Sun 19 February 2023:
Saudi Arabia is constructing a massive cube in the heart of a new city center in Riyadh, the latest in a long line of unusually shaped structures and cities planned by the kingdom.
The project was started on Thursday when Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman declared that he would serve as the chairman of the New Murabba Development Corporation, which intends to create “the largest modern downtown in Riyadh.”
According to a statement from Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, the project will include a museum, a tech and design university, an immersive theater, and more than 80 entertainment outlets.
At its centre will be “The Mukaab”, which translates to cube, a mammoth 400-metre-long, wide and deep structure made up of overlapping triangular forms, in an architectural style inspired by the Najd region of Saudi Arabia.
A gateway to another world: #TheMukaab will be the world’s first immersive, experiential destination. Large enough to hold 20 Empire State Buildings, the global icon will feature innovative technologies to transport you to new worlds.#NewMurabbahttps://t.co/5R4DqQdPyS pic.twitter.com/vr9M8cTI1I
— Public Investment Fund (@PIF_en) February 16, 2023
The project will add 180 billion riyals ($48bn) to the Saudi economy and “create 334,000 direct and indirect jobs,” the press release claims. The cost of the gargantuan project was not mentioned.
The project will be situated 19 square kilometers northwest of Riyadh, at the junction of King Salman and King Khalid roads.
According to the press release, it will have 104,000 residential units, 9,000 hotel rooms, over 980,000 square meters of retail space, and 1.4 million square meters of commercial space.
The core structure of the Mukaab will “be big enough to hold 20 Empire State buildings”.
New qibla for worshippers?
New Murabba was widely ridiculed by social media users.
“Congratulations to whichever unscrupulous consulting firm will rake in beaucoup bucks next year for pitching the Saudis on The Tesseract,” tweeted journalist Gregg Carlstrom, referring to a cube structure which appears in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Several users likened the Mukaab to Borg Cube, a type of spacecraft from the Star Trek franchise.
Sami Hamdi (@SALHACHIMI) the Managing Director of the International Interest twitted saying, “When Bin Salman stood on top of the holy Kaaba in Mecca in 2019, it was almost symbolic of his intention to subjugate the Islamic influences in #SaudiArabia. Today he has embarked on another symbolic challenge in announcing plans to build a new ‘Kaaba’ of entertainment”
“When Bin Salman stood on top of the holy Kaaba in Mecca in 2019, it was almost symbolic of his intention to subjugate the Islamic influences in #SaudiArabia. Today he has embarked on another symbolic challenge in announcing plans to build a new ‘Kaaba’ of entertainment” pic.twitter.com/lOCH7N3lH2
— Sami Hamdi سامي الهاشمي الحامدي (@SALHACHIMI) February 17, 2023
The Mukaab was also pilloried for its likeness to the most important cube-like structure in Saudi Arabia: the Kaaba. Muslims around the world pray towards the building in the centre of the Grand Mosque in Mecca, and circumambulate it during Hajj and Umrah pilgrimages.
“Building a new Kaaba exclusively devoted to capitalism is a little too on the nose,” said Intercept reporter Murtaza Hussain.
“It appears [the crown prince] is building his Kaaba. Will he enforce it as the new qibla for worshippers?” tweeted academic Asad Abu Khalil.
SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES
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