The United Arab Emirates is made up of seven emirates: Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman, Umm Al Quwain, Fujairah and Ras Al Khaimah. While Dubai and Abu Dhabi are globally renowned today, Ras Al Khaimah remains somewhat overlooked, despite offering a combination of mountains, desert and sea rarely found elsewhere in the region.
Ras Al Khaimah lies in the northernmost part of the country, where the Hajar Mountains drop directly to the Arabian Gulf. The emirate's coastline stretches 68 kilometres, combining beaches, mangroves and calm lagoons. Inland rises Jebel Jais, the highest mountain in the United Arab Emirates at 1,934 metres above sea level. It is also home to the world's longest zipline, listed in the Guinness World Records. The line measures 2.83 kilometres, with riders reaching speeds of up to 150 kilometres per hour.
Archaeological findings show that trade in the area now known as Ras Al Khaimah dates back to 5000 BC, making the emirate one of the longest continuously inhabited places on earth. It was historically known as Julfar, an important port on the trade route between Mesopotamia and South Asia. Ras Al Khaimah joined the United Arab Emirates on 10 February 1972, the last of the seven emirates to do so.
In recent years, Ras Al Khaimah has seen a marked rise in both tourism and investment interest. The emirate welcomed 1.35 million visitors in 2025, with numbers expected to reach 3.5 million annually by 2030. In September 2027, the luxury Wynn Al Marjan Island resort is also set to open, further strengthening Ras Al Khaimah's position as a tourist destination. This growth is also reflected in the real estate market.
Ras Al Khaimah offers a number of interesting and affordable residential projects worth noting. One of the current developments is Richmond Residences, the first phase of the extensive Mira Coral Bay community on the Al Mairid waterfront. Mira Coral Bay is the world's first multi-branded waterfront community, and Richmond Residences brings to it the signature of British fashion brand John Richmond. The apartments are fully furnished, including Italian furniture, and residents have access to private beaches, a yacht club and five-star hotel-level services. Prices start from AED 550,000, with completion planned for the first quarter of 2029, and the EOI collection for this project is currently underway.
The combination of rising visitor numbers, new hotel capacity and the development of branded residential projects suggests that Ras Al Khaimah is gradually shifting from a peripheral destination to a fully-fledged part of the United Arab Emirates' real estate market. For investors, this can mean lower entry prices than in Dubai, but also higher risk tied to infrastructure and rental demand that are still developing.
Interested in learning more about the emirate of Ras Al Khaimah, or has the Richmond Residences project caught your eye? We'd be happy to tell you more.
