, History and Backing of DAMAC Properties Dubai

The DAMAC Group traces its property business to 2002. The company’s history page records that DAMAC Properties was established after Dubai introduced freehold ownership rights for expatriate owners, that the initial land purchase was made that year, and that the Marina Terrace project in Dubai Marina was launched. The same page lists Ocean Heights and Park Towers as launched in 2004, the opening of international sales offices in the same period, 20 projects under development across the Middle East by 2006, and the launch of Marina Bay in Abu Dhabi in 2006.

Hussain Sajwani is the founder of the group. Forbes Middle East lists him as chairman of DAMAC Properties, describes the company as a Dubai-based real estate developer founded in 2002, and, as of March 2025, credits it with more than 48,000 units delivered and projects in more than 15 countries. The current About DAMAC leadership page names Ali Sajwani and Amira Sajwani as managing directors and Abbas Sajwani as a board member, together with a management team that includes a chief investment officer and a general manager for projects.

From a listed company to a delisting

DAMAC Properties Dubai was a listed company for a period. The developer’s DAMAC history page records that DAMAC Properties listed on the Dubai Financial Market in 2015, that MSCI added the stock to its MSCI United Arab Emirates Index in 2017, and that in 2018 the group issued a USD 400 million (AED 1.47 billion) sukuk on Nasdaq Dubai. Under 2021 the same timeline records a de-listing from the Dubai Financial Market after Hussain Sajwani launched a bid to take the company private. Gulf News reported on 7 March 2022 that shareholders were meeting at the company’s headquarters to vote on converting DAMAC from a public joint stock company into a private company and on delisting its shares, after which Mr Sajwani and associated entities and individuals would hold the whole of the company. In practice this means a buyer today deals with a company whose shares no longer trade on the exchange.

Group businesses around the property arm

The DAMAC Group of Companies is wider than residential development. Its history page records the acquisition of the Italian fashion house Roberto Cavalli in 2018, followed by the Cavalli-branded towers in Dubai that appear on the timeline from 2021, and the launch of the hospitality arm DAMAC Maison in 2011. Forbes Middle East also notes that in 2025 Mr Sajwani announced a USD 20 billion plan to build data centres in the United States through EDGNEX Data Centers by DAMAC, a business that is separate from the Dubai property portfolio described on this page.

The company describes its workforce as more than 3,000 employees on its Why DAMAC page, and states that it operates across 15 cities. Its Global Presence page lists projects in Dubai, London, Canada, Iraq, the Maldives, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Lebanon, while the We Are Global page gives Dubai as the headquarters city of a group with a 40-year legacy. For a buyer of an apartment in Dubai South these international facts are background; the contract for a Dubai unit is with the DAMAC entity named in the sale documents.

DAMAC Properties Dubai Projects We List: Celestia in Dubai South

Our directory shows one live listing for DAMAC Properties Dubai. Because there is a single project, this section follows it from the launch announcement to the present day. The official name on the developer’s site is Celestia; the same building appears on some portals as NAIA Celestia, after the NAIA serviced-apartment brand that DAMAC created to manage its furnished apartment buildings, and in 2016 press coverage as Damac Maison de Ville Celestia. All three names refer to the Dubai South project that our listing presents as Celestia, Furnished Apartments in Dubai South.

Celestia, Residential District, Dubai South

DAMAC describes Celestia on its project page as a development “in the heart of Residential District” of Dubai South, close to the Expo 2020 site and to Al Maktoum International Airport, offering studios, one-bedroom and two-bedroom apartments that are furnished with contemporary fixtures and fittings. The project data on the same page places the building at about 24.9479 degrees north and 55.2033 degrees east, gives March 2014 as the launch date and lists the status as ready. The DAMAC page links a brochure dated May 2019. Property Finder says the development was completed in 2019 and consists of two buildings, Celestia A and Celestia B, of eight floors each. Our own listing, Celestia, covers the same two buildings.

Dubai South is a master-planned city of about 145 square kilometres built around Al Maktoum International Airport. The 2016 coverage in Gulf Daily News and Middle East Construction News describes it that way, and notes access to Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Road, Sheikh Zayed Road and Emirates Road. Portals quote drive times of roughly 15 to 22 minutes from Celestia to the airport, and DAMAC’s page shows travel-time bands of 5, 10 and 20 minutes to nearby destinations; actual times depend on traffic and the route you choose.

