Mukaab City

Subject : International Affairs

Section : Places in news

Concept :

Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince unveiled The Mukaab, which is a 400-meter-high, wide, and long long indoor supercity in the center of Riyad
The Mukaab, the super city, will be large enough to hold 20 empire state buildings and it is aimed that the PIF-backed giga-project will become a new global icon of technology, sustainability, mobility, and Saudi Innovation.
The Mukaab will be in the center of the Wider New Murabba Development created by His Royal Highness Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, Prime Minister and Chairman of the New Murabba Development Company (NMDC) to bring the project to fruition.

Mukaab Indoor Super-City is Saudi Arabia’s Next Mega-Project in Riyadh- Key Features

The Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia has announced the project Mukaab which is aimed to be the world’s largest modern downtown in Riyadh.
The Mukaab, is a cube-like city that will form the centerpiece of a new downtown area in Riyadh.
The establishment of Mukaab aims to transform a 19-square-kilometer area to the northwest of Riyadh into a new gen mixed-use district.
The development team of Mukaab confirms that the super city will offer ever-changing environments using digital and virtual technology to create holographic displays.

Aim of the project Mukaab and Structure

The Mukaab, the super city, is based on the Najdi architecture with more futuristic approach.
The building will enclose a tower on top of a spiral base. The structure will feature two million square meters of floor space that will be a hospitality destination with retail, cultural, and tourist attractions, featuring residential and hotel units, commercial space, and recreational facilities.
The Mukaab, a new Murabba project will feature 1,04,000 residential units, 9000 hotel rooms, 9,80,000 square meters of retail space, and 1.4 million square meters of office space. It will also include a green area and walking paths to promote a healthy lifestyle.
The developers informed that the project would create more than 340,000 jobs and the Mukaab project is scheduled to be completed by 2030.

Is the structure inspired by the Kaaba?

However, the Saudi Arabia government has come under criticism from certain people who consider the planned Mukaab to closely resemble the Kaaba.
The Kaaba, located in Mecca, the holiest city for Muslims, is a black cuboid structure considered to be the most sacred site in all of Islam.
Every year, millions of pilgrims from across the world flock to Mecca for the Hajj pilgrimage where they circumambulate around the Kaaba.

Najdi Architecture

It is one of the Arabian architectural styles, developed in the Saudi Arabian region
The Najdi Architecture of Saudi Arabia doesn’t employ arches and domes both for structural as well as symbolic reasons.
For example, Qasr-al-Masmak is the fortress in the old city of Riyadh, built as late as 1865, is missing on the arcuated spans in its construction.
The typical houses in the Najd region are usually two stories high and built around an open central courtyard.
The shape of the courtyard is usually geometric like a rectangle or a square and it works as lungs of the houses to regulate the microclimate and provide a private space for the family to maintain the private life.
The main material to built this kind of house is sun-dried mud bricks and mud.