Sheikh Zayed Road

Sheikh Zayed Road is the Dubai section of the E11, the longest road in the UAE. Inside Dubai it runs about 55 km from the Trade Centre Roundabout to the Abu Dhabi border near Jebel Ali. The highway was completed in 1980 as the Dubai–Abu Dhabi road, under the name Defence Road. It was later renamed after Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan and widened between 1993 and 1998.

What makes Sheikh Zayed Road stand out?
• Most of Dubai's skyscrapers stand along it, including Emirates Towers, completed in 1999
• The Dubai Metro Red Line runs alongside the highway
• Downtown Dubai, Business Bay, DIFC and the Dubai World Trade Centre are right next to it
• Towers at the Trade Centre end and developments towards Jebel Ali feel like very different neighbourhoods

Education
Schools close to the road include GEMS Wellington Primary School and Jumeirah Baccalaureate School. Because the road is so long, choose schools based on the building, not the road, and check each school's latest KHDA rating.

Healthcare
Hospitals near the city-centre stretch include Medcare Orthopaedics & Spine Hospital, Medcare Women & Children Hospital and Burjeel Hospital for Advanced Surgery.

Transport & connectivity
Much of the highway has seven to eight lanes in each direction. Red Line stations sit along it, including Emirates Towers station, open since April 2010. The road links the city centre with Dubai Marina, Palm Jumeirah and Jebel Ali. Expect heavy rush-hour traffic, and service roads that make some turns longer.

Lifestyle & shopping
The Dubai Mall, Mall of the Emirates, Times Square Centre and the Museum of the Future are all within easy reach. In the Trade Centre area, The Boulevard connects the two Emirates Towers.

Important note
Tenure is not the same along the whole road: some plots have been identified by the Dubai Land Department for conversion from leasehold to freehold. Confirm the exact status of the building with DLD. For off-plan towers, including newer developments towards Jebel Ali, check the project registration and escrow account, and measure the walk to the nearest metro station yourself.

Photo: Jackardsiffant, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.