Raya, Jebel Sifah, Oman — Wellness & Majlis Villas with Private Pools

Raya is a collection of two-storey villas inside Jebel Sifah, the marina-and-golf community that Muriya has been building on Oman’s northern coast since 2006. Every villa has two or three bedrooms, a private pool and a walled terrace garden — and one further feature: a second, detached building on your own plot.

That pavilion is the whole idea. You choose between two versions of the same house. The Wellness villa puts a private spa in the garden pavilion — a wellness studio, a jacuzzi and a sauna. The Majlis villa puts a traditional majlis there instead, a self-contained room for receiving guests and family. Read the floor plans side by side and the point becomes obvious: the main house is identical in both. You are not choosing a layout, you are choosing what stands beside it.

Prices start at OMR 189,200 — about $492,100 for a villa from 1,690 sq ft, with target handover in Q4 2027 per the developer. Only four villas remain. Golden Residency requires a single ITC property worth at least OMR 200,000, while the Owner Visa has no minimum property value.

Raya at a glance

Wellness or Majlis: what actually differs

This is the choice that separates the two versions. The floor plans set out the detail.

Because the houses are the same, the choice is simple: a sauna and jacuzzi, or a reception room. A majlis is the room where guests are received and where extended family gathers, and having it detached from the house — with its own entrance, away from the bedrooms — is exactly how it is traditionally used. For an owner who entertains, the Majlis pavilion provides a separate room for guests. For an owner who does not, the Wellness pavilion adds a spa that would otherwise be a shared facility.

Ask which of the four remaining villas are which. The pavilion type and the bedroom count come as a package for each villa.

Inside the main house

Two details deserve highlighting.

Every bedroom has both a walk-in closet and its own bathroom. In a two-bedroom villa that means two full en-suites and no shared bathroom between family members.

There is a maid’s room with a private bathroom. Raya includes it as standard, even in a two-bedroom villa, and the room measures 2 × 2 m.

The floor plan in numbers

The room dimensions in the floor-plan table convert into floor areas. The open living, dining and kitchen space of 6.4 × 5.6 m is about 35.8 m². The master bedroom at 4 × 4 m is 16 m², Bedroom 01 at 3.8 × 4 m is 15.2 m², the maid’s room at 2 × 2 m is 4 m² and the laundry at 1.7 × 2 m is 3.4 m².

The pavilion is where the two villa types differ. The wellness studio measures 3 × 4 m, or 12 m², with the jacuzzi and sauna beside it, while the majlis is one room of roughly 4.5 × 5 m, or about 22.5 m². Overall villa size is quoted by the developer in square feet, and the entry villa at OMR 189,200 works out at about OMR 112, or $291, per square foot. The current price list gives the size, bedroom count, pavilion type and price of each of the four remaining villas.

What is installed at handover

Raya states explicitly that lighting, kitchen appliances and plumbing fixtures are already installed, leaving only furniture.

Ask us for the itemised appliance, sanitaryware and lighting schedule.

Amenities

Wellness villas have a spa pavilion on the plot and the scheme has a shared private wellness centre.

Payment plan

Ten quarterly payments of 7.5% plus the 10% booking deposit total 85%, leaving 15% payable when you take the keys.

Instalments are normally routed to the project’s escrow account. Our guide to buying off-plan property in Oman explains how escrow works here.

What each instalment costs

The payment plan month by month

Because the plan is a fixed set of percentages, it can be laid out as a timeline. The amounts below apply those percentages to the entry villa price of OMR 189,200 and are illustrative; a villa at another price follows the same percentages.

• At booking (month 0): 10% of the price, or OMR 18,920.
• Month 3: the second instalment of 7.5% (OMR 14,190) brings the total paid to 17.5%, or OMR 33,110.
• Month 12: after five instalments in all, 40% is paid, or OMR 75,680.
• Month 30: the eleventh and last instalment brings the total to 85%, or OMR 160,820.
• On handover: the final 15%, or OMR 28,380, completes the price.

Every quarterly instalment is the same size in rials, so the schedule is easy to budget. At the fixed peg of OMR 1 to $2.6008, each payment of OMR 14,190 converts to $36,905.

Residency routes

This section covers residency for anyone buying with that in mind.

The range runs from 1,690 sq ft up to 1,970 sq ft, and price scales with size. The question to put to us is precise: is any of the four remaining villas priced at or above OMR 200,000? If one is, the Golden Residency route opens without changing project.

