After many years of delay, initial work has begun on the medical island of Dilmunia, but with overseas investors reluctant to get involved, and oil prices falling by 60% in six months, it may be many years before the project is open, if ever.

The Bahrain government has long promised to develop Dilmunia as a medical island, but little has happened. Being heavily dependent on oil money, Bahrain is yet again putting new projects on hold.

The Dilmunia at Bahrain development will be a mixed-use project built on a man-made island off the coast of Muharraq. With a unique health and wellness anchor, Dilmunia will include residences, hotels, leisure and shopping districts, and provides residents and visitors with wellness facilities and spas in a state-of-the-art resort-type environment.

Work has begun on the primary substation serving Dilmunia, also known as Bahrain Health Island. The energizing of the primary substation will take place in 2015, in time for the completion of the Seavilla development, into which Dilmunia’s first residents will move in late 2015.

Dilmunia is a project of developer Ithmaar Development Company (IDC), a subsidiary of Bahrain-based Ithmaar Bank, an Islamic retail bank based in Bahrain. Ithmaar manages the Dilmunia Fund, a real estate private equity fund dedicated to the development of Dilmunia.

It is close to Bahrain International Airport, with easy access to Saudi Arabia via the King Fahad Causeway. The name Dilmunia is inspired by Bahrain’s ancient civilization of Dilmun, which is believed to have been the inspiration for the mythical Garden of Eden. It seeks to create a modern Garden of Eden, balancing the need for growth with the need for a healthy, sustainable ecology and leisure spaces.