Wadi Zaha, Sultan Haitham City — Freehold Living in Oman’s New Capital District

Wadi Zaha is a freehold residential district in Sultan Haitham City, the smart-city masterplan rising in the Wilayat of Al Seeb, Muscat. It is the Oman debut of Al Ahly Sabbour, and it offers buyers of any nationality the chance to own property outright in Oman’s new capital district. Homes run from compact studios to three-storey villas, with handover scheduled for Q1 2028, per the developer.

This guide covers pricing, unit sizes, payment terms, service charges, location and the ownership rules that matter — with the numbers set out in tables so you can compare quickly.

Wadi Zaha at a Glance

Unit Types, Sizes and Prices

Wadi Zaha offers a broad unit mix. A studio and a three-storey villa sit inside the same community, so the district suits first-time buyers, families and investors alike. The table below sets out entry sizes and entry prices by type.

Duplexes, townhouses and three-storey villas are also part of the mix, with villa layouts reaching the top of the 4,177 sq ft range. Penthouses are offered with private pools on their terraces. Prices above are entry points for each category and move with availability — always confirm the current price list for a specific unit with UInvest before reserving.

Unit-by-Unit Walkthrough

The table above lists the entry unit in each category. Converted at the Omani rial peg of OMR 1 = USD 2.6008, the entry prices are OMR 60,366 for the studio, OMR 72,670 for the one-bedroom, OMR 91,433 for the two-bedroom, OMR 146,993 for the three-bedroom, OMR 154,568 for the penthouse and OMR 120,847 for the retail unit. The next table repeats those figures with each unit’s size in square metres and the price per square foot, which is the dollar price divided by the size in square feet. Our price per square metre guide explains the calculation.

The 581 sq ft studio (about 54 m²) is priced at $157,000, or about $270 per square foot. The 840 sq ft one-bedroom (78 m²) is $189,000, about $225 per square foot, and the 1,066 sq ft two-bedroom (99 m²) is $237,800, about $223 per square foot. The three-bedroom, at 1,615 sq ft (150 m²) and $382,300, works out at about $237 per square foot, and the 1,744 sq ft penthouse (162 m²) at $402,000 to about $231. The 850 sq ft retail unit (79 m²) is $314,300, about $370 per square foot.

Across the residential entry units the price per square foot runs from about $223 to $270, and the retail unit sits at about $370. Duplexes, townhouses and villas are priced individually, and the price list issued at reservation applies to a specific unit. All six entry prices are below OMR 200,000, the single-property value referred to in the Golden Residency rule described later on this page.

Payment Plan and Purchase Terms

Al Ahly Sabbour has structured Wadi Zaha around a construction-linked plan, which spreads the bulk of the cost across the build period rather than requiring it at the start.

The extended five-year plan was introduced at launch across a limited pool of units, about 150 per the developer. Whether it applies to a specific unit is confirmed in the reservation paperwork.

A Worked Payment Example

The figures below are illustrative. They apply the percentages from the plan above to the entry prices in the unit table, and the terms for a specific unit are those written on its reservation form. For the studio at OMR 60,366 ($157,000), the 20% booking payment is OMR 12,073 ($31,400) and the remaining 80% is OMR 48,293 ($125,600), paid monthly or quarterly during construction.

For the two-bedroom apartment at OMR 91,433 ($237,800), the booking payment is OMR 18,287 ($47,560) and the remaining 80% is OMR 73,146 ($190,240). For the three-bedroom at OMR 146,993 ($382,300), the booking payment is OMR 29,399 ($76,460) and the balance is OMR 117,594 ($305,840). The expression of interest of OMR 1,000, about $2,601, is the first step and is shown separately in the plan.

Each instalment during construction equals the 80% balance divided by the number of instalments written into the sale and purchase agreement, so a quarterly schedule has fewer, larger payments than a monthly one. The five-year launch plan carries a 5% discount on the limited release, per the developer. Our payment plans guide sets out how plans of this kind work.

