Located in the heart of new Dubai, the Mall of the Emirates is the latest of the Majid Al Futtaim Investments (MAF)Majid Al Futtaim Investments (MAF) shopping mall developments, following on from the City Centre brand. The mall, situated off Shaikh Zayed Road, has been built in just under two years at a cost of AED3 billion. It will be the fourth mall, including the Deira City CentreDeira City Centre, owned by MAF in the UAE and the seventh in the region. With 2.4 million square feet (230,000 square meters) of shopping leisure and entertainment area and 7,000 parking spaces, the mall will host more than 400 retail stores including fashion, lifestyle, sports, electronics, and home furnishing outlets. Also the mall will feature the largest single level Carrefour hypermarketCarrefour hypermarket in the Middle East that will feature 145,000 square feet (13,400 square meters) of selling area and 21,500 square feet (2,000 square meters) of storage area. In addition to Magic Planet entertainment zones that will be the largest indoor family entertainment centre in Dubai, two major department stores, a 14 screen multi-plex cinema with VIP facilities Dubai, Community Theatre and Arts Centre as well as 180,000 square feet (17,000 square meters) of coffee shops and restaurants.

The mall will comprise two hotels; one of which is the five stars luxurious "Kempinski Resort Mall of the EmiratesKempinski Resort Mall of the Emirates" offering an "alpine" theme experience. Mall of EmiratesMall of Emirates guests will also have the chance to go skiing at Dubai ski, the first indoor ski slope in the Middle East. Developed by the engineer Malcolm Clulow, the scheme is a 240,000 square feet (22,500 square meters) ski area with 6,000 tones of snow, it houses plastic trees, faux igloos, a Zermatt-style Avalanche Cafe with balconied chalet, and kids facilities including a 3,000 square meters ice cave, an ice maze and dedicated spaces for building snowmen. Clulow and the team sought further advice from former UK Olympic silver medalist Conrad Bartelski and John Sheddon, technical director of the British Ski Federation, to fine-tune all the elements you would get in the Alps. The mall was crowned The World's Leading New Shopping Mall at the World Travel Awards in London in November 2005.