JVC is Al Barsha South Fourth. Arjan is Al Barsha South Third. Dubai South is Madinat Al Mataar.

Dubai's Official DLD District Names — and the Communities They Really Are

A project sold to you as being in JVC arrives on your Oqood registration as Al Barsha South Fourth. Dubai South becomes Madinat Al Mataar. Dubai Islands becomes Palm Deira. None of this is an error — it is the difference between the name a developer markets and the cadastral district the Dubai Land Department files the land under — but almost nobody explains it, and it causes real confusion when the paperwork does not match the brochure. Below is the official DLD district for each community we could confirm. Every entry is checked the same way: we take projects we track in a marketed community and look up where the Land Department register files them. A district is listed only when at least two different projects agree.

JVC
Al Barsha South Fourth
Often written Al Barsha South 4
Confirmed by 3 projects
Arjan
Al Barsha South Third
Often written Al Barsha South 3
Confirmed by 2 projects
Dubai South
Madinat Al Mataar
Some projects sit in Saih Shuaib 1
Confirmed by 8 projects
Dubai Islands
Palm Deira
The register still uses this name
Confirmed by 3 projects

The official district for each community

Arjan — registered under Al Barsha South Third (often written Al Barsha South 3). Confirmed by: Binghatti Hillcrest, One Beverly.
City Walk — registered under Al Wasl. Confirmed by: City Walk Crestlane 4, City Walk Crestlane 5.
Dubai Creek Harbour — registered under Al Khairan First. Confirmed by: Creek Bay, Creek Haven, Creek Palace.
Dubai Islands — registered under Palm Deira. Confirmed by: Hado by Beyond, Shione by Beyond, The Meriva Collection.
Dubai Land Residence Complex (DLRC) — registered under Wadi Al Safa 5. Confirmed by: Le Blanc Residence by Imtiaz, Nuve By Zoya.
Dubai Maritime City — registered under Madinat Dubai Almelaheyah. Confirmed by: Breez by Danube, Kanyon by Beyond, Portside Square.
Dubai South — mostly registered under Madinat Al Mataar, with some projects in Saih Shuaib 1. Confirmed by: AVENEW888 LOOM, Golf Fields, Golf Vale.
Jebel Ali Village — mostly registered under Jabal Ali First, with some projects in Jabal Ali Industrial Second. Confirmed by: Boulevard Park 1, Boulevard Park 2, Sobha Central.
Jumeirah Village Circle (JVC) — registered under Al Barsha South Fourth (often written Al Barsha South 4). Confirmed by: Serenz by Danube, Sky Level 1, Violet Tower.
Jumeirah Village Triangle (JVT) — registered under Al Barsha South Fifth (often written Al Barsha South 5). Confirmed by: Binghatti Luxuria, Interstellar Tower.
Nad Al Sheba — registered under Nad Al Shiba First. Confirmed by: Maybach Six, Maybach Ultimate Luxury, Nad Al Sheba Gardens Phase 11.

Your title deed shows the DLD district. Your brochure shows the marketing name. Both are correct.

Why the names are different

Dubai's land is divided into cadastral districts, most of them old geographic names — Al Barsha South, Wadi Al Safa, Jabal Ali, Al Khairan. Master developers then built communities on that land and gave them marketing names: Jumeirah Village Circle, Dubai Creek Harbour, Dubai South. The Land Department kept its own names, so every legal document — title deed, Oqood, DLD transaction record — uses the district, while every advert uses the community.

The two do not line up one to one. A district can contain several communities: Al Wasl, for example, holds City Walk and more besides. And a community can straddle districts: most Dubai South projects we track are filed under Madinat Al Mataar, but some sit in Saih Shuaib 1. So a district name tells you where the land is registered, not precisely which community a unit belongs to.

One district can hold several communities, and one community can cross into another district.

The two that get mixed up most: JVC and Arjan

They are neighbours, both sit in Al Barsha South, and their district numbers are one apart, which is enough to cause confusion — including, we should say, in an earlier version of one of our own articles, which called Al Barsha South Fourth Arjan. It is not.

