From theme parks and metro lines to the world's tallest buildings, Saudi Arabia is undergoing some major changes.
Saudi Arabia is a country that is changing with each passing day. After opening up to tourists in 2019, the eyes of the world have turned to the Kingdom, and there's so much to show off.
Not only are hidden gems in Saudi's vast and diverse landscape on many travelers' bucket lists, but Saudi Arabia's cities also have a lot to marvel about.
From theme parks and metro lines to the world's tallest buildings, here are 14 megaprojects shaping the future of Saudi Arabia
Chidia
Giga Project: Qiddiya City is an entertainment development that will be established in Riyadh.
Qiddiya City, an entertainment development to be established in Riyadh, is known as Saudi Arabia's "Entertainment Capital" and will span 334 square kilometers on the outskirts of Riyadh and offer a variety of attractions, from a 20,000-seat clifftop stadium to a Formula 1 circuit. The $8 billion project has been underway since January 2019, with the first phase scheduled to open in 2022.
Overall, Chidia will have more than 300 recreational and educational facilities organized around five main themes: Parks and Attractions, Sports & Wellness, Nature & Environment, Arts & Culture, and Sports & Mobility. Known for having the world's tallest landing slide and the world's longest and tallest roller coaster, Six Flags, an American theme park, will open in Qiddiya and is expected to "break many world records" and feature an 18-hole championship-standard golf course and movies. Cidioa hopes to attract 17 million visitors a year by 2030.
neom
First unveiled in 2017 by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the $500 billion high-tech city is part of Saudi Arabia's post-oil diversification plan Vision 2030''aims to reduce Saudi Arabia's dependence on hydrocarbons. The district is located in the northwestern part of Saudi Arabia and encompasses the territory on the border between Egypt and Jordan with a total area of 26,500 square kilometers. It will be built on a site more than 35 times the size of Singapore and will contain more than 450 kilometres of coastline.
NEOM will offer zones dedicated to future-oriented technologies in sixteen areas such as biotechnology, food, manufacturing, and technology. NEOM's contribution to Saudi Arabia's GDP is expected to reach at least $100 billion by 2030. The building village will contain green spaces with orchards, vegetable patches and ornamental gardens, as well as sports facilities such as cricket and football pitches, gyms and tennis courts, and facilities such as basketball.
Red Sea Project
Amala is a planned tourist destination on the northwest coast of the Red Sea.
Promoting Saudi Arabia's Red Sea Mega Project Located between the coastal cities of Umluj and Al Wajh, the 30,000-square-kilometre project will consist of natural archipelago of pristine islands and a vast desert landscape that includes mountain peaks, historical and archaeological treasures, and dormant volcanoes.
The project will be the first fully integrated, luxury, multi-purpose resort in the Middle East and is expected to attract visitors all year round. Designed with a focus on heritage, culture and preservation, it will offer 8,000 new hotel rooms once completed.
The region has 200 kilometers of unexplored coastline and vast desert landscapes dotted with ancient archaeological treasures. The developers of the Red Sea project want it to be one of the world's most successful sustainable tourist destinations, with zero waste to landfill, a 100% carbon neutrality rate and a ban on single-use plastics.
Jabal Omar
Developed by Jabal Omar.
This major Mecca development is one of the largest construction projects in the kingdom, covering an area of 40 hectares and costing $44 billion. Once completed, the towering hotel and residential towers will host up to 36,000 guests per year and more than 100,000 during the morning season.
This eight-phase project will see the construction of a twin tower hotel, dedicated prayer areas, seven-star amenities, and many more hotel towers. In total, there will be 40 towers with a floor area of about 2 million square meters. Dubai-based financier Shuaa Capital offered developer JODC a value of 1$3.5 billion five-year takaful.
Amara
Amala is a planned tourist destination on the northwest coast of the Red Sea.
Located on the Red Sea coast of Tabuk province, this large-scale project will border the city of Neum and the Red Sea project within the Prince Mohammed bin Salman Nature Reserve, helping to establish a new luxury tourism destination.
Dubbed the "Middle East Riviera", the development will include 2,500 hotel rooms and 700 private residential villas, as well as a retail area with 200 outlets. Amala will also open an art academy with the aim of further developing young artists in Saudi Arabia and the region as a whole. The 3,000sq km development will be spread across the three locations and will have its own airport and target luxury travellers.
Initial funding for the project will be provided by public investment** in Saudi Arabia, although the size of the investment has not yet been disclosed. The project, which is expected to be completed in 2028, will create up to 22,000 jobs in the Kingdom.
ad diriyah
Silhouette of the Salwa palace at A-Turaif in Ad Diriyah.
Known as the "Pearl of Saudi Arabia", Ad Diriyah will boost tourism in Saudi Arabia. It is the seat of the first state in Saudi Arabia and the original seat of power of the Al Saud family in Saudi Arabia. Ad Diriyah is located on the outskirts of Riyadh and is set to become a major tourist destination. The $17 billion development will include multiple luxury resorts, including major international hotel brands, as well as more than 100 dining and entertainment venues. The first hotel should open in the second half of 2021.