Unit types, sizes and price points

DAMAC’s project data for Celestia lists apartment areas from 539 to 733 square feet for the units shown on its site and prices from AED 695,000 ($189,244) to AED 988,000 ($269,027). Dividing the price from by the smallest listed area (AED 695,000 / 539 sq ft) gives about AED 1,289 per square foot, or $351; dividing the higher price by the larger area (AED 988,000 / 733 sq ft) gives about AED 1,348 per square foot, or $367. These are indicative arithmetic on the developer’s lowest and highest figures, not a quote for a particular apartment, and each unit’s price depends on its floor, view and layout. Property Finder reports a wider spread among resale listings in the same buildings: apartment sizes from roughly 432 to 975 square feet in the sample it shows, listed sale prices between AED 495,000 and AED 1,320,000 with a median of AED 670,000, and recorded sale transactions between AED 727 and AED 1,250 per square foot. Our guide to apartment price per square metre in Dubai explains how to compare these figures across Dubai communities.

All of the Celestia price points sit below AED 2,000,000 (about $544,588). That matters for residency planning and is covered in the Golden Visa section below. Our guide on how much it costs to buy an apartment in Dubai helps set a budget around prices of this size, including the transfer fee, service charge and any furnishing.

Amenities and furnishing

DAMAC lists a fully equipped gym, a spa, a temperature-controlled swimming pool and a lobby café as the building amenities, and its FAQ adds a sauna, landscaped gardens and secure play areas. The apartments are sold furnished, with a colour scheme the developer describes as bright white and neutral shades with polished black marble. For a buyer, furnished delivery means that the unit can be occupied or let without a separate fit-out stage, which is why the same page presents the project as ready to move in.

Tenure, payment plan and registration

Celestia is freehold, according to Property Finder and our listing: the title is registered in the buyer’s name at the Dubai Land Department and foreign nationals can hold it. Our guide to freehold and leasehold property in Dubai explains the distinction. DAMAC’s project page gives the payment plan as “available on request”, so the sales team issues the current terms with the price list. Because the building is complete, a purchase from the developer or from an existing owner is a ready-property transaction rather than an off-plan one, and the steps are described in the buying section below.

How the Celestia name developed

The table shows the project as a sequence over five years from launch to ready status. Portals such as FAM Properties list the same building as NAIA Celestia and name DAMAC as the developer; this profile takes dates and figures from DAMAC’s own project data.

Projects summary table

Portfolio and Track Record of DAMAC Properties Dubai

The developer’s own history page is a detailed dated record of what DAMAC Properties Dubai has launched and delivered, and the entries below are taken from it, with outside sources added where they exist. Dates are as the company gives them.

Master communities

A reader looking at the timeline will notice a pattern: DAMAC has built its Dubai portfolio around master communities as well as single towers. The company announced DAMAC Hills in 2013 and DAMAC Hills 2 in 2014, launched DAMAC Lagoons in 2021 and DAMAC Riverside in Dubai Investment Park in 2024. On its current website the featured communities also include DAMAC Islands, DAMAC Islands 2 and DAMAC Sun City, with projects such as Golf Gate 2, Lagoon Views, Riverside Views and Valencia named on individual pages. Celestia is a different kind of asset from these communities: a completed two-building apartment project in a district of Dubai South, which is why it is useful as a reference point for buyers who want to see a delivered DAMAC building rather than a plan.

Hospitality and branded residences

DAMAC’s hospitality record runs through the same years. DAMAC Maison, announced in 2011, manages hotel apartments; the NAIA brand reported by The National in May 2014 was created to run a further portfolio of more than 3,800 serviced apartments within a planned 10,000 keys, with the two brands operated by separate teams. The history page records the Radisson Hotel Dubai DAMAC Hills (2018) and the Paramount Hotel Midtown in Business Bay (2022), and the brand collaborations with Cavalli, de GRISOGONO and Chelsea Football Club. For a Celestia buyer the relevant point is the NAIA lineage: the building was conceived as a furnished, serviced-style apartment product.

Recent figures reported in the press

Khaleej Times reported on 20 January 2026 that DAMAC recorded sales of AED 36 billion ($9.8 billion) in 2025, including AED 11 billion ($3.0 billion) from DAMAC Islands 2 within five hours in November 2025, and that it had delivered about 50,000 units with more than 54,000 under construction. Zawya reports that DAMAC announced the handover of 8,800 residential units across Dubai in 2026, naming DAMAC Hills, DAMAC Hills 2, DAMAC Lagoons, Chic Tower and Elegance Tower, and construction contracts worth more than AED 10 billion ($2.7 billion) awarded between January and June 2026. The Zawya report quotes Managing Director Ali Sajwani on the company’s commitment to delivering every unit and project. These are the company’s announcements as reported, and they describe the whole group rather than Celestia.

How Buying Works with DAMAC Properties Dubai

Buying from DAMAC Properties Dubai follows the standard Dubai sequence. Because Celestia is complete, the steps for a ready unit apply to it directly; the off-plan steps are included because many of the other DAMAC projects named on this page are still being built, and a buyer who moves from one to the other should know the difference. Our off-plan property buyer’s guide covers the off-plan sequence in more detail.