For a villa priced below OMR 200,000, the Owner Visa introduced by Royal Oman Police Decision No. 87/2026 remains available: sponsor-free, granted on a certificate from the competent authority, no minimum property value, six months to a year and renewable, stays of up to three months per entry, extending to a spouse and first-degree relatives, and lapsing if you sell. Our guide, Golden Residency vs the new Owner Visa, sets out both.

Residency routes in detail

Golden Residency was relaunched through the Invest Oman platform on 31 August 2025. It applies to a single ITC property worth at least OMR 200,000, which is $520,160 at the peg, and the Royal Oman Police decides each application. The Owner Visa under Decision No. 87/2026 has no minimum property value. Neither route is conferred by a project; each depends on the particular unit and the applicant.

For Raya the comparison is made villa by villa. The entry villa at OMR 189,200 is 94.6% of the Golden Residency level and sits below OMR 200,000, so the Owner Visa is the route open to it, while a remaining villa priced at or above OMR 200,000 would be assessed against the Golden Residency rule.

Golf at Jebel Sifah

Jebel Sifah Golf is an 18-hole, par-72 course by Peter Harradine, a seaside layout. It can also be played as nine holes, par 36, using dual pin flags, and five tees run from 5,686 to 7,268 yards. Tee times and rates are at Jebel Sifah Golf. Jebel Sifah faces the Gulf of Oman. Muriya dates from 2006 and is the Omani joint venture through which Orascom Development and Omran operate here; Orascom Development’s record dates from El Gouna in 1989.

Service charge

The service charge is quoted per unit on request. On a villa with a private pool, a private pavilion and a garden, plus shared facilities and the wider Jebel Sifah master community, there are potentially three cost layers: your own villa’s upkeep, the Raya scheme charge, and the ITC master-community charge.

Our guide to service charges in Oman real estate explains what these fees normally cover.

Ownership costs explained

A service charge is the recurring payment that funds the upkeep of shared areas in a community, and in Oman it is normally quoted in rials per square metre per year. For Raya there are three layers: the villa’s own upkeep, the Raya scheme charge and the Jebel Sifah master-community charge. The service-charge budget normally sets out the rate, the billing base (plot area or built-up area), who maintains private pools and pavilions, and the sinking-fund policy for larger works.

The developer: Muriya

Omran, the Omani government’s tourism development arm, holds 30% of Muriya. Muriya publishes its portfolio at muriya.om; the group’s figures are at orascomdh.com.

Visit Jebel Sifah. It has been handing over homes for well over a decade — you can walk finished streets, use the marina, play the course and eat at the restaurants.

Muriya and its partners in context

Muriya Tourism Development was established in 2006, according to the company. Orascom Development Holding, a Swiss-registered group with nine destinations in six jurisdictions, holds 70%. The other 30% belongs to OMRAN, formally Oman Tourism Development Company, a government-owned company set up in 2005 and a subsidiary of the Oman Investment Authority. Muriya’s own figures from February 2025 count more than 900 homes sold and delivered at Jebel Sifah and more than 1,000 at Hawana Salalah.

The 55-room Sifawy Boutique Hotel opened in September 2011, and Raya was unveiled in January 2024. The full profile is on our page for Muriya, and the developer directory sets it beside the other developers we profile.

What else is inside Jebel Sifah

The developer’s own community masterplan numbers fourteen components. Raya is one of them, and knowing the others tells you what your service charge is funding and what your guests will actually use.

Two beach clubs, not one. The Bank Beach Club sits alongside the Dunes Beach Club, and there is a dedicated driving range separate from the course itself. The full picture is in our complete guide to Jebel Sifah, and the neighbouring schemes are worth comparing directly: Solaris, Olive Farms, The Beachfront and Jebel Sifah land plots.

Location and travel times

A clinic two minutes away and a supermarket at three put primary care and daily shopping inside the community. Golf and the marina are both five minutes, which suits Raya’s profile — this is a villa for people who use the community, not just look at it.

Where Raya sits on price

Raya’s two-bedroom villa is $492,100 for a two-storey house with two en-suite bedrooms, a maid’s room, a private pool, a walled garden and a detached spa or majlis pavilion.

Raya alongside other Muriya schemes

The table sets Muriya’s Omani entry points side by side, each taken from the project’s own page.

Solaris and Raya share one payment structure of 10% on booking and ten instalments of 7.5%. Olive Farms has twelve instalments of 7.5%, while Amazi and Lubana Island run 7.5% quarterly for 36 months.

