New images have revealed a monstrous construction site set to host a lavish new palace, expected to cost hundreds of billions.
Part of the wider Neom megacity project, the Saudi Arabian palace is being created on land previously part of the desert on the Red Sea coast.
Under the country’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi Arabia has launched Vision 2030, a project to diversify the national economy away from a dependence on the oil reserves which brought such vast wealth.
Construction of the coastal palace began in January 2019 on a remote stretch in the desert, which had been a site of just one small pier and little other development.
Yet in October 2024, satellite imagery shows the new large palace, helipads, manicured gardens, a golf course, as well as lavish landscaping, artificial lagoons and tree-lined roads.
Such a lush environment was created despite temperatures in the area ranging from 21-32C through the year.
Located in Saudi Arabia’s northeast, the Neom project of which the palace complex is part is a planned city launched in 2017.
It sits at the northern tip of the Red Sea, across from Egypt, and it planned to take up 10,200 square miles (26,500km2).
On its website, the project is described as: “The land of the future where the greatest minds and best talents are empowered to embody pioneering ideas and exceed boundaries in a world inspired by imagination.”
It explains the name’s derivation from two words, mainly the Ancient Greek word “neo”, meaning new. The “M” comes from the Arabic word “Mustaqbal”, meaning future, while the website also notes the letter is “the first letter of the Crown Prince, Mohammed bin Salman”.
Part of plans include a floating industrial complex, global trade hub, tourist resorts and a new city powered by renewable energy, a sprawling vision which is expected to create around 460,000 jobs and add an estimated £36 billion to the country’s economy.
Construction has fallen behind schedule, with only two buildings completed by July 2022, where major parts of the project had been scheduled for completion by 2020.
One of its most ambitious elements is The Line, a proposed 170km city that aims to be car-free and powered by artificial intelligence.
Yet only a small section of the city is expected to be completed by 2030.
With oil still forming the bulk of Saudi Arabia’s economy, the kingdom is exposed to fluctuations in barrel prices, with a recent downturn driven by geopolitical tensions.
A number of alleged human rights violations have also drawn international criticism, particularly in the case of the Huwaitat tribe, who have faced forced evictions and relocation to make way for the project.