Pictured: Twelve jaw

Release time：2024-04-30 13:29:46 Source：International Index news portal

Tabuk Province, Saudi Arabia. A barren corner of the country, with little that's apparent to recommend it as a destination but endless sunlight and abundant salt water.

Nevertheless, Mohammed bin Salman, crown prince and de facto leader of the region, saw this rocky landscape and envisaged something epic: a series of futuristic developments, space-age cities, and luxury resorts. A desert 'utopia' named Neom that encompasses an area of around 10,200 square miles and includes 12 named projects, from industrial port city Oxagon, the world's largest floating structure, to Sindalah, a sea-horse-shaped resort island for the super-wealthy.

Then there's The Line, a gleaming, mirrored city envisaged as a hermetically sealed wall cutting through the desert. The Neom project cannot be accused of a lack of ambition. 

It is reported to be the crown prince's attempt to diversify the Saudi economy, bolster tourism, reduce reliance on fossil fuels, and establish the region as a technology and innovation hub on the world stage.

There are currently 12 named developments as part of the ambitious Neom project in Saudi Arabia. Above: The Oxagon, an industrial port that if completed will be the world's largest floating structure

Neom's flagship development is The Line. The 'vertical Manhattan' is intended to be 170 kilometres long, comprised of two 500-metre tall parallel towers

A visualisation of the interior of The Line. Proposal documents mention on-site healthcare scientists who will modify residents' genes to make them stronger, and an artificial moon lighting the sky

Sindalah is an 840,000-square-metre man-made island in the shape of a seahorse, a resort aimed at the yachting community

Reports of the cost of the project vary, starting at $500billion (£396billion) to estimates it will cost in excess of $1trillion (£792billion), if the 12 projects reach completion.

The Line is Neom's flagship development. Announced in 2021, its sheer ambition sparked headlines - and controversy. The 'vertical Manhattan' is intended to be 170 kilometres long (105 miles), comprised of two 500-metre-tall (1,640ft) parallel towers that house nine million residents.

Each of the dual towers will feature mirrored facades, and include residential and business properties. Walkways will connect the structures, while a high-speed train will run beneath.

Aquellum will be an 'ultra-luxury upside-down skyscraper' completely encased in a mountain, undetectable to anyone outside

Norlana is anticipated to be a coastal town for 3000 residents, focused on yachting

Utamo has been billed as an immersive art and entertainment centre, cocooned inside a mountain

Neom covers an area of 10,200 square miles, with the Gulf of Aqaba to the west and the Red Sea to the south

There will be no roads or cars. Daily essentials are planned to be within a five-minute walk for residents. Volocopters, delivery drones and robot servants will be on hand to serve. Designers say it will run entirely on renewable energy.

When completed, it will be the largest megastructure in the world.

Some of the proposed details are eye-catching, involving technology that has not yet been developed in some cases. 

Rain-starved desert will be addressed with cloud-seeding machines to promote precipitation. There are plans for on-site healthcare scientists who modify residents' genes to make them stronger, an artificial moon lighting the sky, and plans for The Line to have the highest rate of Michelin-starred restaurants per inhabitant.

Meanwhile, the design for Aquellum sounds vaguely akin to the lair of a Bond villain: per Neom's website, it will be an 'ultra-luxury upside-down skyscraper' completely encased in a mountain, undetectable to anyone outside. Its inhabitants will access their home from a secret entrance via the Aqaba coast, on the Red Sea.

According to Neom, once inside Aquellum, 'a dynamic boulevard winds through the courtyard, connecting diverse social spaces, world-class hospitality, immersive arts, events, shopping and dining. A signature space, dubbed ‘The Generator’, houses unique research labs for disruptors, innovators, and creative thinkers, offering a platform where the future is reimagined.

The Neom site adds: 'An omnidirectional internal transit system facilitates easy access to upper floors, transporting residents and visitors to their homes and hotels, ascending to rooftop gardens with breathtaking coastal views.'

