Saudi Arabia has been investing heavily in building futuristic cities, which are at the same time architecturally challenging projects, for its people. From a 170-km straight-line city, to an eight-sided city that floats on water, the Saudi rulers have now come up with building a futuristic ski resort in the middle of the desert.
Named Trojena, it is planned to be a futuristic ski resort in Saudi Arabia that will be the first of its kind in the country. It`s part of the NEOM project and is located in the Sarawat Mountains, about 50 kilometres from the Gulf of Aqaba coast. The resort will feature a ski area, climbing walls, hiking and biking trails, artificial lake, and water sports.
NEOM
It will be part of a $500 billion city-state called NEOM, which is a combination of the Greek word for new, “neo,” and the Arabic word “mustaqbal,” or “future”. It will be spread out across 10,000 square miles of the Saudi province of Tabuk in the northwestern part of the country.
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Furistric projects
In NEOM, luxury island destination Sindalah will be launched for tourism, Trojena will be a mountain destination, THE LINE will be the flagship city, and Oxagon will be a gateway for clean industries.
(Photograph:Agencies)
Sustainable tourism
With sustainable tourism in mind, Trojena’s builders claim they are focusing on minimising water use and maximising water recovery when making snow.
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Man-made lakes
Even as winter offers the chance to ski down Trojena’s 36 kilometres of slopes, Saudi builders are also planning for making man-made lakes where all kinds of water sports can be hosted during the rest of the year.
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Slope residence
There are also plans to built “Slope Residences” — luxury mansions that will overlook the artificial lake and its surroundings. The project is expected to draw around 700,000 visitors and 7,000 permanent residents by 2030. It is scheduled to be completed by 2026.
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Projects will spur employment
According to a press release, Trojena expects to attract 700,000 visitors and 7,000 permanent residents by 2030. It was also claimed that the project would create 10,000 jobs and add 3bn riyals ($800m) to the Saudi economy.
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Reality and imagination combined
The NEOM website said the man-made village will include “bespoke experiences where reality and imagination are combined.”
(Photograph:Agencies)