Ready units, such as Celestia

1. Choose a unit and request the price list. DAMAC’s project page gives the payment plan as available on request, so the sales team supplies current terms for the exact unit.
2. Reservation. The buyer normally signs a reservation form and pays a booking amount; the form records the unit, the price and the booking amount.
3. Sale agreement and developer clearance. The parties sign a sale and purchase agreement. When the seller is an existing owner, the developer issues a no-objection certificate before the transfer, a step that Property Finder also lists in its guide to resales.
4. Transfer at the Dubai Land Department. The transaction is registered through an authorised trustee office. The Dubai Land Department’s fee table for its sale-registration service lists 2% of the sale value for the seller and 2% for the purchaser, plus a title deed fee of AED 250 and a map fee of AED 250 for an apartment; the parties agree between themselves who bears the transfer fee, and our guide to property tax and fees in Dubai sets out the costs a buyer budgets for.
5. Title deed. After registration the Dubai Land Department issues the title deed in the buyer’s name, and the unit is normally handed over with keys and the service-charge account.

Off-plan units from DAMAC and other developers

For a project still under construction the buyer signs a sale and purchase agreement, and the sale is recorded in the Dubai Land Department’s interim register, known as Oqood. The Dubai Land Department’s service page for registering a sale lists a window of 90 days from signing for the provisional register in that service, and describes the developer as the party that submits the registration through the Oqood portal; the buyer receives the output by email. Payments for an off-plan unit go into the project escrow account that the developer opens with a bank. Law No. 8 of 2007 on escrow accounts defines that account as the project’s bank account for off-plan purchasers’ payments, requires a separate account for each project, and provides that creditors of the developer cannot attach the funds in it; after the completion certificate the escrow agent retains 5% of the account value, released one year after units are registered to purchasers. You can read the full text on the Dubai Legislation Portal.

A resale of an off-plan unit before handover is an assignment of the sale and purchase agreement, formalised through Oqood with a developer no-objection certificate, as Property Finder explains in its resale guide. These points are general to Dubai and are not specific to DAMAC.

Service charges, snagging and handover

Annual service charges are normally set per square foot and vary by building; Property Finder tells buyers of Celestia to ask building management or consult the Dubai Land Department’s service charge index for the figure that applies to the unit. On a ready unit the buyer should inspect the apartment, its furniture schedule and the appliances before signing, and record any snagging items in writing. On an off-plan unit the same inspection takes place at handover, after the developer notifies the buyer that the unit is ready and the final instalment is due. If you plan to finance the purchase, read the guide to mortgages in Dubai for foreigners before you reserve, and read the guide to finding below-market-value property in Dubai if you are buying a unit as a below-market opportunity.

Ownership Route and Golden Visa for DAMAC Properties Dubai Buyers

Foreign nationals can hold freehold title in designated areas of Dubai, and Celestia is described as freehold by Property Finder and in our listing. The title deed is issued by the Dubai Land Department in the buyer’s name, and our guides on inheritance for foreign property owners in Dubai and on freehold versus leasehold set out how that title is inherited and how the area designation works.

The UAE Golden Visa through property needs a property value of AED 2,000,000 ($544,588) or more, and the Dubai Land Department valuation on the application day decides, according to our Golden Visa guide. Mortgage and off-plan instalments are treated under the Dubai Land Department rules in force at the time; the guide sets out what it supports. Against that threshold, the Celestia price points on DAMAC’s project data, AED 695,000 to AED 988,000, are below AED 2,000,000, so a single Celestia apartment does not meet the AED 2,000,000 condition on its own. Our guide explains how the value of more than one property can be counted together; confirm the current treatment with the Dubai Land Department before relying on it. Ownership of a Dubai property does not by itself give a visa.

For the property types and districts that buyers compare when planning around the AED 2,000,000 figure, see our guide to property types to invest in Dubai and our guide to areas to invest in Dubai.

Key Facts About DAMAC Properties Dubai

• Established in 2002 in Dubai; the group’s founder is Hussain Sajwani, listed by Forbes Middle East as chairman.
• DAMAC states that it has delivered more than 50,000 units and has more than 54,000 in progress and planning.
• Listed on the Dubai Financial Market from 2015; the company timeline records a delisting in 2021.
• Four master communities in Dubai are named on the company’s timeline: DAMAC Hills (2013), DAMAC Hills 2 (2014), DAMAC Lagoons (2021) and DAMAC Riverside (2024).
• Brand collaborations on the timeline include Paramount, Radisson, Cavalli and de GRISOGONO.
• We list one project: Celestia in the Residential District, Dubai South, with studios, one- and two-bedroom furnished apartments.
• Celestia launch date March 2014, delivery date 28 July 2019, status ready, according to DAMAC’s project data.
• Celestia area range 539 to 733 square feet and price from AED 695,000 ($189,244) on DAMAC’s project data, with the payment plan available on request.
• Celestia is freehold; prices on DAMAC’s data are below the AED 2,000,000 Golden Visa property value.
• The DAMAC site lists the pool, gym, spa and lobby café as building amenities.

