SAUDI Arabia is building a £350billion mega 33 times bigger than New York as it seeks to ditch its reliance on oil.
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman announced the city, referred to as Neom, will be 100% run on renewable energy.
He announced plans for 10,230-square-mile mega city at an international investment conference in Riyadh last October.
The palaces of the king, crown prince and other royals are among the first contracts awarded for NEOM, sources close to the project said.
They will be located on the Red Sea coast and feature "opulent buildings with modern and traditional Moroccan-style architecture", according to a design document.
It also revealed that the complex of palaces will include helipads, a marina and even a luxury golf course.
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman announced the city, referred to as Neom, will be 100% run on renewable energy.
He announced plans for 10,230-square-mile mega city at an international investment conference in Riyadh last October.
The palaces of the king, crown prince and other royals are among the first contracts awarded for NEOM, sources close to the project said.
They will be located on the Red Sea coast and feature "opulent buildings with modern and traditional Moroccan-style architecture", according to a design document.
It also revealed that the complex of palaces will include helipads, a marina and even a luxury golf course.
Neom will have its own judicial system and government designed to attract international investors.
The city will focus on industries including energy and water, biotechnology, food, advanced manufacturing and tourism, according to officials.
It claims the world will someday "look to Neom for next-generation genome therapy".
A glossy promotional video shows children doing cartwheels in the and women running in crop tops, even though they are not allowed to drive.
Some companies, including Japan's Softbank, have said they are prepared to invest in NEOM but no concrete investments have yet been announced.
The government's Center for International Communications and NEOM's management team did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Saudi Binladin Group, the country's biggest construction firm, has been mandated to build one of the palaces.
It has been seen as a show of support that it retains the government's support after some of its owners were marred with corruption allegations.
The NEOM zone will sit adjacent to the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aqaba, between Egypt and Saudi Arabia, and close to the maritime trade routes that use the Suez Canal.
Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, which will partially fund the project, said NEOM would be a gateway to the proposed King Salman Bridge that will link Egypt and Saudi Arabia.
The megacity is Prince Mohammed’s boldest move yet in his mission to rapidly modernise Saudi Arabia which has long been ruled by strict religious law.
He was appointed crown prince in June by his father, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud.
The Crown Prince is believed to be popular among his fellow Saudi millennials and knows they are crucial in his vision for his country's future.
He told the Future Investment Initiative conference in Riyadh: “We are simply reverting to what we followed — a moderate Islam open to the world and all religions.
“70 per cent of the Saudis are younger than 30. Honestly, we won’t waste 30 years of our life combating extremist thoughts. We will destroy them now and immediately.”
Culled from the Sun.
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