Saudi Arabia will build an 11km canal through the desert

The 11 km long and 100 m wide canal will be the first canal built in Saudi Arabia, serving the travel and entertainment needs of people.

The canal will surround the MARAFY urban area. Photo: Roshn

A new development project funded by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF) includes an 11 km long artificial canal, Alarabiya News reported on August 31. The new canal is part of the MARAFY urban area project located north of the capital Jeddah, according to real estate developer Roshn.

Saudi Arabia, the world's largest oil supplier, is looking to diversify its economy. The country's ambitious megacity projects such as NEOM and LINE do not comply with today's construction design standards. Located in an arid area, Saudi Arabia has not built any canals. Their first canal will be built through widening the Obhur creek. However, the project is not only aesthetic but also serves transportation and connects housing and communities in the area. When completed, the MARAFY project could accommodate an estimated 130,000 people.

Thanks to the canal, MARAFY can compare with major cities such as Chicago, Stockholm, Hamburg, and London, in which the water front area serves as a place of relaxation and entertainment for residents. The MARAFY project will include multiple districts, each with its own character with an emphasis on local cultural and architectural heritage. Jeddah districts and cities will be connected to a multimodal transport system including buses, water taxis, metro stations and canals connecting to King Abdulaziz International Airport.

"MARAFY will help improve the quality of life and have a great impact on Jeddah," said David Grover, CEO of Roshn. "This is one of those iconic projects that aims to create vibrant communities and thriving economies."

Saudi Arabia hopes the new buildings will attract more residents and visitors from around the world. They see geography as an advantage to being a hub of the global economy.