Ongoing Costs: Service Charge and Parking

Oman levies no annual property tax and no tax on rental income for individuals, so ongoing costs at Wadi Zaha are limited largely to the community service charge and, for smaller units, parking. See our guide to property tax in Oman for the full picture.

Parking depends on unit size: one slot is included in the price of two-bedroom units and above, and buyers of studios and one-bedroom apartments can add a slot at 3,500 OMR. The parking terms for a specific unit are written into the reservation paperwork.

Service Charge and Parking in Figures

The service charge is quoted at OMR 5 to 6 per square metre per year and is calculated as the unit’s area multiplied by that rate. On the entry sizes in the unit table, a 54 m² studio carries about OMR 270 to 324 a year, a 78 m² one-bedroom about OMR 390 to 468, a 99 m² two-bedroom about OMR 495 to 594 and a 150 m² three-bedroom about OMR 750 to 900.

At the rial peg of 2.6008, the optional parking slot of OMR 3,500 is about $9,103. The rial has been pegged to the US dollar since 1986, so a price quoted in dollars converts to rials at the same rate throughout a multi-year plan; the rial peg guide explains the arrangement.

The service charge covers the shared parts of the community, and the schedule for a given unit size is requested together with the reservation paperwork. Our service charges guide explains how these charges are set and billed.

Location and Connectivity

Wadi Zaha sits in Al Seeb, on the western side of the Muscat conurbation, close to the Batinah Expressway and roughly twenty minutes from the airport. The location balances coastal access against proximity to the universities and schools that anchor family demand in this part of the city.

Sarh Al Jaameah Private School, Sultan Qaboos University and the SQU Botanical Garden all sit within the immediate catchment, which suits academic staff and families as well as shorter-stay tenants.

Getting Around Day to Day

The drive times in the table can be read by purpose. For daily shopping, LuLu Hypermarket is 8 minutes away and Nesto Hypermarket 11 minutes. Shifa Hospital is 13 minutes away, and the Batinah Expressway access, 10 minutes away, links the district to the wider road network.

Schools and nurseries are 15 to 17 minutes away: Indian School Al Maabela at 15 minutes, Granada Private School and Choueifat at 16 and Little Explorers Nursery at 17. GUtech and Sultan Qaboos University are 18 minutes away.

For leisure, the Almuriyat Equestrian Riding Centre is 4 minutes away, Bait Al Barakah Royal Palace 8 minutes, Seeb Beach and Al Manumah Beach 12 minutes and Khoud Dam Park 14 minutes. Muscat International Airport is 20 minutes by car, which matters to owners who travel in from abroad.

Architecture and Design

The architectural language is restrained. Facades use white and beige slabs in a sand-toned palette, broken up by decorative panels carrying traditional Arabic patterning, a reference to Omani design vocabulary. Floor-to-ceiling windows and glass balcony balustrades reflect daylight and lighten otherwise cubic volumes.

Interiors are handed over finished in light tones, on a neutral palette intended to suit both everyday family use and rental presentation. A finished handover means a unit is ready for use or letting once it has been accepted.

Amenities and Lifestyle

Wadi Zaha is planned as a walkable district rather than a cluster of towers. Amenities include:

• Swimming pools with sunbathing terraces and shaded lounge areas
• A fully equipped gym and a spa centre
• Landscaped gardens, parks and walking paths
• A clubhouse and outdoor lounge areas
• Children’s play areas, designed as interactive and enclosed
• Retail premises on the ground floors, plus cafés and restaurants

Penthouses add private pools on their terraces, and the three-storey villas come with their own patios. Ground-floor retail means daily needs can be met inside the community.

Finishes, Views and Retail Zones

According to a company statement reported in October 2026, the apartments are planned to be delivered fully finished and semi-furnished, with selected kitchen appliances, air-conditioning units and built-in wardrobes. This sits alongside the light-toned, neutral finish described above, and the specification schedule for a given unit lists the exact items.

