Barwa Al Khor, a subsidiary of Barwa Real Estate and a leading master developer of high profile projects, on Sunday announced the launch of its flagship project 'Urjuan', a QR35 billion ($10 billion) integrated city development in Al Khor.

Unveiling the project at a press conference in Doha, the developer said the 5.5 million sq m city development will accommodate over 63,000 residents upon its completion by 2013.

Ghanem Bin Saad Al Saad, chairman and managing director of Barwa Real Estate, was present at the press conference along with Youssef Ahmed Al Hammadi, CEO of Barwa Al Khor.

'Named after an ancient and valuable dye-like substance, from which the colour royal purple is derived from and which is native to the Al Khor area, the ‘Urjuan’ project is a modern city, which represents Qatar’s rapid economic growth and its efforts to preserve its cultural heritage,' said Saad Al Saad.

Designed by Canadian Cansult Maunsell, the high profile development is set to offer more than 24,500 housing units consisting of a beachfront luxury hotel & resort featuring private chalets, townhouses and terraced townhouses, and luxurious apartments.

Commercial businesses including shopping malls, souks, leisure facilities, open gardens and tourist attractions such as a G+12 business hotel and an 18-hole specialty golf course with private villa golf estates will also be part of the city development.

'Our interest and eventual venture into the Al Khor area has been born out of our vision to create a city development inspired by the heritage of a culturally-rich metropolis, which will offer investors unique investment opportunities and at the same time creates an architectural marvel making ‘Urjuan’ a top destination,' Al Saad explained.

The outstanding support being given by the Qatari leaders in the development of the Al Khor area plays a great role in the transformation of the country into a regional hub for tourists and businesses, and we intend to leverage this fully with this project.

'We are confident of the marketability of this iconic project and we are expecting the sales of units to gain momentum now that we have formally launched the development into the market,' he noted.

'We have conducted full feasibility studies on Al Khor prior to planning our ‘Urjuan’ project, to tailor-fit the development’s design to complement the area’s rich history and striking environmental landscape.'

'We are most excited to witness the realisation of our vision for ‘Urjuan’, especially the evenly distributed buildings, which will be strategically located to provide majestic views of the Arabian Gulf and the marinas that will dominate the development’s shores.'

'True to its origin as a pearl fishing centre, our focus is to leverage the area’s excellent marine resources and turn it into a global tourist spot,” he added.

The strategic location of ‘Urjuan’ development and its close proximity to Ras Laffan and other prime areas around Qatar will provide residents and investors the ideal, self-sustained, urban community.

The ‘Urjuan’ project will be sold in several phases offering customers and investors residential and commercial plot options and properties, with the first sales phase beginning in November 2008.

The developer has also announced plans to hold a one-day exhibition for the project at the Sheraton Hotel in Doha commencing on November 5, 2008.

Expected to be the next hotspot for residence and business in Qatar, Al Khor is currently witnessing heavy construction works as part of the ‘Qatar 2025’ plan set by the ‘Urban Planning and Development Authority’.

“We are confident that the significant number of residential properties within this city development will provide attractive opportunities to a variety of regional and global investors and end-users who are looking