Short answer: Madinat Al Irfan is OMRAN Group's new city district on the western side of Muscat, next to Muscat International Airport. Today it is a business and events quarter: the Oman Convention and Exhibition Centre, the JW Marriott and Crowne Plaza hotels, and the Omantel and OQ headquarters. Homes are planned, 10,000 of them on the developer's current figures, but none are on sale yet, and the developer now says townhouses and villas are among the next components. The developer's site lists the district as 100% freehold, yet no public source we found confirms that a foreign individual can register a home there. If you want to buy and live near it today, Muscat Hills, Al Mouj and Sultan Haitham City are the freehold options, with our entry prices from OMR 61,635.
Madinat Al Irfan is the biggest urban project in Muscat, and most pages about it are press releases about awards and office towers. This guide is for the reader who wants to know what is actually there in 2026, what has been promised, whether a foreigner can buy a home in it, and where to buy instead if the answer is "not yet".
One note first, because readers ask us: Irfan Investment Group is a private real estate agency in Muscat, not connected to Madinat Al Irfan, to OMRAN Group or to any company that develops it. The shared word in the names is a coincidence. What we do know well is the freehold market around the airport, and that is where this guide ends up.
What Madinat Al Irfan is
Madinat Al Irfan is a master-planned new district of Muscat, designed to become a new central business area and a full residential neighbourhood. It is the flagship urban project of OMRAN Group, the Oman Tourism Development Company, which its masterplanners describe as the country's master developer of tourism, heritage and urban projects. The project has its own management team; in September 2026 its general manager, Eng. Mohammed Abdullah Al Salmi, described it to Gulf Construction as a 7 million square metre development with several districts advancing at the same time.
The London practice Allies and Morrison drew the masterplan after an invited competition. The plan is built around a natural wadi that runs through the site and becomes a central park, with 36% of the land set aside as open green space and about 15 km of cycling trails.
For the western part of the city, OMRAN formed a joint venture with Majid Al Futtaim, the Dubai group that also co-developed Al Mouj. That joint venture marketed its district as Tilal Al Irfan, described in 2021 as a 20-year project whose first phase would deliver homes, a school, a hospital and a business district. When we checked on 29 September 2026 the Tilal Al Irfan website did not load, and current developer material speaks only of Madinat Al Irfan under OMRAN. We could not find a public statement on the present status of the joint venture, so treat the Tilal Al Irfan name as history until the developers say otherwise.
Where Madinat Al Irfan is
The district sits on the western side of the Muscat governorate, on the land beside Muscat International Airport, with direct links to the main expressways according to the developer.
How close is the airport? The developer's own pages disagree: 10 minutes on the homepage, 4 minutes or 4 km on the investor page, and 15 minutes from the convention centre on the hospitality page. It is next door; the exact drive depends on where on the site you start.
What exists today
Most of what stands in Madinat Al Irfan today serves business and events, not residents:
- Oman Convention and Exhibition Centre (OCEC). The exhibition halls opened in June 2016 with 22,000 m² of space across five halls; the convention centre adds a 3,200-seat auditorium and a 450-seat theatre. It holds a LEED Gold certificate.
- Hotels. The JW Marriott Muscat, with 304 rooms, opened in February 2020 and is linked directly to the OCEC. The Crowne Plaza Muscat OCEC stands next to it.
- Business Park. The Omantel headquarters (98,505 m², LEED Platinum) and the OQ headquarters (44,125 m²) are complete. Business Park Phase Three, three Grade A office buildings around a courtyard called the Oasis, was 23% complete in September 2026 with handover planned for the first quarter of 2028.
- A sales and inspiration centre, where the developer shows its masterplan model to visitors.
What you will not find yet is a finished residential neighbourhood. There are no homes for sale on the developer's site, and none of the developer pages or listing sites we checked showed a residential launch inside Madinat Al Irfan.
What is planned, and how the numbers have moved
In January 2026 Royal Decree 8/2026 created the International Financial Centre of Oman (IFC Oman), a financial centre with its own common law framework and tax incentives of up to 50 years. The official announcement says the Centre will be headquartered in Madinat Al Irfan.
