The $63.2 billion Diriyah giga-project is set to transform the area around the UNESCO heritage site of At-Turaif, just outside the Saudi capital of Riyadh, into a 14-square-kilometre residential, retail, dining, culture and tourism destination by 2030. The process of preserving the partially excavated mud-brick settlement, which dates back to the founding of the first Saudi state in 1727, while creating a host of new luxury accommodation options, is now well underway.
Diriyah Company, the developer stewarding the project, owned by the kingdom's Public Investment Fund, has announced more detailed plans to develop the wider site, and unveiled the designs for the Royal Diriyah Opera House, by the Norwegian architecture firm Snøhetta and local firm Syn Architects, slated to open in 2028.
At-Turaif is already home to four museums and a visitor centre dedicated to telling the story of the kingdom. Its dining destination, Bujairi Terrace, opposite the UNESCO site, is busy late into the night, with Saudis out in force enjoying Riyadh's cooler evenings and the chance to try a range of international cuisines, from the outposts of four Michelin-star restaurants such as Hakkasan, to international brands like Flamingo Room by tashas, and Saudi fine-dining experiences at Maiz and Takya.
Last week marked the symbolic groundbreaking ceremony for The Ritz-Carlton Diriyah, Address Diriyah, Capella Diriyah and Four Seasons Hotel Diriyah. Leading hotel brands will make their home in and around Diriyah Square, a retail hub set to welcome more than 450 lifestyle and luxury brands. As ever with Saudi's giga-projects, the breadth of ambition is so vast – more than 40 hotels will eventually open across the development – it felt significant to actually step foot inside Marriott's Bab Samhan, A Luxury Collection Hotel, due to open next year.
Designed in the warm mud-brick tones of local Najdi architecture, and within walking distance of At-Turaif, Bab Samhan will be centred around a large courtyard with decorative motifs faithful to traditional architecture. The hotels will have 106 bedrooms, 28 suites and one Royal Suite, a spa, indoor swimming pool and a restaurant by celebrity chef Michael Mina. The guest rooms I saw were only for show, but featured all the promised authentic design elements and five-star comforts.
Finally, fans of Oberoi, Aman Resorts and Six Senses will have another destination to tick off their wish-lists when the five-star heavyweights open at Wadi Safar, a 60 square-kilometre, mixed-use residential development to the west of Diriyah, that's planned with a Greg Norman designed 27-hole golf course and the Royal Diriyah Equestrian and Polo Club. Wadi Safar is colourfully described by Diriyah Company chief executive Jerry Inzerillo as the “Bel Air” to Diriyah's “Beverley Hills”.