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The northwest of Saudi Arabia is home to a massive planned urban metropolis in the middle of desert. The government of Saudi Arabia has allocated upwards of $500 billion for an infrastructure project called Neom – which itself is a portmanteau for “neo” meaning new, and “m” for the first letter of the Arabic word for crown – mustaqbal. The project is estimated to be completed by 2030, though critics are skeptical. There has also been many reports of significant human rights concerns in the early stages of construction of Neom, which is consistent with reports of other large infrastructure projects in the Middle East.
The total size of Neom is planned to be more than 10,000 square miles, or 30+ times the size of New York City. Because of this, there will be several massive projects that encompass the entire idea of Neom, including:
- The Line – outlined below
- Trojena – outlined below
- Oxagon – outlined below
- Sindalah – a luxury resort off the coast of Neom in the Red Sea
- Neom Bay – a planned residential center with an airport
For other maps in the Middle East, check out posts on Israel/India Flight Paths and the Qattara Depression!
See the interactive Google Map at the bottom of the post!
Three key facts about this map
The Line is the crown jewel of Neom and is a city-within-a-building
One of the most ambitious plans of Neom is a project called The Line – essentially a 170km long building that is planned to house 9 million residents – if constructed, it would be one of the most dense cities in the world (along with cities like Manila, Philippines).
The dimensions of The Line are 170km long by 500m high by 200 meters wide. The plan is for the community to be connected via artificial intelligence (unclear on what this specifically means…), and all daily services such as school, groceries, work, are intended to be within a 5 minute walk to all residents. As of October 2022, construction has started on the massive city-building.
Trojena will be a ski mountain in the middle of the Arabian Desert
Neom is so large that it encompasses a small mountain range called the Sarwat Mountains (with elevations as high as 2.600 meters / 8,500 feet) that occasionally receive a small amount of snow each year. As part of the giant infrastructure project, Trojena will be the first outdoor ski destination in the Middle East.
This project is expected to be completed before 2029 when Trojena is planned to host the Asian Winter Games.
Oxagon is planned to be the largest floating industrial complex in the world
On the southern coast of Neom, Oxagon will represent a large area in the Red Sea that will be the industrial heart of the giant infrastructure project. Centered on the small port town of Duba, the Oxagon is planned to be a “global focal point for trade” taking advantage of its geographic location near the Suez Canal. Other major facilities planned in the Oxagon include a desalination plant, hydrogen power plant and an oceanographic research center. While plans have indicated that the indurial city is planned to be floating atop the Red Sea, there have been no published plans on how this might actually work in reality.
Additional links and sources
- Official website of Neom (link)
- Article previewing Neom projects and other large infrastructure projects underway in Saudi Arabia (link, published in 2023)
- Article outlines major ethical and environmental concerns with the construction of Neom (link, published in 2022)
Do you think Neom will actually be built?
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