The developer’s May 2026 announcement describes residential units from 54 to 210 square metres across studios, one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments and penthouses, with views of Central Park, the wadi, Sultan Haitham Mosque and the main promenade. Retail units are arranged in three zones, named Convenience Hub, Lifestyle Layer and Social Edge, developed with Knight Frank.

The Developer: Al Ahly Sabbour

Al Ahly Sabbour is an Egyptian developer founded in 1994, specialising in residential, commercial and resort destinations. Per the developer, over three decades it has delivered more than 65 communities spanning over 12 million square metres, now home to more than 40,000 families.

The company entered the Omani market in 2025 with Wadi Zaha, and Wadi Safa and Wadi Tala, also within Sultan Haitham City, are to follow.

Al Ahly Sabbour Oman is the Muscat operation of Al Ahly Sabbour Developments, chaired by Eng. Ahmed Sabbour. Wadi Zaha was launched on 16 January 2025 at the Royal Opera House Muscat on 100 feddans, about 420,000 m², of land, and the foundation stone was laid in February 2026, when first-phase works on villas and townhouses began with Delta Contracting as executive contractor. The developer gives the total investment in Wadi Zaha as OMR 115 million and the scheme as 824 residential and commercial units (October 2026), of which the 72 units in the at-a-glance table are those released at the time of writing.

In October 2026 the company reported an OMR 10 million financing agreement with Bank Dhofar for Wadi Zaha and buyers from 48 nationalities. The Al Ahly Sabbour profile on this site collects the dated timeline, the Egyptian portfolio and the reservation documents in one place, and the developers hub lists the other developers active in Oman.

Sultan Haitham City: The Wider Context

Sultan Haitham City is a planned urban district in Al Seeb, conceived as a smart, sustainable city with residential neighbourhoods, schools, healthcare, retail and green infrastructure built in from the start rather than retrofitted. For the full picture of the masterplan, read our complete Sultan Haitham City investor guide.

For a buyer at Wadi Zaha, the practical consequence is that the district forms part of a government-backed masterplan: schools, healthcare, retail and parks are provided by the masterplan alongside the developer’s own amenities, and the timetable of surrounding infrastructure follows the programme of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Planning.

MEED, reporting in June 2023, describes Sultan Haitham City as a 14.8 million square metre masterplan in the Seeb area designed for 100,000 residents across 19 neighbourhoods, with 25 mosques, 11 healthcare facilities and 39 schools. The programme runs in four phases between 2024 and 2045, and the first phase (2024 to 2030) covers a city centre of about 5 square kilometres and six neighbourhoods. The Oman Observer reported in July 2024 that 6,986 homes had been signed with eight developers in the city’s first year, Al Ahly Sabbour among them.

Wadi Zaha and Neighbouring Projects

Wadi Zaha covers studios through villas, plus retail, in one community. Sarooj Oasis is listed as separate villa and apartment pages, Yenaier Residences as a residence-style apartment project and Hay Al Wafa as a separate neighbourhood within the masterplan. Jood, also in Sultan Haitham City, is built by Talaat Moustafa Group, whose profile is on this site. Each listing page gives that project’s own prices, sizes and handover dates.

Freehold Ownership and Residency

Wadi Zaha is sold freehold and is open to buyers of all nationalities. Ownership is registered with the Ministry of Housing and Urban Planning, and a registered title deed carries the same permanent, inheritable rights an Omani citizen holds.

Oman has two residency-by-investment programmes, Golden Residency and the Owner Visa, and the two are different. Their conditions are set out in our guide to the Golden Residency versus the Owner Visa. Applications are processed through the official Invest Oman platform.

Residency Routes and Price Points

Golden Residency requires a single Integrated Tourism Complex (ITC) property worth at least OMR 200,000 (about $520,160) and is decided by the Royal Oman Police. The Owner Visa has no minimum property value. Wadi Zaha is sold freehold within Sultan Haitham City, whose ownership arrangements sit under the Ministry of Housing and Urban Planning’s land programme, and the route that applies to a given purchase is confirmed with the Royal Oman Police.

