Saudi Arabia: The Neom project and a drone show

After the 2 days on the road, we took some time to rest and pack as we were leaving the next day. 

For this last afternoon in Saudi Arabia, we wanted to look at the future of the country so we went to the NEOM Exhibition. It is a futuristic Saudi project that aims to create a city 170km long and 500m high, supposedly eco-friendly and able to house 9M people. 

The principle is to transform cities as we know them into a long and tall wall composed of multiple communities of 80000 inhabitants that would have access to all their needs within a 5mins walk, but would also be able to go to the other end of the city in less than 30 mins by metro. The wall, called The Line, would be covered in mirrors on each side to reflect its surroundings and protect from the sun, and it would also have plenty of green spaces, secret marinas, and even stadiums.

This utopian and massive project is part of Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s 2030 Vision. It seems so out of reach and, in our opinion, will face so many issues, including environmental impact (just imagine the number of birds that would crash into the mirrored walls), that we cannot help but be very sceptical about it. But, if they complete it and are able to run the communities successfully, it will probably change the cities of the future.

KSA, Saudi Arabia, Riyadh, The Neom Exhibition, The Line

KSA, Saudi Arabia, Riyadh, The Neom Exhibition, The Line

KSA, Saudi Arabia, Riyadh, The Neom Exhibition, The Line

KSA, Saudi Arabia, Riyadh, The Neom Exhibition, The Line

KSA, Saudi Arabia, Riyadh, The Neom Exhibition, The Line

KSA, Saudi Arabia, Riyadh, The Neom Exhibition, The Line

Other projects are ongoing in Saudi Arabia such as the Red Sea Project and the new Riyadh metro. Another one we could spot from the car was Riyadh financial district, KAFD King Abdullah Financial District, where construction is still ongoing.

In the evening, we went to the King Abdullah park (yes, the same one!), famous for its water fountain show. But today we went to see a drone light show as part of the Riyadh light festival called Noor. It features a swarm of 2000 drones flying above the park creating beautiful pictures in the sky. 

KSA, Saudi Arabia, Riyadh, King Abdullah Park

KSA, Saudi Arabia, Riyadh, King Abdullah Park

Overall, discovering the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia as a tourist was a pleasant surprise.

It will be interesting to see how the country evolves in a few years and see if it will survive the necessary societal changes that come with opening up to the world.