A Middle Eastern developer is building a female-only tower for commercial use in Dubai’s Business Bay area.

The project, named Eve’s Tower, will be a 20-floor building in which only women can rent or own office space. Men will, however, be allowed to work inside the building.

Sulaiman Al-Fahim, chief executive of UAE-based real estate company Hydra Properties, said: “We have conceptualised the building as a tribute to the nurturing spirit of womanhood the world over.”

A spokesperson added that Eve’s Tower would “foster female entrepreneurial spirit while taking the Gulf traditions into account”.

Eve’s Tower forms a part of the Hydra Towers project that consists of five high-rise buildings in the upcoming Business Bay. The work is being carried out by the Middle East Foundations company. National Engineering Bureau has been appointed as engineering consultant.

There are women-only malls in the Gulf – in Saudi Arabia for instance – but this project is thought to be the first of its kind.

Hydra Properties said excavation work for the tower had already finished. It is estimated that the building will be completed in 2010.