Cairo: Famous for its centuries-old heritage and captivating architecture, the historic city of Diriyah, northwest of Riyadh, is seeing its future take shape as Saudi Arabia envisions a prominent position on the global tourism map.
With a multitude of neighborhoods and ancient monuments, it is considered a giant open-air museum.
Originally established in 1446 AD. on the shores of Wadi Hanifa, Diriyah is a landmark in the kingdom’s history. The city is loved by Saudis as the capital of their first state founded by Imam Mohammad bin Saud in 1727. It has been influential ever since. and attraction. Diriyah retained its importance in the Arabian Peninsula in the 18th century as an oasis of stability and prosperity.
One of its landmarks is the Al Turaif district, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Al Turaif is home to the 10,000-square-meter Salwa Palace that served as the force’s headquarters in the first Saudi state.
Diriyah is back in the spotlight through an ambitious progression project. The Saudi government is turning the city into a world-leading tourist and cultural destination.
To this end, a royal decree issued in 2017 created the Diriyah Gate Development Authority (DGDA), a company tasked with restoring the heritage city and restoring it to its glory.
In a groundbreaking rite held in November 2019, Saudi King Salman bin Abdul Aziz laid the groundwork for the Diriyah Gate, a task to put the iconic city and its original culture at the world’s highlight.
The large project, which spans 14 kilometers, includes, among others, five main meeting places: King Salman Square, Samhan Amphitheater, Heroes’ Memorial Plaza, Mosque Square, and the Historic Village.
An arts district is expected to include five academies showcasing Arabic calligraphy and Islamic arts, distinctive Najdi architecture as a centerpiece of Saudi heritage, local cuisine, Arabic music and theatre. But that is not all.
The additional allowance includes services and attractions that draw on the region’s 300-year history and harmonize it with a fashionable aura.
The renovated Diriyah will feature 8 museums, as well as convention and exhibition venues, according to Jerry Inzerillo, executive director of the Diriyah Gate Project.
“We will have a new cultural functionality center with a capacity of 15,000 seats, sports facilities and new souks with logos. There will be a 3. 5-kilometer walk with views of Wadi (Hanifa) and several thousand apartments and offices,” he said.
Once completed, the $63 billion commission will see the structure of more than 20 hotels and a hotel overlooking ancient sites. There are also more than a hundred restaurants that, with their local and foreign cuisine, promise visitors an exclusive culinary experience.
The Diriyah Company and the Royal Commission of the City of Riyadh recently unveiled a joint venture to build the Royal Diriyah Opera House, a cultural landmark that will encompass the historic districts.
The Opera House, the kingdom’s avant-garde cultural institution, will be located near Al Turaif.
Spanning 45,000 meters, the opera space will occupy an intermediate level in the second phase of Diriyah’s master plan, aligning perfectly with the kingdom’s ambitious development program, dubbed Saudi Vision 2030, and strengthening Diriyah’s stature as the center of the global economy. cultural dynamism.
Renowned for his artistic and sustainable designs, Snøhetta intends to infuse elements of Najdi’s classical architecture into the Royal Opera House in Diriyah. Kjetil Thorsen, co-founder of Snøhetta, highlighted the importance of harmonizing culture with fashion aesthetics to create a cultural icon with global resonance. Inspired by Najdi architecture, the design will combine heritage and innovation, reinforcing Diriyah’s vision of cultural development.
The developers are keen for the trendy buildings to respect and maintain the original character of the area.
“Diriyah is at the forefront of change in the Kingdom, setting the benchmark in sustainable development that honours the local community and its traditions,” confirmed Inzerillo.
Saudi Arabia aims to attract 100 million tourists by 2030 as part of an ambitious program to diversify its oil-dependent economy.
Diriyah will definitely have its share of the visitors to the kingdom. Around 27 million people – 7 million foreign tourists and 20 million domestic visitors — are expected to annually flock to the town.
In recent years, Diriyah has been part of itineraries of world dignitaries visiting Saudi Arabia. They included Russian President Vladimir Putin, who accompanied by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman, toured Al Turaif in October 2019.
Earlier this year, Crown Prince Mohammad announced the Diriyah allocation as one of the mammoth allocations from the Public Investment Fund, Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund. This announcement particularly reflects the prestige occupied through Diriyah in the kingdom’s inheritance and progress plans.
The assignment of Diriyah is expected to animate many strategic national sectors, create partnerships with the local personnel sector, and unlock many new investment opportunities in its progression and production stages in sectors such as hotel construction, operation and management, retail, entertainment, and culture. according to Saudi news firm SPA.
The project is designed to create thousands of jobs and provide a series of initiatives enriching the quality of life for residents and visitors, it said. The Diriyah Gate project is set to provide 55,000 jobs, with 15 per cent of the employees in the project being locals, SPA quoted the DGDA executive as saying.
Most of the project’s amenities are expected to be completed by 2030.
In December 2021, Diriyah was selected through the Arab Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization as the Capital of Arab Culture for 2030.
The choice was endorsed by Arab ministers of culture during their annual ALECSO meeting in Dubai on December 19 and 20, after the organization’s standing committee for culture approved a vote in favor of Diriyah.
Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Culture said at the time: “We are proud to announce that Diriyah will be the capital of Arab culture in 2030, due to the popularity of its centuries-old history and its eternal cultural importance – the second city to be chosen in Saudi Arabia. after Riyadh in 2000. “
With all those efforts backed by the Saudi leadership, Inzerillo is confident that Diriyah will be the largest cultural heritage site in the world.
Dear Reader,
This section is about Living in UAE and essential information you cannot live without.
Register to read and get full access to gulfnews.com