The September 2026 interview lists the next components: townhouses and villas, restaurants and retail, IFC Oman, a Wadi Park with about 600 trees and sports and play areas, the new headquarters of the Oman Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and the first school in the convention district. No dates or prices for the homes were given.
The headline figures have changed several times since launch, so do not rely on any single number:
| Figure | Earlier reporting | Developer's site, 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Land area | 624 hectares (Allies and Morrison masterplan); more than 4.5 million m² (Oman Daily, 2018); 5 million m² for Tilal Al Irfan (Muscat Daily, 2021) | 7 million m² |
| Homes | More than 11,000 villas, townhouses and apartments (Oman Daily, 2018) | 10,000 residential units |
| Office space | 700,000 m² (Oman Daily, 2018) | 450,000 m² |
| First residential phase | 250,000 m² due by 2023 (Oman Daily, 2018); "within three years" (Muscat Daily, 2021) | Townhouses and villas listed as upcoming, no date (Gulf Construction via Zawya, September 2026) |
The 2018 reports put the total investment at about 5 billion rials over the life of the project. The last row matters most for a home buyer: the first homes were expected by around 2023 to 2024, and in late 2026 they are still to come. In that interview, Business Park Phase Three is the only component with a completion date.
Can foreigners buy property in Madinat Al Irfan?
Short version: not confirmed, and there is nothing to buy yet.
In Oman a foreigner can own a home only in an Integrated Tourism Complex (ITC) or in a zone the government has opened to foreign ownership, such as Sultan Haitham City. Our guide to buying property in Oman as a foreigner explains the rules. For Madinat Al Irfan, here is what we found and what we did not:
- The developer's homepage lists the district as "100% Freehold", and its investor page shows "100% Foreign Ownership" among its key statistics. The September 2026 interview mentions "100 per cent foreign ownership" as one of Oman's investor-friendly policies.
- Those statements sit on pages aimed at companies and developers, next to points about corporate tax and profit repatriation. None of them says that an individual foreign buyer can register title to a home, or that a home here would support the residence visa for property owners.
- We found no official list, decree or ministry page that names Madinat Al Irfan as an Integrated Tourism Complex or as a zone open to foreign residential ownership. We could not find a complete official ITC list online either, so this is an absence of evidence, not proof either way.
- Some agency pages call Madinat Al Irfan a freehold ITC, but they cite press coverage, not a legal source.
Our reading: the district may well open residential freehold to foreign buyers when the homes launch, and the developer's "100% Freehold" label points that way. Until a project is on sale, ask the developer three questions in writing before paying anything: which title will be registered with the Ministry of Housing and Urban Planning, whether a foreign individual can hold it, and whether it qualifies for the owner residence visa.
Living near Madinat Al Irfan: freehold options you can buy now
If you want an address near the airport and the future business district, three freehold communities are already built or selling, and a foreigner can own in all three.
Muscat Hills faces Muscat International Airport and is built around the Muscat Hills Golf and Country Club, the first 18-hole grass course in Oman. It is an ITC, so buyers of any nationality hold full title. We do not hold any Muscat Hills homes in our inventory today, so we cannot quote a live price; the range we see in resale enquiries is about OMR 60,000 to OMR 150,000 for an apartment. Our Muscat Hills guide covers the community in detail.
Al Mouj Muscat lies on the coast opposite the airport: Oman's first ITC, with a marina, a golf course and a mature resale market. It is the most expensive of the three. See our Al Mouj prices guide.
Sultan Haitham City is Oman's new planned city in Al Seeb, west of central Muscat, with expressway links to the airport. Its residential districts sell as freehold open to all nationalities, and it is where our lowest entry prices are. Our Sultan Haitham City guide covers all three projects.
Entry prices in our live inventory on 29 September 2026, the cheapest available unit of each type:
| Community | Project | Home | Size | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sultan Haitham City | Wadi Zaha | Studio | 56 m² | OMR 61,635 |
| Sultan Haitham City | Wadi Zaha | One-bedroom | 80 m² | OMR 71,660 |
| Sultan Haitham City | Yenaier | Two-bedroom sky residence | 151 m² | OMR 86,347 |
| Sultan Haitham City | Hay Al Wafa | Three-bedroom townhouse | 230 m² | OMR 149,500 |
| Al Mouj | Vistal | One-bedroom | 76 m² | OMR 140,000 |
| Al Mouj | St. Regis | Two-bedroom branded residence | 197 m² | OMR 441,631 |
| Muscat Hills | None in our inventory | Resale apartments | Varies | About OMR 60,000 to OMR 150,000 |
Price per square metre for each project is on our Oman property price index, which divides every listed price by its area and takes the median.