Set against the single-property figure, the entry prices in the unit table are all below OMR 200,000: OMR 60,366 for the studio, OMR 72,670 for the one-bedroom, OMR 91,433 for the two-bedroom, OMR 146,993 for the three-bedroom, OMR 154,568 for the penthouse and OMR 120,847 for the retail unit. Prices for individual duplexes, townhouses and villas are given in the price list for each unit.

Why Buyers Look at Muscat

These are points international buyers commonly weigh when looking at Muscat:

• No annual property tax and no personal income tax on rental returns
• A currency pegged to the US dollar since 1986, which keeps the conversion rate fixed across a multi-year payment plan — see the Central Bank of Oman
• International private schools with routes into British and other overseas universities
• International air connections into Muscat, with the airport 20 minutes from Wadi Zaha by car

For a wider market read, see our market outlook on buying property in Oman in 2026 and our overview of areas to invest in Oman.

Rental Yields and Exit

Wadi Zaha’s unit mix supports more than one strategy. Studios and one-bedroom apartments suit the single-professional and academic-staff market drawn by the nearby universities; two- and three-bedroom homes, townhouses and villas suit longer-term family tenants. Ground-floor retail adds a commercial income option.

Yields vary by unit type and strategy rather than following a single headline number. Our rental yields in Oman guide breaks down how income on different property types is assessed. With handover targeted for Q1 2028, per the developer, income begins after completion, and a purchase is usually modelled from the handover date.

Who Wadi Zaha Suits

Studios and one-bedroom apartments, from OMR 60,366 and OMR 72,670, suit buyers who want a smaller footprint, such as a single professional, an academic working near Sultan Qaboos University or an owner using the home as a second residence. Two- and three-bedroom apartments (from 1,066 and 1,615 sq ft), the townhouses and the villas suit families who want more space and, in the case of the villas, a patio.

Buyers who plan to let the home can match the unit to the tenant: studios and one-bedrooms fit the single-professional market, and larger homes fit longer family tenancies. Retail units, from 850 sq ft, are for buyers who want a commercial unit on the ground floor of the community.

How to Buy: Step by Step

1. Confirm current availability and pricing for the specific unit type you want — prices vary by unit and availability.
2. Reserve with the EOI (1,000 OMR) to hold a unit while paperwork is prepared.
3. Sign the sale and purchase agreement, which sets out the payment schedule and the handover date.
4. Pay the 20% booking instalment and begin the construction-linked schedule.
5. Transfer instalments through the project’s escrow account.
6. Complete a snagging inspection before accepting handover; appoint a local representative if you cannot attend.
7. Register the title deed with the Ministry of Housing and Urban Planning.

Escrow, Handover and Registration

Royal Decree 79/2025, issued on 10 September 2025, regulates off-plan sales and requires a licensed developer to hold buyers’ payments in a project escrow account, with funds released against verified construction progress; according to our guide, the law took effect on 10 March 2026. Our guide to Royal Decree 79/2025 covers these protections for the whole market. At reservation, a buyer can ask the sales office for the name of the escrow bank, the project’s escrow account number and confirmation that the reservation has been recorded on the preliminary register.

The sale and purchase agreement carries the dated handover commitment for a specific building, and the developer states a target of 2028 for completion of the scheme. On handover, a snagging inspection lists any items to finish; once the unit is accepted, the title is registered with the Ministry of Housing and Urban Planning, which issues the deed. Buyers outside Oman commonly reserve and sign remotely and appoint a local representative for snagging and registration. The handover calendar lists stated completion dates across projects.

What to Prepare When Reserving

These are the documents and details that are normal to request at reservation for an off-plan purchase in Oman.

