Azizi Florence A Homecoming To Sharjah

(MENAFN- Khaleej Times) Dh30 billion Azizi Florence will comprise 1,130 villas, more than 6,000 townhouses and 3,500 apartments

Published: Mon 31 Aug 2026, 11:47 AM

By: Mirwais Azizi | Partner Content

As Azizi Developments prepares to pre-launch its groundbreaking real estate masterplan in Sharjah - Azizi Florence - later this month, I find myself reminiscing about my first connection with this great Emirate, which dates back more than three decades.

Today, my family and I proudly call the UAE home, and we are deeply grateful to have been part of this country's extraordinary journey. Yet the story of how it all began 32 years ago is, in many ways, every bit as fascinating as the journey itself.

And it all started here, in Sharjah.

Back in 1995, while running an international trading business in Central Asia, I entered into a business transaction with a company in the UAE - a country I had never visited and knew very little about at the time. The transaction proved successful for both sides, and my business partners subsequently invited me to Sharjah to meet with them and explore opportunities for expanding our business relationship.

The welcome and generosity I experienced during that five-day visit far exceeded anything I could have imagined. It was a wonderful blend of the UAE's legendary hospitality and a warmth and openness that made me feel immediately at home. That visit would remain with me forever as a truly life-changing experience.

My hosts took me around the UAE, introducing me to all seven Emirates. What I saw in Sharjah and across the UAE was not simply a country in the early stages of a remarkable journey toward growth and prosperity. I saw something much more profound: a vision, an ambition, and a genuine openness to new ideas and to people from every corner of the world.

I was so inspired by what I experienced that I wholeheartedly embraced my host's invitation to make the UAE my home. Remarkably, by the end of that five-day visit, I had already established a registered business and secured a small office - all thanks to the generosity and encouragement of my hosts. Three months later, I moved my family into a villa in Sharjah, and that is how our life in the UAE began.

Although I lived in Sharjah for only four or five years before moving to Dubai, I continue to treasure the memories of those early years: a happy and peaceful family life, while working tirelessly to build and grow a newly established business in the Emirate.

I remember the school bus arriving every morning to pick up our young children. I remember evening walks with my family along the Al Buhaira Corniche. These seemingly simple moments have, over the years, become some of my most cherished memories - and have created a deep and enduring bond between me and Sharjah.

That is why the pre-launch of Azizi Florence feels, to me, like a homecoming .

I feel a profound sense of pride that, following the success of our real estate ventures in Dubai, we are now embarking on a new chapter in Sharjah with a development of unprecedented scale and ambition.

Valued at Dh30 billion and conceived and designed entirely by the in-house engineering team at Azizi Developments, Azizi Florence will comprise 1,130 villas, more than 6,000 townhouses and 3,500 apartments, all designed and developed in accordance with the highest global standards of modern construction and residential living.

But Azizi Florence is intended to be much more than a collection of homes. It is envisioned as a complete community, designed to offer its residents a distinctive way of life - one rooted in comfort, luxury, wellbeing and a close connection with nature.

An extensive range of amenities and shared facilities has been incorporated into the masterplan to create an environment where families can live comfortably, actively and socially, with everything they need within their community.

Azizi Florence will be a green community, with abundant landscaped spaces, water features, flower and botanical gardens, and parks, including a signature 1.7-million-square-foot Central Park.

A wide range of social amenities - including picnic areas, a weekend market, community gathering spaces and children's play areas - will encourage interaction and foster a vibrant community atmosphere. Cultural venues, including a cinema, a 3,000-seat amphitheatre and a unique Art and Culture Plaza, will further enrich the experience of living at Azizi Florence.

Health and wellbeing will also be central to the community's design, with numerous facilities including spas, gyms, swimming pools and 12 kilometers of jogging and cycling tracks.

The community will also feature its own school for 1,000 students, two Jumma mosques, as well as prayer halls within each residential cluster. Among the many other facilities will be a community mall, six clubhouses, a 1,000-seat ballroom, and 24/7 community-wide facilities management.

As we prepare for the pre-launch of Azizi Florence on 10 September 2026, I see this project as much more than another addition to the growing legacy of Azizi Developments - alongside landmark projects such as Burj Azizi and Azizi Venice in Dubai.

For me, Azizi Florence represents something deeply personal. It is a gesture of gratitude to Sharjah - the Emirate that welcomed me 32 years ago, gave me my first home in the UAE, and played an important role in the beginnings of my journey here.

It is also a celebration of how far that journey has taken us.

And, perhaps most importantly, it marks the beginning of an exciting new chapter for Azizi Developments as we expand our vision across the UAE and contribute, in our own way, to the continued growth and prosperity of this remarkable country that we are proud to call home.

Mirwais Azizi is Founder and Chairman of Azizi Developments.

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