Sindalah is an 840,000-square-metre man-made island in the shape of a seahorse, being developed into a resort aimed to serve the yachting community (and ultra-wealthy). When completed it shall boast an 86-berth marina and yacht club. It is predicted to be the first completed project, in 2025. 

The two images above show pre-visualisations of Trojena, intended to be a major ski destination atop Tarduk mountain. It will play host to the 2029 Asian Winter Games

Zardun is planned to be a major wildlife park, and eco-tourist centre, surrounded by three luxury hotels

The second project anticipated to reach completion is Trojena, set to be operational in 2026. It's being built atop Tabuk, the region's tallest mountain range.

This tourism destination will include the first major outdoor skiing destination in the six Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) nations and will host the 2029 Asian Winter Games.

According to Neom, it will 'showcase the next generation of luxury living, with a limited and exclusive offering of apartments, chalets, mansions and ultra-luxury mansions that boast unparalleled privacy, inspirational architecture and a seamless journey with nature'.

The remaining projects are Leyja, a nature reserve; Utamo, an arts and entertainment centre; Norlana, a coastal residential area; Xaynor, a beach club; Zardun, an eco-tourism resort; Epicon, a luxury tourist resort; and Siranna, a hexagonal luxury resort.

Leyja will be a nature reserve and tourist resort comprised of three luxury hotels

Epicon is planned to be a coastal tourist resort location comprised of two striking, jagged towers. One will be 225 metres tall and one will reach 275 metres 

Siranna will be a hexagonal pillar-shaped luxury hotel on the coast of the Gulf of Aqaba, designed to blend into a neighbouring mountain

Xaynor will be a luxury shoreline beach club designed to blend into its natural surroundings

There is concern that Neom won't be the sustainable mecca it is being sold as.

In a study of potential biological conservation issues for 2024, Science Direct raised concerns mirrored megastructure The Line is 'likely to pose a substantial risk to migratory species, particularly passerine birds'. Reflective surfaces are identified as one of the biggest causes of bird deaths each year.

The report says: 'The magnitude of The Line may pose a novel threat to the eastern populations of the estimated 2.1billion migratory birds of more than 100 species that migrate from Europe to Africa in autumn each year, for which this area forms a bottleneck.'

Environmental campaigners are sceptical, as well, declaring claims for The Line's planned sustainability as 'greenwashing'. Saudi Arabia is the second largest oil producer in the world.

Amnesty International has also voiced alarm at the project, particularly regarding the forced displacement of members of the region's Howeitat tribe to accommodate the development. Some 20,000 Saudis have been moved so far.

In 2023, the non-government organisation ALQST, which works to protect Saudis against human rights violations, reported that three members of the Howeitat tribe had been sentenced to death for criticising the displacements. 

NEOM'S JAW-DROPPING PROJECTS, FROM THE WORLD'S LARGEST FLOATING STRUCTURE TO AN UPSIDE-DOWN SKYSCRAPER

The Line - A futuristic city comprised of two parallel 170-kilometre (105-mile) long, 500-metre tall (1,640ft) towers, complete with robot servers to assist residents and an internal railway system. 

The Oxagon - an industrial port, designed to be the world's largest floating structure. 

Trojena - a mountain tourist resort. Intended to host the 2029 Asian Winter Games.

Sindalah - a seahorse-shaped luxury island resort.

Leyja - a nature reserve and tourist resort comprised of three luxury hotels.

Epicon - a coastal tourist resort comprised of two striking, jagged towers. One will be 225 metres (738ft) tall and one will reach 275 metres (902ft). 

Siranna - a hexagonal pillar-shaped luxury hotel on the coast of the Gulf of Aqaba, designed to blend into a neighbouring mountain.

Utamo - billed as an immersive art and entertainment centre, cocooned inside a mountain. 

Norlana - a coastal town, intended to have 3,000 residents, focused on yachting. 

Aquellum - an upside-down skyscraper encased entirely inside a mountain, designed for residential and commercial purposes. 

Zardun - a major wildlife park, and eco-tourist centre, surrounded by three luxury hotels. 

Xaynor - a luxury shoreline beach club designed to blend into its natural surroundings.  

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