In Ad Diriyah, you will find the UNESCO-listed At-Turaif site. The A-Turaif is a sprawling mud-brick capital built in the 15th century, and owes its influence to the Arab Najdi architectural style. In the middle of the 18th century, it gave birth to the Al Saud dynasty, which had been living in Ad Diriyah since the 15th century. Today, the at-turaif is mostly destroyed, but a reconstruction project has introduced museums, performance spaces, and views of the interior of 18th-century Saudi Arabia.
Since its UNESCO designation in 2010, it was not open to the public until the end of 2019.
Al Vidian al Widyan
Known as Riyadh's "City of Cities", Al Widyan will become the capital's cosmopolitan metropolis with an area of 7 million square meters. The mixed-use destination of urban and leisure in Riyadh's northern growth corridor will be divided into 12 districts, with more than 50 of the land area dedicated to open space and anchored by a large ** park formed around Al Widyan natural magma.
The $2.7 billion development will be largely walkable, with recreational, leisure, retail and educational facilities as well as residences and offices. Al Widyan will target 20,000 high- and low-rise housing units, targeting young families, students, creatives and entrepreneurs.
The world's largest shopping and entertainment destination.
Al Akdaria Saudi Real Estate Company says Al Widyan will be the world's largest shopping and entertainment development. The development will cost around $5 billion and will feature a large shopping mall that will house a large theme park, water park, entertainment facilities, a wide range of dining options, and will use the latest AI technology.
King Salman Park
Riyadh's King Salman Park, which is four times the size of New York's ** park, will stretch to 13 on the site of the old airportAn area of 4 square kilometers and is connected by the city's bus and metro lines.
Highlights will include Islamic-themed and vertical gardens, mazes, bird and butterfly greenhouses, 75 km of circular walkways and 800,000 square meters of "wadi". The park will also feature an arts district that will cover 400,000 square meters and include a 2,500-seat National Theatre and an 8,000-seat open-air theatre. It will also include a cinema, an art academy, seven museums and a 40,000-square-meter venue for gatherings.
It will also include world-class sports facilities, including an 850,000-square-metre golf course, a 50,000-square-metre gymnasium, a 100,000-square-metre recreational gaming area and a 140,000-square-metre water sports area.
The park will have 12,000 residential units, will have 16 hotels with 2,300 rooms, a food and retail area of more than 500,000 square meters, and a library.
Jeddah Tower
The Jeddah Tower, which is expected to be the crown of the Burj Khalifa, is the Jeddah Tower and is expected to reach a kilometer in height when completed. With more than 250 floors, Jeddah Tower will consist of residential units, serviced apartments and a hotel, in which it is expected to open for "four seasons".
Designed by Adrien Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture, the tower covers an area of 243,866 square meters and will be home to the world's tallest observation deck at 664 meters above the ground. The $1.4 billion project is expected to peak in 2020.
Jeddah Metro
Saudi Arabia's second city will have its own metro system in 2025 and is currently developing three lines. The first phase will connect King Abdulaziz International Airport with Prince Abdullah Al Faisal Stadium, Ruweis Center and Al Kozam. The $60 billion network is scheduled to be completed in 2020, although according to the CEO of Jeddah Metro Corporation, the project will take five years longer than expected to be completed due to delays in the construction of Jeddah's bus network.
Riyadh Metro
Riyadh Metro King Abdullah Financial District Station.
A metro system will also be built in the capital of Saudi Arabia, with the first phase scheduled to open in 2020. The Riyadh metro station is one of the largest urban transport projects in the world, with six lines covering 176 kilometers and covering 85 metro stations in the city.
Once built, the network will be able to use driverless trains with a length of 36 meters, carrying 400,000 passengers per day and dividing passengers into three categories: first, families and singles. The metro network will also have a parallel bus network.
The Riyadh Development Authority held a naming auction for multiple stations, raising about $2 for the network$7.8 billion. The total cost of the project is thought to be more than $23 billion. The project is expected to increase the proportion of public transport trips in the city from 2 to around 20.
Mecca Public Transport Plan
Just like Riyadh and Jeddah, Saudi Arabia's holy city is developing a new metro system and bus network. The Mecca public transport plan will include a metro line covering 180 kilometers with 88 petrol stations designed to transport millions of people who travel to the city every year for pilgrims and umrah activities.
In addition, there will be a number of integrated bus networks, including local buses and shuttle buses for stopping and riding on the outskirts of the city, as well as Bus Rapid Transit (BRT). The metro will be completed in six phases over a period of about 20 years, with the first phase set to be operational in 2025.
Sahara Nature Reserve
Partial view of a nature reserve in Saudi Arabia, located near the town of Aula in northwestern Saudi Arabia.
The centerpiece of the Al Ula development will be the Al Sharaan Nature Reserve, a 925sq km site designed to make the most of the rocky landscape. The project will focus on the natural integrity of Al Ula, aiming to recreate the rich diversity of flora and wildlife that once flourished here.
In the nature reserve, named after the surrounding canyon area, luxurious retreats will be opened in an archaeologically rich setting. It will include 25 suites, 10 pavilions and 5 resort-style residential complexes and is expected to be completed in 2023. There will also be 40 other residential complexes, as well as an international summit center, restaurants and luxury spas.
Jean Nouvel, the French architect behind Louvre Abu Dhabi, will design the project and plans to draw inspiration from the surrounding landscape of Al Ula, which is one of the main considerations for the resort.
Construction is expected to begin this year, with a completion date set for 2030.