Jebel Ali ( ar, جبل علي) is a

port town A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as H ...

south-west of

Dubai Dubai (, ; ar, wikt:دبي, دبي, translit=Dubayy, , ) is the List of cities in the United Arab Emirates#Major cities, most populous city in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the capital of the Emirate of Dubai, the most populated of the 7 ...

. The Jebel Ali Port is located there.

Al Maktoum International Airport Al Maktoum International Airport , also known as Dubai World Central, is an international airport in Jebel Ali, southwest of Dubai, United Arab Emirates that opened on 27 June 2010. It is the main part of Dubai South, a planned reside ...

has been constructed just outside the port area. Jebel Ali is connected to Dubai via the UAE Exchange (formerly Jebel Ali),

Danube The Danube ( ; ) is a river that was once a long-standing frontier of the Roman Empire and today connects 10 European countries, running through their territories or being a border. Originating in Germany, the Danube flows southeast for , pa ...

(formerly Jebel Ali Industrial) and

Energy In physics, energy (from Ancient Greek: ἐνέργεια, ''enérgeia'', “activity”) is the quantitative property that is transferred to a body or to a physical system, recognizable in the performance of work and in the form of ...

stations on the Dubai Metro. Among the infrastructure projects built to support the port and town is the world's largest desalination plant, the Jebel Ali Desalination Plant (Phase 2), providing an ample supply of freshwater.

History

Many Arab historians argue that it was named after Ali, who was the cousin and son-in-law of

Muhammad Muhammad ( ar, مُحَمَّد; 570 – 8 June 632 CE) was an Arab religious, social, and political leader and the founder of Islam. According to Islamic doctrine, he was a prophet divinely inspired to preach and confirm the mon ...

while expanding the Islamic Caliphate had stood on one hill and looked towards the sea and perhaps known as well although no such recorded proof has been found. "Jebel" means mountain or hill in Arabic. In 1968, Overseas AST started construction of Dubai's first Communications Station in the Jebal Ali area, because of the raised ground. It was commissioned in 1970, giving for the first time telecommunication links with the rest of the world. In the 1970s, Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum planned to develop Jebel Ali into an industrial area with its own airport, port, and township. On 23 September 1983, Gulf Air Flight 771 crashed in Jebel Ali killing all 112 people on board. The cause of the crash was a terrorist bomb that had been planted onboard the aircraft by the Abu Nidal Organization.

Jebel Ali Free Zone

In 1985, the Jebel Ali Free Zone (JAFZA) was created: an industrial area surrounding the port. International companies that relocate there enjoy the special privileges of the free zone. These include exemption from corporate tax for 50 years, no personal income tax, no import or re-export duties, no restriction on currency, and easy labor supply and recruitment from authorized companies.

Jebel Ali Industrial Area

Jebel Ali Industrial Area (aka Jebel Ali Industrial) is one of Dubai's oldest industrial districts. It is located east of the Port of Jebel Ali, south of Jebel Ali Village, west of Dubai Investments Park, and north of the Jebel Ali Free Zone Extension. There have been a number of industrial fires in the area.

Jebel Ali Port

Jebel Ali has become the port most frequently visited by ships of the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

outside the United States. Due to the depth of the harbour and size of the port facilities, a and several ships of the accompanying strike group can be accommodated pierside. Due to the frequency of these port visits, semi-permanent shore-leave facilities (referred to by US Navy service personnel as "The Sandbox") have been erected adjacent to the carrier berth.

Jebel Ali Village

The original Jebel Ali Village (JAV) was constructed in 1977 to provide accommodation to construction contractors' staff involved with the development of Jebel Ali. Jebel Ali Village was effectively a small British-style garden city. It was a project of Sir William Halcrow and Partners and acted as a prototype for further semi-autonomous residential areas in Dubai such as Emirates Hills and The Gardens. Construction for the redevelopment of Jebel Ali village began by 2008. More recently in 2021, it was announced that the previously isolated Jebel Ali Village was to be transformed to make way for luxury villas by Nakheel Properties.

Palm Jebel Ali

Palm Jebel Ali is an

artificially Artificiality (the state of being artificial or manmade) is the state of being the product of intentional human manufacture, rather than occurring naturally through processes not involving or requiring human activity. Connotations Artificiality ...

made

archipelago An archipelago ( ), sometimes called an island group or island chain, is a chain, cluster, or collection of islands, or sometimes a sea containing a small number of scattered islands. Examples of archipelagos include: the Indonesian Arch ...

in Jebel Ali which began construction in October 2002, was originally planned to be completed by mid-2008, and has been on hold since.

References

External links

* {{Authority control Cities in the United Arab Emirates Populated places in Dubai