Saudi Arabia launched The Journey Through Time Masterplan for AlUla

Saudi Arabia launched The Journey Through Time Masterplan for AlUla.  The Journey Through Time Masterplan was envisioned as a way to capture the deep-rooted essence of AlUla while curating a timeless legacy with stories of the past to inform the future and open new chapters in AlUla’s unfolding history.

The first masterplan in a series for AlUla is conceived as a Living Museum and includes 15 new cultural assets, a 9km rejuvenated Cultural Oasis, 10 million square meters of green and open spaces, and a 46km low-carbon tramway, while contributing to AlUla’s hospitality offer with 5,000 additional hotel keys.

Five unique districts, connected by a 20km-long public realm called the Wadi of Hospitality, will protect 200,000 years of natural and human history across the 20km-long core historical area of AlUla, a unique cultural landscape located in north-west Arabia, encompassing a wadi (seasonal river valley) and culminating in the Nabataean city of Hegra, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Each district of The Journey Through Time Masterplan is a cultural landmark in its own right and reflective of the singular and ever-evolving history, topography and nature that is unique to that particular location. This spatial system of highly differentiated villages, experiences and cultural assets is designed to be visitor-centric and rewards more immersive discovery, exploration and longer stays.

The Journey Through Time Masterplan will transform AlUla into a global destination for heritage, nature, art and culture. Key features of the plan are:

• Five districts spanning the 20km heart of AlUla will serve as waypoints on the Journey Through Time, from Old Town in the south to Hegra Historical City in the north, each shaped by the site’s natural and cultural heritage. The districts are: AlUla Old Town (District 1); Dadan (District 2); Jabal Ikmah (District 3); Nabataean Horizon (District 4) and Hegra Historical City (District 5). 
• The districts will each focus on an existing heritage site and will be traversed by AlUla’s ancient oasis. A 9km portion, constituting the heart of the Cultural Oasis, will be fully rejuvenated, starting in AlUla Old Town.
• Fifteen new cultural assets including museums, galleries and cultural centres will serve as landmarks across each district. 
• The 20km Wadi of Hospitality running along the ancient oasis’s bed will connect the five districts and act as the green pedestrian ‘spine’ of The Journey Through Time.
• A 46km low-carbon tram line will connect AlUla International Airport to the five districts. A scenic roadway as well as bicycle, equestrian and pedestrian trails will promote a smooth and experiential approach to mobility, championing low-carbon journeys.
• The wadi and the low-carbon tramway will mostly follow the route used by pilgrims on the Hijaz Railway for many centuries before, ensuring a memorable visual and interpretive experience of the transition from oasis to desert. 
• Adding a total of 5,000 additional room keys into the overall target of 9,400 keys by 2035, each district will offer its own tailored blend of living and hospitality options, ranging from hotels and eco-tourism resorts to luxury lodges and canyon farms carved into the sandstone rocks.
• The Kingdoms Institute, a flagship component of the plan, will be a global hub for archaeological knowledge and research dedicated to the cultures and civilisations that have inhabited this area for more than 7,000 years, including the ancient kingdoms of Dadan and Lihyan and the magnificent Nabataeans, who built the city of Hegra, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. 

The Journey Through Time Masterplan is the first in a series of plans for AlUla and constitutes the first and most important part of AlUla’s development. It will be implemented in three phases until 2035, while the first phase is set to be completed by 2023, aiming to provide a comprehensive visitor-centric experience.