A foreign buyer pays a one-off registration fee of about 3% when the title is registered. A home in an ITC or an approved zone such as Sultan Haitham City supports the residence visa for property owners: 2 years, renewable, a government fee of OMR 50, and since June 2026 no Omani sponsor is needed and first-degree family is covered. The details are in our Oman visa types guide.
Which option fits which buyer
- You work, or will work, in Madinat Al Irfan (IFC Oman, the business park, the OCEC or the hotels): Muscat Hills and Al Mouj are the finished freehold communities around the airport. Many people start by renting nearby; our rent vs buy guide sets out Muscat rents by area, including Muscat Hills and Al Mouj.
- You want the lowest entry price and a new build: Sultan Haitham City, from OMR 61,635, with the owner visa.
- You want the sea, a marina and a finished community: Al Mouj, from OMR 140,000 in our listings.
- You want to wait for Madinat Al Irfan itself: keep watching the developer's announcements, and do not pay a deposit until the three questions above have written answers.
Our guide to the best areas to buy an apartment in Muscat compares these communities side by side with Muscat Bay.
FAQ
What is Madinat Al Irfan?
A new master-planned district of Muscat developed by OMRAN Group next to Muscat International Airport. It already holds the Oman Convention and Exhibition Centre, the JW Marriott and Crowne Plaza hotels and the Omantel and OQ headquarters. Homes, a wadi park and the International Financial Centre of Oman are planned.
Who is the developer of Madinat Al Irfan?
OMRAN Group, the Oman Tourism Development Company. Its western part was planned with Majid Al Futtaim as Tilal Al Irfan; we found no current public statement on that partnership.
Can I buy an apartment or villa in Madinat Al Irfan?
Not yet. In September 2026 the developer lists townhouses and villas as upcoming, with no launch date or prices, and no homes are on sale.
Can foreigners own property in Madinat Al Irfan?
It is not confirmed. The developer advertises the district as 100% freehold, but we found no official source naming it an Integrated Tourism Complex or confirming that a foreign individual can register a home there.
Is Irfan Investment Group part of Madinat Al Irfan?
No. Irfan Investment Group is a private real estate agency in Muscat with no connection to Madinat Al Irfan or OMRAN Group. The similar name is a coincidence.
Where can I buy freehold property near Madinat Al Irfan?
Muscat Hills, facing the airport; Al Mouj, on the coast opposite the airport; and Sultan Haitham City in Al Seeb. In our listings, homes start from OMR 61,635 in Sultan Haitham City and OMR 140,000 in Al Mouj.
Sources
- Madinat Al Irfan, official site, key statistics read on 29 September 2026: 7 million m², 10,000 residential units, 450,000 m² of offices, "100% Freehold".
- Madinat Al Irfan, Investor Gateway and Stay and Convene pages, read on 29 September 2026.
- OMRAN Group, Madinat Al Irfan project page.
- Zawya, Oman's Madinat Al Irfan advances Business Park Phase Three, 2 September 2026.
- Zawya, Royal Decree establishes the International Financial Centre of Oman, January 2026.
- Allies and Morrison, Madinat al Irfan masterplan.
- Oman Daily, Madinat Al Irfan, a model for future urban projects, 14 November 2018 (Arabic).
- Muscat Daily, Tilal Al Irfan development project in Muscat, 14 September 2021.
- Wikipedia, Oman Convention and Exhibition Centre.
- Hospitality News, JW Marriott debuts in Muscat, 24 February 2020.
Next step
If Madinat Al Irfan is why you are looking at this side of Muscat, tell us your budget and whether you want to live, rent out or simply hold. An advisor replies within one business day with the freehold homes near the airport that fit, their payment plans and the residence route each one opens. We will also tell you plainly if waiting for Madinat Al Irfan suits you better.