Saudi Arabia’s Diriyah: A $63 billion dollar project highlighting Saudi heritage
At the headquarters of the Diriyah Gate Development
Authority northwest of Riyadh, three adjoining rooms hold illuminated scale
models of a city still under construction. Projection-mapped lights ripple
across miniature buildings as promotional videos condense centuries of Saudi
history into a few looping minutes. “This is the original birthplace and home
of Al Saud, the ruling family,” said Diriyah’s chief marketing officer, Kiran
Haslam.
Diriyah traces its origins back to around the
year 400, when the Banu Hanifa tribe settled along a nearby wadi that provided
scarce fresh water. The site rose to prominence in the early 18th century as
the capital of Muhammad bin Saud Al Muqrin, founder of the first Saudi state,
whose alliance with religious leader Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab reshaped the
Arabian Peninsula.
“That richness—of longevity, agriculture, and
royalty—has existed here for a very long time,” Haslam said. “That’s why we’re
doing this project.”
Conceived in 2018 under Crown Prince Mohammed
bin Salman’s Vision 2030 agenda, Diriyah is a $63 billion giga-project being
developed by Diriyah Company, a Public Investment Fund–owned entity responsible
for its planning and delivery. The ambition is to create a contemporary urban
district rooted in the kingdom’s origins, transforming the ruins of a
pre-modern capital into a global heritage destination.
Read More Diriyah
to become Saudi Arabia’s new cultural capital
The masterplan spans 3,450 acres of mixed-use
development surrounding the UNESCO-listed At-Turaif site, the first capital of
the Saudi dynasty. Restored and reopened as a museum in 2022, At-Turaif now
serves as the symbolic heart of the project. The broader development seeks to
recast Saudi history through a nationalist lens, emphasizing statehood and
continuity over religious origins.
From King Khalid International Airport, the
drive to Diriyah takes about 30 minutes, passing clusters of half-finished
concrete frames and newly opened attractions. At the edge of the existing town
of Diriyah—largely built in the 1970s—stands At-Turaif’s ruined palace, abandoned
after an Ottoman siege in 1818. Beyond it, more than 100 cranes loom over a
city being built almost entirely at once by some 50,000 migrant workers.
Construction crews are excavating roughly 2.5
square miles of bedrock, much of which will be reused as building material.
Beneath the future city, planners envision a three-level “super basement”
housing traffic, utilities, and mechanical systems, allowing for a
pedestrian-focused environment above.
Cultural landmarks are taking shape within
this framework. A new arena designed by HKS draws inspiration from Najdi forts
and geological formations, animated by what designers describe as “digital
waterfalls.” Nearby, Snøhetta’s Royal Diriyah Opera House evokes cracked
riverbed mud and eroded stone plateaus. More than 25 hotels are planned,
ranging from ultra-luxury brands such as St. Regis, Four Seasons, Armani, and
Ritz-Carlton to more affordable options like Radisson and Moxy.
Unlike Saudi Arabia’s more futuristic
megaprojects—such as NEOM, Qiddiya, or the proposed Mukaab—Diriyah trades
spectacle for tradition. Marketed as “The City of Earth,” it adopts a revived
Najdi vernacular of low-rise buildings with mudbrick facades, crenelated
parapets, and muted desert tones. Interiors are similarly curated, featuring woven
wood ceilings, carved plasterwork, hand-dyed textiles, and heritage-inspired
furnishings.
Read More Diriyah:
The birthplace of Saudi Arabia to be a Centre of Cultural Excellence
Diriyah also reflects a broader shift in Saudi
urban policy. In 2025, Mohammed bin Salman announced new national design
guidelines requiring traditional regional architectural styles across major
developments, formalized in a “Saudi Architecture Characters Map” identifying
19 regional typologies. After the logistical setbacks faced by experimental
projects like The Line, Diriyah is increasingly viewed as a more realistic
model for the kingdom’s future development.
Just south of Diriyah lies Wadi Safar, a
23-square-mile gated luxury enclave described by its developers as the world’s
largest of its kind. Surrounded by towering sandstone cliffs, the development
includes golf courses irrigated with recycled wastewater, equestrian
facilities, and branded residences. Security is tightly controlled, with
guarded checkpoints and restricted access.
Security is also a defining feature of Diriyah
itself. Entry to its newly opened retail district requires QR-code
registration, and pedestrian areas are continuously monitored. Despite
projections of 50 million annual visits and 100,000 residents within five
years, the public spaces remain quiet outside dinner hours or shift changes at
nearby construction sites.
Back at the development headquarters,
officials project economic contributions exceeding $18 billion, 180,000 new
jobs, and tourism accounting for 10 percent of national GDP by 2030. Whether
visitors and residents will arrive in the promised numbers remains uncertain.
For now, Diriyah offers a carefully managed
vision of indulgence: mocktails instead of alcohol, luxury dining, curated
retail, and the kingdom’s first completed luxury hotel, Bab Samhan, where
guests can choose from an array of specialized pillows—each calibrated for
comfort, temperature, and personal preference.
Read More Saudi
Arabia's Diriyah Co. awards contracts worth $5 billion to spur tourism growth
It
is a city designed to feel ancient, immaculate, and new all at once—and a
calculated gamble on how Saudi Arabia wants to be seen in the decades ahead.
Source: The Architects Newspaper
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