The Saudi king begins his vacation in a futuristic mega-city still impregnable



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Riyadh: King Salman, a native of Saudi Arabia, arrived on vacation in NEOM, the flagship commercial area of ​​$ 500 billion that his son and heir promised to build from scratch in a remote corner of the kingdom. Monday.

The royal family has traditionally spent much of the summer outside the country in places like the Riviera, Marbella in the south of Spain and Tangier , in Morocco.

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman announced last year plans for the 26,500 square kilometer futuristic high-tech center as part of reforms aimed at creating jobs, encouraging foreign investment and enabling new freedoms for the Saudis.

The authorities have announced few details since then, and while some companies, including the Japanese company Softbank, have declared their willingness to invest in NEOM, large concrete companies have not yet been announced

. The SPA press agency said the king "would spend time in rest and recreation" in NEOM but gave no details.

He did not specify where the monarch would stay for 82 years. However, in February, sources told Reuters that the government had asked local construction companies to build five palaces for the King, the Crown Prince and other Royal Highs on the Red Sea coast at around 150 km to the west of Tabuk. These would be among the first contracts awarded for NEOM.

A design document seen by Reuters shows opulent buildings with modern and traditional Moroccan style architecture featuring Islamic designs and colorful ceramic tiles. The palace complex will include heliports, a marina and a golf course.

The Royal Court did not immediately answer questions about the current state of construction in the NEOM, which is largely inaccessible to civilians. At least some of the palaces would have been completed in a few months, at an undisclosed cost.

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