Dubai Marina (), aka Marsa Dubai, is a district in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. It is an artificial canal city, built along a stretch of Persian Gulf shoreline. As of 2018, it has a population of 55,052. When the entire development is complete, it will accommodate more than 120,000 people in residential towers and villas. It is located on Interchange 5 between Jebel Ali Port and the area which hosts Dubai Internet City, Dubai Media City, and the American University in Dubai. The first phase of this project has been completed. Dubai Marina was inspired by the Concord Pacific Place development along False Creek in Vancouver, BC, Canada. There have been many instances of marine wildlife (especially whales and sharks) entering the marina, because of its proximity to the open sea. Development In order to create the man-made marina, the developers brought the waters of the Persian Gulf into the site of Dubai marina, creating a new waterfront. There is a large central waterway, excavated from the desert and running the length of the 3 km site. More than 12% of the total land area on the site has been given over to this central public space. Although much of this area is occupied by the marina water surface, it also includes almost 8 km of landscaped public walkways. The marina is entirely man-made and has been developed by the real estate development firm Emaar Properties of the United Arab Emirates and designed by HOK Canada. Upon completion, it is claimed to be the world's largest man-made marina. The current largest man-made marina in the world is Marina del Rey in California, United States. There is a publicly accessible foreshoreway around the marina and some sections of public oceanway along the beach with views to Palm Jumeirah. Its largest development is the Jumeirah Beach Residence. Dubai Marina opened doors to its first mosque Masjid Al Rahim in October 2013, which is situated in the southern end of the Marina, and its second mosque Mohammed Bin Ahmed Almulla Mosque in December 2016. Phase I The first phase of Dubai Marina covers , which includes six freehold apartment buildings, the Dubai Marina Towers. The phase I of Dubai Marina cost more than AED 1.2 billion. Three of the towers are named after precious stones, Al Mass, Fairooz, and Murjan, and the other three are named after Arabic scents, Mesk, Anbar, and Al