Ninety-four years have passed since the late King Abdulaziz bin Saud renamed the Kingdom of Nejd and Hejaz the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. These ninety years have witnessed remarkable growth for the country. To celebrate the Kingdom's 94th anniversary, we review five of its most ambitious projects, which are writing a bright new chapter in the Kingdom's future.
NEOM
NEOM is the crown jewel of the new Saudi Arabia and will become the most advanced destination in the world. Located in the northwest region, NEOM spans 26,000 square kilometers and is a city of the future being built from the ground up.
The first phase of the massive $500 billion project, which includes the design of the transportation network and public facilities, was recently completed. The new city will feature cutting-edge technologies and will play a pivotal role in attracting investment to the new Saudi Arabia.
Amaala
Another project in the northwest region is a luxury tourism development that will create the "Riviera of the Middle East." More than 2,500 hotel rooms and 800 residential homes will be built around this stunning Red Sea location.
The project will cover an area of 4,000 square kilometers, with a primary focus on preserving the area's natural beauty. Several project contracts were awarded in 2020, and it was announced that Amaala will include an international airport.
The Red Sea Project
"Creating a new kind of Saudi destination." Spanning 28,000 square kilometers, the Red Sea Project lies between the cities of Umluj and Al Wajh. It will create a new leisure and entertainment destination, featuring expansive marinas, 14 luxury and ultra-luxury hotels, and numerous other land and sea-based developments.
With support from the Public Investment Fund, work recently commenced on the first kilometer of the road network. The project will encompass 77 kilometers of roads, in addition to numerous developments across the area, which spans 90 offshore islands.
King Salman Energy Park (SPARK)
This 50-square-kilometer project will create a new $1.6 billion industrial zone in the Eastern Province. Located between Dammam and Al-Ahsa, the city comprises five zones: an industrial zone, a logistics and port zone, a business zone, training center zones, and a residential zone.
The first phase of development, which includes roads, utilities, and real estate, was 60% complete in 2019 and is expected to be finished in 2021. Once completed, the first phase is expected to attract more than $2 billion in foreign direct investment.
Diriyah Gate
Among the unique projects in Saudi Arabia, Diriyah Gate will revive the 15th-century city of Diriyah, the original capital of the Kingdom. The $17.1 billion Diriyah Gate project, expected to attract 25 million visitors annually, will feature 20 hotels, five expansive public squares, a 15,000-seat stadium, and a Formula 1 racetrack.
The Diriyah Gate project is the first mega-project to be undertaken in Saudi Arabia, and according to the project's design and development director, Jonathan Timms, we can expect to see the first glimpses of the new streets and some of the city's facilities in early 2021.
Thanks to Vision 2030, the next decade is expected to witness radical changes across the Kingdom, with a number of development projects that will contribute to the prosperity of modern Saudi Arabia.