Cairo: Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman has announced the launch of infrastructure works and the master plan for a major development project in the holy city of Medina, home to the Prophet Mohammed’s Mosque.
Planned in an area east of the Prophet’s Mosque, the Rua Al Madinah Project is part of the Saudi state Public Investment Fund (PIF) to develop promising sectors in the kingdom in line with the Saudi Vision 2030, an ambitious development scheme, the Saudi news agency SPA reported.
The project is developed and implemented by the Rua Al Madinah Holding, a firm fully owned by the Public Investment Fund.
Prince Mohammad, the PIF chairman, said the project goes in line with objectives of the Saudi Vision 2030 in raising capacity to facilitate hosting 30 million umrah pilgrims by the year 2030 and will be implemented according to the highest international standards to upgrade services offered to pilgrims in Medina.
Planned on a total area of 1.5 million squre metres, the project aims to construct 47,000 hotel rooms by 2030.
Around 63 per cent of this area will be designated as open and green spaces, giving visitors an easy access to the Prophet’s Mosque.
Designed according to the highest world criteria, the project will feature several integrated transport solutions, including nine stops for visitors’ buses, a metro station, a route for self-drive cars, and underground parking areas, thus facilitating visitors’ movement, boosting residential and commercial activities as well as creating job opportunities.
The project is geared towards boosting life quality and means of comfort, thereby enriching experience of residents of and visitors to Medina, a main destination for Muslims going to Saudi Arabia.