• The reservation form and the expression of interest receipt, showing the unit number, type, size and agreed price
• The draft sale and purchase agreement, with the dated handover commitment for your building
• Escrow details: the bank, the project’s escrow account number and confirmation that the reservation is recorded under Royal Decree 79/2025
• The title and ownership documents for the plot, showing freehold status and the registry that issues the deed
• The payment schedule in writing, showing whether instalments are monthly or quarterly
• The service-charge schedule for your unit size, with the rate per square metre
• The parking terms for your unit, and whether the five-year launch plan applies to it
• The floor plan, showing the built-up area and any private outdoor space

Key Terms Explained

• EOI — expression of interest, a payment of 1,000 OMR that holds a unit while the paperwork is prepared.
• Freehold — ownership with a registered title deed carrying permanent, inheritable rights; at Wadi Zaha it is open to all nationalities.
• ITC — Integrated Tourism Complex, the development category to which the Golden Residency property rule refers.
• SPA — the sale and purchase agreement, which sets out the payment schedule and the handover date.
• Escrow account — a project account in which buyers’ payments are held and released against verified construction progress under Royal Decree 79/2025.
• Service charge — the annual community charge, quoted per square metre of the unit.
• Handover — the point at which the finished unit is transferred to the buyer, targeted for Q1 2028 per the developer.
• Snagging — the inspection before acceptance that lists any items still to be finished.
• Golden Residency — a residency route requiring a single ITC property worth at least OMR 200,000, decided by the Royal Oman Police.
• Owner Visa — a residency route linked to property ownership with no minimum value.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can foreigners buy at Wadi Zaha?
Yes. Wadi Zaha is sold freehold and is open to buyers of all nationalities, with title registered at the Ministry of Housing and Urban Planning.

How much do homes at Wadi Zaha cost?
Studios start from $157,000, one-bedroom apartments from $189,000, two-bedroom from $237,800, three-bedroom from $382,300 and penthouses from $402,000. Retail units start from $314,300.

What do those prices come to in rials?
At the peg of OMR 1 = USD 2.6008, the entry prices are OMR 60,366 for studios, OMR 72,670 for one-bedroom apartments, OMR 91,433 for two-bedroom, OMR 146,993 for three-bedroom, OMR 154,568 for penthouses and OMR 120,847 for retail units.

Which unit types are available?
Studios, one- to three-bedroom apartments, duplexes, penthouses, townhouses, villas and retail units, with sizes from 496 to 4,177 sq ft.

When is handover?
Q1 2028, per the developer.

What is the payment plan?
An EOI of 1,000 OMR, 20% on booking and the remaining 80% monthly or quarterly during construction. A five-year plan with a 5% discount was released on a limited number of units.

What are the service charges?
5–6 OMR per square metre annually. Oman charges no annual property tax.

Is parking included?
One slot is included with two-bedroom units and above. For studios and one-bedroom apartments parking is optional at 3,500 OMR per slot.

What will the apartments include at handover?
According to a company statement, the apartments are planned to be delivered fully finished and semi-furnished, with selected kitchen appliances, air-conditioning units and built-in wardrobes.

How does escrow work for an off-plan purchase?
Under Royal Decree 79/2025, buyer payments for a licensed project go into a project escrow account and are released against verified construction progress. At reservation, buyers can ask the sales office for the escrow bank, the account number and the registration of the reservation.

Who is the developer?
Al Ahly Sabbour, an Egyptian developer founded in 1994 that reports more than 65 delivered communities. Wadi Zaha, launched in January 2025, is its project in Oman — see the developer profile.

What residency routes apply to a purchase?
Golden Residency requires a single ITC property worth at least OMR 200,000 and is decided by the Royal Oman Police; the Owner Visa has no minimum. The entry prices in the unit table are below OMR 200,000 — see our Golden Residency and Owner Visa guide.

Can I buy remotely?
Yes. UInvest handles the process for international buyers, including coordination with the developer’s sales office and the registration authorities.

Speak to UInvest About Wadi Zaha

UInvest works directly with developers across Sultan Haitham City and the wider Omani market, which means access to current pricing, live unit availability and payment plans without approaching each sales office separately. We handle due diligence on escrow and title, coordinate the sale and purchase agreement and registration, and advise on financing and the residency thresholds for individual or combined purchases.

Browse all Oman property with UInvest, or contact us to arrange a consultation on Wadi Zaha and to receive the current price list.