The brand new £75bn city being built from scratch in the middle of the desert
Set to be completed by 2035, an ambitious £75bn mega-city is being built in the Saudi Arabian desert, with 50,000 residents due to move in within five years.
The King Abdullah Economic City (KAEC) was first announced as a megaproject in 2005 by King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz, who reigned in Saudi Arabia until his death in 2015.
It is located along the Red Sea coast, near the coastal city of Thuwal and almost 62 miles north of Jeddah.
Now, the ambitious project, set to cost a staggering $100 billion (£75 billion) is just 10 years away from being completed.
What's more, some 50,000 residents are expected to move in within the next five years. By 2018, it already had a population of 7,000.
It is being constructed entirely from scratch on previously unoccupied desert land. The city will eventually span around 70 square miles, nearly double the size of Manchester and comparable to Washington D.C. Once completed, it will house around two million residents.
The KAEC aims to invigorate Saudi Arabia’s economy by diversifying away from oil dependency and creating around 28,000 jobs. Currently, the country has about one-fifth of the world's known oil reserves, making it the world's top oil reserve holder, with petroleum sector revenue accounting for roughly 87 percent of its budget revenues.
The new city will feature hospitals, schools, golf courses, an industrial complex, beach facilities and residential neighbourhoods as well as a port capable of handling over 20 million containers annually.
KAEC is designed with the country's youthful population in mind. With 65 percent of Saudis under 30 and nearly 200,000 studying abroad, the city aims to attract a new generation eager to bring their experiences and skills back home.
Although the project began a decade ago, only 15 percent of KAEC has been completed.
"Putting that first phase together is the most difficult point," Fahd al-Rasheed, Group CEO of Emaar Economic City, explained. "Once you figure it out, the sky is the limit, so we are in that phase now."
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The Saudi government has established an Economic Cities Authority to oversee KAEC and other mega-city projects in the country. It was one of six megaprojects announced in 2005 and is the only one that was launched.
The city's master plan prioritises sustainability and innovation, with green spaces, eco-friendly infrastructure, advanced waste management systems and cutting-edge technologies.
Its strategic location along one of the world's busiest maritime routes ensures its potential as a vibrant international trade hub with the Middle East, Africa, Europe and Asia. The project also includes high-speed train links to Jeddah and the holy cities of Mecca and Medina, positioning KAEC as a significant travel and tourism hub.