Who Raya suits

Raya by household type

For a family, the plan offers two or three bedrooms, each with a walk-in closet and en-suite, a separate laundry and a maid’s room with its own bathroom. For a second home, the villa is handed over with appliances, sanitaryware and lighting installed, leaving only furnishing, and the clinic, supermarket, golf course and marina are all within five minutes by car. For an owner who plans to let it, short-term letting is governed by the sale contract and the rules of the community.

Freehold ownership

Jebel Sifah is an Integrated Tourism Complex, the designation under which Oman permits foreign freehold ownership. Title registers in the buyer’s name, is inheritable, and can be sold on the open market to any nationality. A villa on its own plot carries that title over the land itself — you own land, not a share of a building — and ITC property is the category that counts toward the Golden Residency threshold.

How the zones work is set out in our guide to freehold property and the ITC system in Oman, and our ITC comparison sets Jebel Sifah against the alternatives.

Rental demand and exit

Raya rents into a market that already exists. Jebel Sifah has an operating hotel, restaurants, a marina, a golf course and two beach clubs today, and draws weekenders from Muscat year-round. A two-storey villa with a private pool, a walled garden and a spa or majlis pavilion is a holiday-let product, and the pavilion is a feature that can be shown in listings.

The maid’s room matters commercially too: it lets a family group travel with staff, which widens the tenant pool. Current ranges are in our Oman rental yields guide.

On exit, four villas remain in a scheme inside a built-out ITC, with completed neighbouring phases providing comparables.

Why Oman, and why this price point

The case for Oman is freehold title in designated zones, no annual property tax and no income tax on rent, and safety figures published on international crime indices. The rial’s long-standing peg to the US dollar gives dollar-based buyers a stable exchange rate, and national policy is set out by Oman Vision 2040.

Raya is a villa, and a house can offer what a flat cannot: a pool you do not share, a garden with a wall around it, staff accommodation, and a separate building for guests or for a sauna. On timing, see whether 2026 is still a good time to buy in Oman; for transaction costs, our guide to property tax in Oman; and for the wider map, areas to buy property in Muscat.

Paying from abroad

Prices are quoted and settled in Omani rials, which have been pegged to the US dollar for decades. Payment is made in eleven separate instalments across roughly two and a half years.

Payments are routed to the project’s escrow account. Keep SWIFT confirmations for the registration file. Rates and banking-sector data are published by the Central Bank of Oman. If you are considering borrowing locally, see our guide to mortgages in Oman for foreigners.

How to buy: step by step

• 1. Ask which four villas remain — Wellness or Majlis, two or three bedrooms, plot size and orientation.
• 2. Ask the residency question: Golden Residency requires a single ITC property at or above OMR 200,000, so ask whether any remaining villa is priced at or above that level. The Owner Visa has no minimum.
• 3. Get the current price list. Villas start from OMR 189,200 per the developer’s current price list.
• 4. Confirm the size. Villas range from 1,690 sq ft to 1,970 sq ft; the floor plans give the room dimensions.
• 5. Get the itemised appliance, sanitaryware and lighting schedule for the villa you choose.
• 6. Get the service-charge schedule for the Raya scheme and the Jebel Sifah master community.
• 7. Confirm the escrow account details and the Q4 2027 target handover in the sale and purchase agreement.
• 8. Visit. Jebel Sifah is built and operating — walk it, play the course, then decide.

From reservation to keys

• Reservation. The reservation form sets out the unit number, built-up area, plot area and price, with an itemised list of what is included. The 10% booking payment, OMR 18,920 on the entry villa, is paid at this stage.
• Sale and purchase agreement. The SPA states the contractual handover date, set against the developer’s Q4 2027 target, and lists each instalment with its due date. A buyer may appoint an Omani lawyer to review the contract.
• Escrow. Royal Decree 79/2025, issued on 10 September 2025, replaced the earlier escrow system. Licensed developers hold project-specific escrow accounts, and withdrawals are tied to verified construction progress. A SWIFT confirmation of each transfer is kept for the file.
• Registration. Title is registered in the buyer’s name, and the contract documents set out who registers it, when, and the registration costs.
• Handover. The 15% balance, OMR 28,380 on the entry villa, falls due on completion. The itemised schedule of appliances, sanitaryware and lighting is the reference for inspecting the finished villa (snagging).

What to prepare when reserving

• Reservation form for the villa you choose — type, bedrooms, plot and aspect.
• Sale and purchase agreement (SPA) stating the Q4 2027 target handover.
• Escrow account details for every instalment.
• ITC freehold title documents.
• Payment schedule: 10% on booking, then 7.5% every three months.
• Service-charge schedule for the Raya scheme and the Jebel Sifah master community.
• Itemised kitchen appliance, sanitaryware and lighting schedule.
• Floor plans and the Wellness or Majlis pavilion specification.

