This paper reports the first experimental demonstration of a metal-dielectric negative-index metamaterial (NIM) at near-infrared (2 μm) wavelengths. The authors fabricated a transversely structured multilayer material consisting of two 30-nm thick gold films separated by a 60-nm thick aluminum oxide layer, with a 2-dimensional square periodic array of circular holes (838 nm pitch, 360 nm diameter) perforating the entire structure. This hybrid approach combines resonant interactions from the metal layers and periodic surface plasma waves to achieve negative refraction. The transmission and reflection properties were measured using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and the results were compared with rigorous coupled wave analysis (RCWA) modeling. The measured phase information was obtained using "metamaterial phase masks" to measure the phase of transmission and reflection coefficients. The experimental results show a sharp resonance at 2 μm, with a negative real part of the refractive index, indicating the successful realization of a near-IR NIM. This work opens new avenues for the design and fabrication of NIMs at near-IR and optical frequencies, with potential applications in advanced optical devices.This paper reports the first experimental demonstration of a metal-dielectric negative-index metamaterial (NIM) at near-infrared (2 μm) wavelengths. The authors fabricated a transversely structured multilayer material consisting of two 30-nm thick gold films separated by a 60-nm thick aluminum oxide layer, with a 2-dimensional square periodic array of circular holes (838 nm pitch, 360 nm diameter) perforating the entire structure. This hybrid approach combines resonant interactions from the metal layers and periodic surface plasma waves to achieve negative refraction. The transmission and reflection properties were measured using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and the results were compared with rigorous coupled wave analysis (RCWA) modeling. The measured phase information was obtained using "metamaterial phase masks" to measure the phase of transmission and reflection coefficients. The experimental results show a sharp resonance at 2 μm, with a negative real part of the refractive index, indicating the successful realization of a near-IR NIM. This work opens new avenues for the design and fabrication of NIMs at near-IR and optical frequencies, with potential applications in advanced optical devices.