Bahrain's Deputy PM visits Chinese-themed Dragon City shopping development

Bahrain’s Deputy Prime Minister Shaikh Khalid bin Abdulla Al Khalifa visited Diyar Al Muharraq, the largest private urban development project in the kingdom, Oct. 18 to inspect a Chinese-themed retail and wholesale district dubbed “Dragon City.”

Al Khalifa and a delegation from his office were welcomed to the artificial island development by Diyar Al Muharraq officials who gave Al Khalifa an overview of development progress.

The detailed tour of Dragon City included a look around the district’s shopping area, which is broken up into different categories based on retail sector. The Deputy PM also visited the Asian Dining Street and the warehousing area.

Al Khalifa said he was pleased with the quick progress made building Dragon City and expressed enthusiasm about Bahrain building one of the largest private commercial projects in the GCC region, which he hopes will attract foreign investment while meeting local consumer demands.

Dragon City spreads over more than 115,000 square meters and will offer Chinese-inspired shopping opportunities. There will be a Dragon Mall infused with Chinese architectural and cultural inspiration. The mall will have 747 individual retail stores on top of 4,500 square meters designated for warehouses.

So far, Dragon City already has 100 percent lease interest for retail spaces and the occupancy rate has hit 90 percent. Dragon City will be open to the public by the end of 2015.