AN incredible seven-mile-long canal will be the urban oasis to130,000 people in Saudi Arabia.
Marafy is the latest megalomaniac project in the kingdom and promises an iconic waterfront similar to the one in central London.
ROSHN Group announced the project in August, to be developed in the city of Jeddah.
Marafy will be the first man-made canal to be built in Saudi Arabia.
Developers promise it will provide a waterfront comparable in size to those of Chicago, Stockholm, Hamburg, and central London.
The idea is to bring the marine environment into the heart of a historic city that has been welcoming traders, travelers, and pilgrims for centuries, Al Arabiya reports.
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The seven-mile-long and 328-feet-wide urban waterway will connect to and extend Obhur Creek and will be surrounded by multiple unique districts.
The project is expected to breathe new life into Jeddah, creating an urban water corridor to link homes and communities with nature and commerce.
The facades of the project will be inspired by the historical designs of Jeddah region but with a contemporary twist.
The diverse waterside districts will be connected to each other and the rest of Jeddah by an inter-modal transport system with water taxis, buses, and subway.
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It will also include a direct canal link to the King Abdulaziz International Airport.
“Marafy will be a gamechanger on the real estate development sector, raising the bar of development in the region, boosting the quality of life, and creating a huge impact in Jeddah,” ROSHN Group CEO David Grover said.
"It is one of the iconic projects that will put Jeddah on the map of the world class destination, and one of contributors to achieving VISION 2030 goals of creating a vibrant community and a thriving economy.”
Saudi Vision 2030 is a government program launched in 2016 by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
It aims to achieve the goal of increased diversification economically, socially and culturally, in line with the vision of Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman.
It is not yet known how much the project will cost.
Elsewhere in Saudi Arabia, the $1trillion futuristic megacity Neom has announced its latest groundbreaking development.
Directors of the project say they plan to build a jaw dropping hotel complex called Leyja which will be carved into the walls of a giant canyon.
Leyja will be part of Neom – a scheme which is the brain-child of Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the effective ruler of the desert kingdom.
Directors of the project claim it will open its doors to tourists in 2024 – despite not being built yet.
The ambitious feat – located in Saudi Arabia – is intended to end the country's dependency on oil wealth and pave the way to a more sustainable future.
The city will stretch across 170 kilometres of desert dubbed "The Line" as it will only be a "land saving" 200 metres wide.
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