DAMAC Properties Dubai and Other Dubai Developers

Our directory profiles several developers whose projects appear on the site. The table lists where each one’s projects sit in our listings, so you can move between profiles; see the Dubai developers hub for the full set.

Each developer works in different communities and at different stages, so a comparison is easiest when you start from the district you prefer. Our guide to areas to invest in Dubai outlines the districts side by side.

What to Prepare When Reserving with DAMAC Properties Dubai

These are the documents and details a buyer normally receives or confirms when reserving a unit with DAMAC Properties Dubai or any other Dubai developer.

1. Passport and Emirates ID. Residents provide the Emirates ID; non-residents provide a passport copy.
2. Reservation form. It records the unit number, the price and the booking amount.
3. Sale and purchase agreement. For an off-plan unit it states the handover date; for a ready unit such as Celestia it states the transfer date.
4. Payment schedule. DAMAC issues the plan for the unit on request; keep a copy with each receipt.
5. Escrow account details. For an off-plan unit, the bank name, account holder and the project’s escrow reference.
6. Service-charge schedule. The rate per square foot for the building, as set for the current year.
7. Furniture and appliance list. For a furnished unit, the inventory handed over with the apartment.
8. Developer clearance and title documents. The no-objection certificate on a resale, and the title deed after registration.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is the developer behind Celestia in Dubai South?

DAMAC Properties Dubai is the developer: Celestia is a DAMAC Properties project in the Residential District of Dubai South, with a delivery date of 28 July 2019 in DAMAC’s project data. DAMAC Properties was established in 2002 and is the property arm of the DAMAC Group of Companies.

What is NAIA Celestia?

DAMAC Properties Dubai uses the name Celestia on its own site; NAIA Celestia is the name some portals show for the same building. NAIA was the serviced-apartment management brand DAMAC introduced in May 2014, and the 2016 press called the project Damac Maison de Ville Celestia.

Is Celestia finished or being built?

DAMAC Properties Dubai lists Celestia as ready. DAMAC’s project data gives March 2014 as the launch date, 28 July 2019 as the delivery date and “ready” as the status, and Property Finder records the development as completed in 2019.

What does a Celestia apartment cost?

DAMAC Properties Dubai project data shows prices from AED 695,000 ($189,244) to AED 988,000 ($269,027) for apartments of 539 to 733 square feet, which is about AED 1,289 to AED 1,348 per square foot using the lowest price over the smallest area and the higher price over the upper area figure. Ask for the current price list, because prices change.

Does buying at Celestia give a Golden Visa?

DAMAC Properties Dubai prices at Celestia are below the AED 2,000,000 property value the Golden Visa needs, so a single apartment does not meet that condition alone. The Dubai Land Department valuation on the application day decides; see our Golden Visa guide for how several properties are treated.

Can foreigners buy at Celestia?

DAMAC Properties Dubai offers Celestia on a freehold basis, so foreign nationals can hold title registered with the Dubai Land Department. Our guide on whether foreigners can buy apartments in Dubai explains the rules and the fees.

Is Celestia furnished?

DAMAC Properties Dubai sells the Celestia apartments furnished, with contemporary fixtures and fittings according to the developer, and the building has a gym, spa, temperature-controlled pool and lobby café.

Is DAMAC Properties listed on the stock exchange?

DAMAC Properties Dubai was listed on the Dubai Financial Market from 2015. The company timeline records a delisting in 2021, and Gulf News reported a March 2022 shareholder meeting on conversion to a private company.

What payment plan does DAMAC offer on Celestia?

DAMAC Properties Dubai gives the Celestia payment plan as available on request on its project page. The sales team provides the current terms with the price list for the chosen unit.

Ask us about DAMAC Properties projects

Last checked: 11 October 2026. Sources: DAMAC: About, DAMAC: Our History, DAMAC: Why DAMAC, DAMAC: Global Presence, DAMAC: We Are Global, DAMAC: Celestia project page, The National, May 2014, Serviced Apartment News, May 2014, Gulf Daily News, 12 October 2016, Middle East Construction News, 2016, Property Finder: Celestia, FAM Properties: NAIA Celestia, Gulf News on the delisting meeting, Khaleej Times, 20 January 2026, Zawya on the 2026 handovers, Forbes Middle East: Hussain Sajwani, Dubai Law No. 8 of 2007, Dubai Land Department sale registration service, Property Finder on Oqood and resales, plus the sources linked in the text above.