Diriyah Company, the visionary developer of Saudi Arabia’s Diriyah project, has announced plans for two new high profile multibillion-dollar educational and arts districts – Qurain Cultural District and Northern District.
To be built within the $63.2 billion Diriyah project, the announcement was made at this year’s Bashayer 2024 event, aptly themed Bashayer – Delivering our Future.
These two new districts represent a significant step forward for Diriyah, The City of Earth, further reinforcing its position as a destination for education, innovation and culture.
So what can we look forward to?
Qurain Cultural District
Image courtesy of Diriyah Company (LinkedIn)
Where culture meets modern urban living, the Qurain Cultural District will boast a range of multi-disciplinary cultural experiences and assets including a cinema, museums, academies for writing, traditional Najdi architecture and mud building, Arab music, culinary offerings, performing arts and theatre.
Visitors can also look forward to staying at two world class hotels and branded residences inclduing the Ritz-Carlton Diriyah with 195 rooms and 165 residences, and the Address Diriyah with 204 rooms and 60 serviced apartments. The district will also feature 19 mixed-used buildings, including offices, retail and dining spaces, as well as residences.
The development of the Qurain Cultural District includes a SAR 5.8 billion ($1.55 billion) contract awarded to a joint venture between Nesma & Partners Contracting Co. UJSC and MAN Enterprise Al-Saudia LLC.
Northern District
The Northern District, on the other hand, will position Diriyah as a global center of learning for scholars, students, and visionaries. The future home to the King Salman Foundation, museums, a university, a library, and a vibrant public square, this new district will also host the recently announced Capella Diriyah, a 100-room luxury hotel that marks Capella Hotels and Resorts’ debut in the Middle East.
Construction of the Northern District is already underway following the announcement of a SAR 7.8 billion ($2 billion) joint venture contract with the China State Construction Engineering Cooperation Limited (CSCEC) and El Seif Engineering Contracting Co. Ltd.
Commenting on the new districts, Diriyah Company Group CEO Jerry Inzerillo said, “Qurain Cultural District and Northern District are two of our most important and significant areas of the Diriyah masterplan and demonstrate the range and diversity of what our City of Earth has to offer.
“They will both become global centers of excellence, of knowledge, learning and creativity as Diriyah once more becomes a gathering place for the world. We are delighted to share details of these major developments at Bashayer and share once more the unique range of investment opportunities and partnerships the Diriyah Company has to offer the world.”
View photos from Bashayer 2024 here.
Bashayer 2024
Bashayer 2024 took place in the first of Diriyah’s planned 40+ hotels, the 134-room Bab Samhan, a Luxury Collection Hotel. Specially designed to reflect the 300-year old Najdi architectural features, the property will begin welcoming guests at the end of this year.
Attendees to the event included global investors, hospitality companies, construction firms, and representatives from the sports, arts, culture, tourism, and retail sectors, all of whom were also treated to an exclusive bird’s eye sneak-peek of the Diriyah Square project site to witness the rapid progress being made, including that of the seven iconic luxury hotels to call Diriyah home – Raffles, Armani, Orient Express, Baccarat, Corinthia, Fauchon L’Hotel, and Rosewood.
One of the Kingdom’s five giga-projects backed by the world’s 5th largest sovereign wealth fund, the Public Investment Fund, the Diriyah project is not only building homes for 100,000 people and creating 178,000 jobs, but it’s also to aiming to host 50 million visits a year and contribute $18.6 billion to Saudi Arabia’s GDP.
As the main event of Diriyah’s annual calendar, Bashayer serves as a platform to not only highlight the project’s achievements and future aspirations, but also celebrate the Kingdom’s past.
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