Major update on the £46.7bn giga-project set to become the 'Florence of Saudi Arabia'

With a history spanning more than 300 years, Diriyah is the ancestral heart of Arabia, the birthplace of the Saudi kingdom and the historic home of the Al Saud dynasty, located just 15 minutes from Riyadh, the capital city of Saudi Arabia. At its core lies the UNESCO World Heritage site of At-Turaif, a striking mud-brick district that rises above Wadi Hanifah and the beautiful Diriyah oasis.

Now, as part of Saudi Vision 2030, Diriyah, also called The City of Earth, is undergoing a £46.7 billion transformation to become a world-leading hub of culture and tourism blending traditional mud-brick Najdi style architecture with luxury hotels, residences, restaurants, parks, museums, modern infrastructure and smart-city technology.

Speaking exclusively to the Express, Jerry Inzerillo, GCEO of Diriyah Company, revealed that the 14 square kilometre giga-project, the same size as Beverly Hills, is "on budget and on time" with a massive 49,000 workers currently on site.

He said: "Instead of taking 97 years to do Beverly Hills, we're doing it in 15." He said that many world leaders, like Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and President Macron, who have visited Diriyah, were astounded by the scale and pace of the project.

"When Prime Minister Starmer was with us last year, he couldn't believe it."

The GCEO also stressed the UK's key role in the project.

"The relationship between the Kingdom and the United Kingdom, diplomatically, commercially, culturally, is extraordinary. They're very involved in the project."

Mr Inzerillo described the giga-project as being in the "middle of a G20 city, a cultural heritage pedestrian haven. What Florence is to Italy, what Marrakesh is to Morocco, that's what Diriyah is to Riyadh, the birthplace of the kingdom, the birthplace of Arabia, and home of Al Saud."

So far, 40 hotels are to open, Mr Inzerillo revealed, and billions of pounds have already been invested in infrastructure, including new roads, pavements, fibre-optic networks, and nearly seven million indigenous plantings.

To preserve cultural authenticity, developers have made 10 million mud bricks by hand and a strict building code ensures homes and businesses blend seamlessly into the desert landscape, right down to the lighting.

"No one is allowed to use white lights at night," Mr Inzerillo explained.

"Everything has an amber glow. At night, it's just magic with vibrant activity, music, food, dancing, all under an apricot light."

Mr Inzerillo described Diriyah as the "largest night-lit UNESCO site in the world."

Diriyah has even launched a 'mud academy' to train men and women in traditional construction methods, ensuring the city's historic character will endure for centuries.

The project also includes restoring the Wadi Hanifah to its 18th-century appearance, which will be monitored using cutting-edge water technology.

He added: "A lot of people feel that technology is in conflict with the preservation of cultural heritage. I've never seen it that way, if you use the technology the right way. Technology lets us preserve the historic city exactly as it was 300 years ago, using organic materials, while also monitoring sustainability factors like water usage and air quality."

The project focuses on blending tradition with modernity while providing a genuine quality of life. Mr Inzerillo described Diriyah as a 'jewel' and a city of art and culture, but emphasised that it will be unlike any other major city in the world.

He added: "The entire city is like Paris plus six. No high rises, no skyscrapers, no malls. All souks and meanderings.

"The Crown Prince thinks that a vibrant society needs to be safe, healthy, educated, and recreative."

Mr Inzerillo told the Express that by 2027, visitors will be able to enjoy miles of pedestrian-friendly streets, jogging trails, and nearly 5.6 miles of parks, which have already been completed.

Plans also include nine museums, over 10 cultural landmarks, and luxury branded residences, such as Armani-designed villas that were designed by Giorgio Armani himself, Corinthia residences, the Ritz-Carlton homes and Raffles residences. Other world-class hospitality brands preparing to open in Diriyah include Six Senses, Waldorf Astoria, Taj, Aman, Four Seasons, Park Hyatt, The Langham, Orient Express, Anantara, Montage, Oberoi, Baccarat, Address, Treehouse, Faena, and Fauchon. More affordable accommodations are also planned in various zones.

Saudi Arabia already hosted over 100 million visits by the end of 2024, Mr Inzerillo said. By 2030, officials expect 150 million annual visits, with 50 million destined for Diriyah alone, alongside more than 100,000 permanent residents. Since the opening of Bujairi Terrace and the heritage site of At-Turaif in December 2022, Diriyah has welcomed more than 3.6 million visitors.

The city will have more than 566,000 square meters of retail space, more than 150 restaurants and cafés, and 26 dedicated arts and culture centres, as well as the Greg Norman-designed Wadi Safar Signature Golf Course.

Scheduled for completion by 2030, Riyadh is set to host the world's largest airport at an estimated cost of £22.2 billion. The massive airport will feature six parallel runways across 57 square kilometres, with 12 square kilometres of the complex dedicated exclusively to shops, and is expected to handle up to 185 million passengers annually by 2050.

Located between Riyadh and Dammam, also lies Al Ahsa Oasis, which is a stunning UNESCO World Heritage site and the largest palm grove in the world, Mr Inzerillo highlighted. Saudi Arabia has a total of eight UNESCO World Heritage Sites, including the Al-Faw Archaeological Area, which became the eighth site in 2024. The other seven sites are Hegra (Al-Hijr), the At-Turaif District, Historic Jeddah, Rock Art in the Hail Region, Al-Ahsa Oasis, the im Cultural Area, and 'Uruq Bani Ma'arid.

As Saudi Arabia is investing nearly £722 billion into nationwide infrastructure, Diriyah stands as its cultural heart, a place where history and modernity meet, and where the Kingdom hopes to welcome the world.