Saudi Arabia to open Louvre museum in Riyadh

Dubai: Saudi Arabia plans to construct its own version of the Louvre Museum in Riyadh, according to a recent BBC documentary on Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman (MBS).

This Saudi Louvre would showcase artwork valued at approximately $500 million (Dh1.8 billio) and is expected to attract global tourism.

Bernard Haykel, a professor of Near Eastern studies at Princeton University, noted in the documentary that MBS envisions building a grand museum in Riyadh.

Reports suggest that Saudi Arabia has enlisted several prominent art figures to oversee the project, including Iwona Blazwick, the former director of the Whitechapel Gallery in London, and Hartwig Fischer, the former director of the British Museum.