Key terms explained

• ITC (Integrated Tourism Complex): a zoned tourism community in which Oman permits foreign freehold ownership. Jebel Sifah is one.
• Freehold: ownership registered in the buyer’s own name, inheritable and saleable to any nationality.
• SPA: the sale and purchase agreement, the contract between buyer and developer.
• Escrow: a project-specific account into which instalments are paid, with withdrawals following construction progress.
• Snagging: the inspection of a finished home to list any finishing items for the developer to complete.
• Majlis: a traditional room for receiving guests and family.

Frequently asked questions

Where is Raya?
Inside Jebel Sifah, a gated resort community on Oman’s northern coast between the Gulf of Oman and the Al Hajar mountains, 35–40 minutes southeast of central Muscat and about an hour from the airport.

What is the difference between a Wellness villa and a Majlis villa?
Only the detached pavilion on the plot. The Wellness pavilion holds a wellness studio, a jacuzzi and a sauna; the Majlis pavilion is a single reception room for guests and family. The main house is identical in both.

Can foreigners buy at Raya?
Yes. Jebel Sifah is an Integrated Tourism Complex, the designation under which Oman permits foreign freehold ownership, with title registered in the buyer’s name.

How much do the villas cost?
From OMR 189,200 — about $492,100 — for a villa from 1,690 sq ft.

How big are the villas?
From 1,690 sq ft up to 1,970 sq ft. The floor plans show a 6.4 × 5.6 m living/dining/kitchen, plus two en-suite bedrooms, a maid’s room and a laundry.

Does every villa have a pool?
Yes. A private swimming pool and a terrace garden are included with every villa, not offered as paid extras.

Is the villa furnished?
No, but kitchen appliances, plumbing fixtures and lighting are already installed. Only furniture is left to you.

Is there a maid’s room?
Yes — a 2 × 2 m maid’s room with its own bathroom is standard, including in the two-bedroom layouts.

What is the payment plan?
10% on booking, 7.5% three months later, then 7.5% every three months through the eleventh instalment — 85% before handover, with the remaining 15% due at completion.

When does Raya complete?
Q4 2027 is the developer’s target handover.

Does buying at Raya qualify for Oman residency?
Golden Residency requires a single ITC property worth at least OMR 200,000 and is decided by the Royal Oman Police. The entry villa is priced at OMR 189,200; a villa priced at or above OMR 200,000 meets the threshold, so ask us for the current price list. The Owner Visa under Decision 87/2026 has no minimum value. See our residency guide.

Who is the developer?
Muriya, a joint venture between Orascom Development (70%) and Omran (30%), the Omani government’s tourism development arm. Orascom has operated since 1989 and delivered El Gouna, Andermatt and Luštica Bay.

Is the golf course 9 holes or 18?
Eighteen, par 72, designed by Peter Harradine. It can also be played as nine holes, par 36, using dual pin flags.

What is the service charge?
Quoted per unit on request. Contact us for the Raya scheme charge and the Jebel Sifah master-community charge.

How far is the beach?
Sifah Beach is seven minutes by car; the golf course and marina are five minutes each.

How much has been paid after the first year of the payment plan?
Five instalments fall due by month 12: the 10% booking payment and four of 7.5%, which makes 40% of the price. On the entry villa that is OMR 75,680.

What is an escrow account?
It is a project-specific account that holds buyers’ instalments. Under Royal Decree 79/2025, licensed developers hold such accounts and withdrawals are tied to verified construction progress.

How is the Raya price converted into dollars?
At the fixed rate of OMR 1 = $2.6008. The entry price of OMR 189,200 converts to $492,071, which this page rounds to about $492,100.

Talk to UInvest about Raya

Raya answers a simple question: what does it cost to own a house here with a second building of your own on the plot — a sauna and jacuzzi in the garden, or a majlis where guests have their own room? At OMR 189,200 the answer is about $492,100.

With four villas left, a live conversation is how availability is confirmed. UInvest works directly with Muscat developers, which means current pricing, which of the four are Wellness and which are Majlis, and whether any of them is priced at or above OMR 200,000, the level for the Golden Residency route.

Browse villas for sale in Oman and apartments for sale in Oman, compare the neighbouring Solaris, Olive Farms and The Beachfront, look at Muriya’s Salalah work at Amazi and Lubana Island or in our Hawana Salalah guide, review all our Oman property, or contact us for the current Raya availability list, floor plans and payment schedule.