Saudi Arabia’s $140bn hidden megacity revealed in satellite map

New satellite images have revealed ongoing construction of the “Hidden Marina”, the first major residential area of Saudi Arabia’s $2 trillion Neom megacity.

As part of the kingdom’s controversial Vision 2030 plan, Neom is intended to showcase a bold shift from oil dependency towards futuristic urban living, powered by technology and tourism.

According to Business Insider, the marina is expected to cost $140 billion, and sits within The Line, a 170-kilometre linear city designed to slice through the Tabuk desert near the Red Sea.

The Line project was set to house over a million residents by 2030 in a mirrored, car-free metropolis that stretches 2.4-kilometres and is anchored by the marina, however, the Hidden Harbour is the only part likely to be ready by then. 

Denis Hickey, Neom’s Chief Development Officer, described the Hidden Marina as a revolutionary, 500-metre-tall residential complex, equipped with hotels, schools, shops, and accommodation for around 200,000 people.

According to promotional materials, a futuristic waterfront will be embedded beneath an imposing mirrored facade, reflecting the surrounding desert and sea.

Scaled back project

While progress on the marina is visible from space, the broader Neom project has been quietly scaled back. Saudi Arabia reportedly adjusted timelines due to financial shortfalls, with original plans to house millions now pushed far beyond 2030.

Adding up to these challenges, Neom CEO Nadhmi al-Nasr left his post in 2024 under unclear circumstances, further fuelling speculation about internal turbulence.

Neom has become a cornerstone of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s (MBS) Vision 2030 agenda – a national transformation plan aiming to diversify the economy.

MBS’ global innovation hub included projects like Sindalah, a luxury island resort that welcomed its first visitors in late 2024, and Trojena, a proposed mountain resort set to host the 2029 Asian Winter Games.

However, the Neom region itself has faced criticism from human rights organisations following reports of forced evictions of the Howeitat tribe to clear land for construction, with activists reporting arrests, and disappearances of those opposing displacement.

Satellite images show progress on Neom’s Hidden Marina, as rights concerns cloud Saudi’s Vision 2030 dreams. 

According to an ITV documentary, 21,000 migrant workers have died in Saudi Arabia since the start of Vision 2030 in 2017. Saudi Arabia’s National Council for Occupational Safety and Health called this “misinformation”.

The ALQST Human Rights group said Neom is “a world-leading reimagination of sustainable living for the future, based on innovative use of cutting-edge technologies, including ecotourism and winter sports in the desert”.

However, the group warned that the project “is creating an aura of Saudi modernity and globalism that is being used to consolidate the personal authority of its author, Mohammed bin Salman, and lend a spurious legitimacy to his repressive one-man rule”.