Construction of Dubai’s Arabian Nights-inspired ‘Aladdin City’ scheme will start next year, the municipality chief has announced.

Director-general Hussain Nasser Lootah told Emirates 24/7 that work on the 4,000 acre project at Dubai Creek will start in 2016 and the municipality has the funds required to finance it.

Aladdin City, announced last April, has been inspired by the tales of Aladdin and Sindbad.

The plans comprise three towers of 34, 26 and 25 storeys, which will provide 110,000 sq m of commercial and hotel space between the Al Ruwaya and Al Aweer areas across Emirates Road, and residential units for 160,000.

Air-conditioned bridges with moving floors connect the towers, driveways and parking lots. The shape of the main bridge that links the buildings represents the form of exotic and fabled creatures such as dragons and snakes, the developers say.

There will be a total parking space for 900 cars. The total cost has not been revealed.

“The project aims to develop towers to be the icons of legends of the past with a touch of beauty and tourism characteristic of the city. It comes in the prime location of Dubai Creek maintaining the activities of the port heritage. The project is located outside the zone waiting to be registered with the World Heritage by Unesco,” Lootah was quoted as saying.