Jumeirah Village Circle is Al Barsha South Fourth. Serenz by Danube, Sky Level 1 and Violet Tower are all filed there. Arjan is Al Barsha South Third — Binghatti Hillcrest and One Beverly are both filed there, and the register spells it Al Barshaa South Third, with a double a. Jumeirah Village Triangle, next door, is Al Barsha South Fifth.

If your paperwork says Al Barsha South 4 and you bought in JVC, that is correct. If it says Al Barsha South 4 and you were told Arjan, ask the developer to explain before you pay the next instalment.

JVC = Al Barsha South Fourth. Arjan = Al Barsha South Third. JVT = Al Barsha South Fifth.

How to check your own project

Look at your Oqood certificate or title deed: the district is printed on it. To check before you buy, search the project in Dubai REST, the Land Department's app, which shows the registered area alongside the construction percentage and escrow details.

Then compare it with the brochure. A mismatch between district and community is normal and expected. A district that is nowhere near the community you were sold — a different part of the city entirely — is not, and is worth raising before any money moves.

Check the district in Dubai REST before you pay, not after.

What is not on this list, and why

We list only districts that two or more of the projects we track confirm. Several districts that people search for — Al Barsha South Second among them — are missing because we cannot yet confirm which community their projects are marketed under from our own data, and a guessed answer is worse than no answer. This list grows as the projects we track do.

Unconfirmed districts are left off rather than guessed.

The buildings behind these numbers

Every project we track in these areas, busiest first — each page has its payment plan, handover date and the prices actually paid.

Jumeirah Village Circle (JVC)

All Jumeirah Village Circle (JVC) projects →

Project vs project

  • Serenz by Danube vs Auresta Tower Two studio-led towers in Jumeirah Village Circle. Serenz transacts at AED 2,241/sqft across 501 recorded sales; Auresta at AED 1,562 across 91 — a 43% gap inside one district.
Our verdict

The Dubai Land Department files land under cadastral districts that rarely match the names developers market. Jumeirah Village Circle is Al Barsha South Fourth, Arjan is Al Barsha South Third, Jumeirah Village Triangle is Al Barsha South Fifth, Dubai South is mostly Madinat Al Mataar, Dubai Islands is Palm Deira, Dubai Creek Harbour is Al Khairan First and Dubai Maritime City is Madinat Dubai Almelaheyah. A mismatch between your title deed and your brochure is normal; a district in a different part of the city is not. Check yours in Dubai REST before you pay.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is JVC in Al Barsha South 4?

Yes. Jumeirah Village Circle is registered in the Dubai Land Department register as Al Barsha South Fourth, often written Al Barsha South 4. Projects we track there — Serenz by Danube, Sky Level 1 and Violet Tower — are all filed under that district.

Is Arjan in Al Barsha South 3?

Yes. Arjan is registered as Al Barsha South Third, often written Al Barsha South 3 — the register itself spells it Al Barshaa South Third. Binghatti Hillcrest and One Beverly are both filed there. Arjan is not Al Barsha South Fourth; that is JVC.

What is Madinat Al Mataar?

It is the Dubai Land Department district under which most Dubai South projects are registered — the Al Maktoum airport corridor. Golf Fields, Golf Vale, Grove Ridge, Vista Ridge and Terra Woods are among the projects filed there. Some Dubai South projects sit in the neighbouring Saih Shuaib 1 district instead.

Where is Palm Deira in Dubai?

Palm Deira is the Dubai Land Department district for projects marketed on Dubai Islands. Hado by Beyond, Shione by Beyond and The Meriva Collection are all registered there, so a Dubai Islands purchase will show Palm Deira on its paperwork.

What is Al Khairan First?

It is the DLD district for Dubai Creek Harbour. Creek Bay, Creek Haven and Creek Palace are all registered under Al Khairan First.

Why does my title deed show a different area from the brochure?

Because the Land Department files land under cadastral districts, while developers market communities with their own names. The deed shows the district; the brochure shows the community. That mismatch is normal. A district in an entirely different part of the city from the community you were sold is not, and is worth raising with the developer.

How can I check which DLD district my project is in?

It is printed on your Oqood certificate or title deed. Before buying, search the project in Dubai REST, the Land Department's app, which shows the registered area together with the construction percentage and escrow details.