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LifestyleSaudi Arabia

Saudi Crown Prince wants to build a 75-mile-long skyscraper

By
Chris Morris
Chris Morris
Former Contributing Writer
By
Chris Morris
Chris Morris
Former Contributing Writer
July 25, 2022, 12:57 PM ET
A mountain in Saudi Arabia
THE MAJESTIC PEAKS OF AL-LAWZ MOUNTAIN, NEOM'S HIGHEST MOUNTAIN.Neom

Even in Saudi Arabia, a country where excess is often the norm, the plans for the Mirror Line project are eye-popping.

The two buildings, if completed, will reach 1,600 feet into the sky—likely near 150 stories—and will run parallel for 75 miles. The price tag on the complex? A jaw-dropping trillion dollars.

The Mirror Line is the pet project of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, reports the Wall Street Journal.  It will house roughly 5 million people and will include a high-speed train under the buildings to let people move about in it.

Other amenities include a sports stadium, which will stretch 1,000 feet in the sky; a yacht marina; and vertical farming to ensure residents have enough food. Residents will pay a subscription to be served breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

The Mirror Line will consist of two mirrored buildings crossing mountain and desert terrain, connected by walkways. And it’s part of a development called Neom, which Prince Mohammed envisions being roughly the same size as Massachusetts.

#SaudiArabia 🇸🇦 plans to construct two parallel skyscrapers up to 1,600 feet tall and stretching for 75 miles across mountains and feature high speed rail, a sports stadium, a yacht marina, and huge facilities.

– ‘ The Mirror Line ’ will house around five million residents. @WSJpic.twitter.com/jbkYFAUeyI

— Mohammed Alhamed (@M7Alhamed) July 24, 2022

Planners don’t have long to design the structure. Saudi officials have given then a completion deadline of 2030.

Financing a project of this scale, of course, is dependent on financing, which will require demand for Saudi oil, something that has been on the wane in recent years, given the country’s human rights record (as well as the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi four years ago). But as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine drags on, Western nations are reconsidering their boycotts, even as oil prices increase.

Saudi Arabia's Mirror Line: "A depiction of the Mirror Line, which will bisect a mountain range"#SaudiArabia#MirrorLinepic.twitter.com/WzMyaXuzcI

— Wealth Nodes (@Wealth_Nodes) July 23, 2022

Prince Mohammed first unveiled plans for this linear city last January, saying it would have no cars and zero pollution. He has likened Neom to a modern version of the Egyptian pyramids.

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About the Author
By Chris MorrisFormer Contributing Writer

Chris Morris is a former contributing writer at Fortune, covering everything from general business news to the video game and theme park industries.

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