“A city of arts and culture is springing up alongside the ruins of a millennial city expected to become the first 2030 tourist hub in the area”, says our correspondent from the desert of Al Ula (Saudi Arabia), Mariella Dolci. As soon as a tourist arrives at the airport, a sculpture by Manolo Valdès welcomes them. Then, out in the open desert, against the backdrop of pierced rocks shaped by the wind, the interplay of mirrors of the Maraya Center impressively multiplies the natural scenery...

As part of Saudi Vision 2030, Al Ula will be the first region to open to tourism. The past is here, the future yet to be written. Hotels, restaurants for the most refined palates, cultural paths, horse races, and polo competitions are being built...

“A city of arts and culture is springing up alongside the ruins of a millennial city expected to become the first 2030 tourist hub in the area”, says our correspondent from the desert of Al Ula (Saudi Arabia), Mariella Dolci. As soon as a tourist arrives at the airport, a sculpture by Manolo Valdès welcomes them. Then, out in the open desert, against the backdrop of pierced rocks shaped by the wind, the interplay of mirrors of the Maraya Center impressively multiplies the natural scenery.

As part of Saudi Vision 2030, Al Ula will be the first region to open to tourism. The past is here, the future yet to be written. Hotels, restaurants for the most refined palates, cultural paths, horse races, and polo competitions are being built under the motto of protecting traditions and nature, that is here of paramount importance.
Among the modern excellences is the Maraya center, built in 2018 from a project by the Italian architectural studio Giò Forma: a 9740 mq building where mirrors are perfectly integrated in the surrounding scenography, reflecting the mountains and the rocks in the desert. It is something beyond imagination, discreet yet powerful, evocative by day and alluring at night. It is a concert hall where singers gather from all over the world.
Until 30 March, the Maraya Center hosts What Lies Within, an art exhibition of the most famous Saudi artists of the last twenty years, with artworks from the private collection of Basma Al Sulaiman. Meanwhile, the second edition of the Desert X in Saudi Arabia starts off (to differentiate it from the more known DESERT X in the Coachella Valley) where visionary land artists take their cue from the desert and the theme “mirage and oasis”.
Al Ula mountains, with their silhouettes resembling animals’ shapes (elephant rock), faces, mushrooms, pins, pinnacles, with the colours of its clear blue sky, the elegance and respect of its inhabitants, continue to fascinate visitors.