By: Cara Jackson '26
Located in the temperate northwest of Saudi Arabia, a $500 billion project named NEOM is under construction. NEOM, dubbed “the land of the future”, is a 10,200-square-mile large land mass (roughly the size of Albania) consisting of several projects, four of which have been revealed. The projects, or “regions,” so far known are called The Line, Oxagon, Trojena, and Sindalah.
Plans for NEOM were announced in October 2017 by Mohammed bin Salman, Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia and Chairman of the NEOM Company Board of Directors. His goal was to diversify the country’s economy from being only known for oil. The name NEOM comes from the Greek prefix neo, which means new. The M in NEOM stands for future and is abbreviated from the Arabic word “mostaqbal”. The project has been predominantly funded by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, which was created to invest on behalf of the government.
"The Line will tackle the challenges facing humanity in urban life today and will shine a light on alternative ways to live. We cannot ignore the livability and environmental crises facing our world’s cities, and NEOM is at the forefront of delivering new and imaginative solutions to address these issues. NEOM is leading a team of the brightest minds in architecture, engineering, and construction to make the idea of building upwards a reality,” bin Salman said.
The Line is the futuristic city of NEOM, stretching over 105 miles with room for 9 million residents. The city will have no cars, roads, or emissions—the primary source of travel besides foot being high-speed rail, which can go from end to end of The Line in 20 minutes. 95% of the city’s land will be preserved for nature, and the priority of the project is the health and well-being of the people. Everything will operate on 100% renewable energy, water resources will be conserved, and clean air will be accessible to all residents. NEOM has claimed that all the essentials someone would need will be within a 5-minute walk, and anyone will have access to nature within a 2-minute walk. The promise of a perfect climate has also been made: The Line will consist of the optimal balance of sun, shade, and ventilation.
Oxagon is an industrial city designed for trade and logistics hubs. It will be the world’s largest and first fully automated port, along with the world’s largest floating structure. The city will be 33 times the size of New York City, with sustainability and innovation as its core ideals.
In the mountains lives Trojena. Trojena has been designed to be the home of NEOM’s alpine and adventure sports, with its “pristine landscape”. Skiing, climbing, hiking, rowing, & and sailing are the main sports and activities that will take place. 22.3 miles of ski slopes will be available, which will be accessed for 3 months of winter due to Trojena’s cooler temperature than the rest of the Gulf Cooperation Council. It will also be home to several hotels, apartments, retail stores, and restaurants—creating both 10,000 jobs and 70,000 annual tourists by 2030. There is a promise that Trojena will have over 100 indoor and outdoor activities.
“Some of the things that we're doing create a new benchmark for mountain resorts—through the architecture, the experiences, the sports, the environment, the climate, and the year-round attractions. That creates a new pinnacle. There are great resorts around the world, but they don't offer the range of experiences, sports, climate, nature, and design on an extraordinary scale that we have here. It will be without comparison,” Trojena’s Executive Director Philip Gullett said.
Lastly, Sindalah is NEOM’s luxury getaway located on the Red Sea. It’s an island destination southwest of the rest of NEOM and will be open year-round because of its climate. It’s open to the global yachting community and has goals to take luxury tourism to another level. According to NEOM’s website, Sindalah “will include a beach club, yacht club, spa, and wellness center plus 51 luxury retail outlets – in addition to luxury hotels and a large marina”. There will be 413 total rooms available, with 3 hotels, 88 villas, and 333 serviced apartments. The island has a total of 840,000 square miles and is expecting 2,400 daily visitors by 2028. Sindalah will be the first region of NEOM to open to the public.
Despite the claim in promotional videos that NEOM would be built on “virgin” land, the land has been home to over 20,000 Huwaitat tribe members who now face eviction due to the project. Around 150 of the members have been arrested for speaking out, and 3 members were given the death sentence for refusing to move.
“For the Huwaitat tribe, Neom is being built on our blood, on our bones,” says Alia Hayel Aboutiyah al-Huwaiti, a member of the tribe. “It’s not for the people already living there! It’s for tourists, people with money. But not for the original people living there.”
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