The first hotel to be announced for the Red Sea Project in western Saudi Arabia is an eco-friendly mountain retreat that will be carved out of the surrounding peaks.
Sculpted in the desert cliffs, Desert Rock – with its uninterrupted views of the boundless wadis – will be Saudi Arabia’s newest sustainable luxury address.
Built to blend in with its environment, the mountain resort is one of Saudi Arabia's giga-projects and will encourage guests to truly connect with the surrounding nature and the region's local culture.
Desert Rock is accessed through a hidden valley, nestled between the mountains. It will have 48 villas and 12 hotel rooms that will be dotted across the cliff-strewn landscape.
Guests will be able to choose where they want to bed down, choosing anything from a ground-level dwelling or a crevice suite in the middle of the mountain, to an excavated room located within the rock massif.
All of the villas and hotel rooms will be designed to work with the landscape. This means Desert Rock will not dominate its setting, which will instead remain as the silhouette of the Saudi mountain range.
The resort is the work of Oppenheim Architecture, a company that's known for its philosophy of building with the land, rather than on the land.
“We wanted to create a destination that allows guests to experience Saudi Arabia’s untouched beauty," said John Pagano, chief executive at The Red Sea Development Company.
"Desert Rock will provide guests with uninterrupted spectacular views while preserving the natural landscape for future generations to enjoy.”
Endless wadi views and dark-sky tourism
From each room at Desert Rock, guests will enjoy views of the endless landscape. These wide-open views are being carefully preserved, with developers building access roads to the hotel right on the edge of the wadi, hidden behind landscape mounds when possible.
This design will also minimise sound and light pollution, making the resort an ideal choice for travellers who want to indulge in some stargazing.
Guests staying at Desert Rock will be able to enjoy a first-class spa and the region's lagoon oasis. There will also be a fitness centre where several activities will be offered, including hiking and dune-buggy tours.
The resort will be staffed by local people who will also conduct tours of the region, giving travellers the chance to find out more about the kingdom.
Remote destination dining areas will allow travellers to sample regional cuisine in splendid isolation.
Repurposing mountain rock to create a sustainable resort
The entire project is focused on sustainability. Its architecture is designed to reduce energy consumption and preserve water. Harvested rainwater will be used to regenerate native flora in the area.
As developers excavate the site, rock and stone removed from the landscape will be repurposed to form the resort's infrastructure. Stone taken from the mountain will be used to build the interior and exterior walls, while ground stone and sand will be used to make concrete aggregate, the principal building material for the hotel.
“Desert Rock is one of the most dramatic desert landscapes in the world, which is why we wanted to use the architecture as a way to honour and respect it,” said Chad Oppenheim, founder of Oppenheim Architecture.
“By utilising natural materials and integrating the resort into the rock, guests can connect physically with the destination and experience Saudi Arabia’s stunning, natural beauty.”
Construction at Desert Rock is already under way with site preparation having started in July. It’s part of Phase One of the Red Sea Project.
The project spans more than 28,000 square kilometres of untouched land and pristine waters including an archipelago of more than 90 islands that have been said to rival those in the Maldives.
The region is also filled with sweeping desert dunes, mountain canyons, dormant volcanoes and ancient cultural and heritage sites. The Red Sea Project is on track to welcome its first guests by next year.
Last week, Saudi Arabia announced it was merging two government-owned developers working on Red Sea tourism projects. The Red Sea Development Company and Amaala are being merged into a single entity as the kingdom accelerates the development of its tourism industry.
The Voice of Hind Rajab
Starring: Saja Kilani, Clara Khoury, Motaz Malhees
Director: Kaouther Ben Hania
Rating: 4/5
The specs: 2018 Audi RS5
Price, base: Dh359,200
Engine: 2.9L twin-turbo V6
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 450hp at 5,700rpm
Torque: 600Nm at 1,900rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 8.7L / 100km
The bio
Favourite book: Peter Rabbit. I used to read it to my three children and still read it myself. If I am feeling down it brings back good memories.
Best thing about your job: Getting to help people. My mum always told me never to pass up an opportunity to do a good deed.
Best part of life in the UAE: The weather. The constant sunshine is amazing and there is always something to do, you have so many options when it comes to how to spend your day.
Favourite holiday destination: Malaysia. I went there for my honeymoon and ended up volunteering to teach local children for a few hours each day. It is such a special place and I plan to retire there one day.
Directed by: Craig Gillespie
Starring: Emma Stone, Emma Thompson, Joel Fry
4/5
Four motivational quotes from Alicia's Dubai talk
“The only thing we need is to know that we have faith. Faith and hope in our own dreams. The belief that, when we keep going we’re going to find our way. That’s all we got.”
“Sometimes we try so hard to keep things inside. We try so hard to pretend it’s not really bothering us. In some ways, that hurts us more. You don’t realise how dishonest you are with yourself sometimes, but I realised that if I spoke it, I could let it go.”
“One good thing is to know you’re not the only one going through it. You’re not the only one trying to find your way, trying to find yourself, trying to find amazing energy, trying to find a light. Show all of yourself. Show every nuance. All of your magic. All of your colours. Be true to that. You can be unafraid.”
“It’s time to stop holding back. It’s time to do it on your terms. It’s time to shine in the most unbelievable way. It’s time to let go of negativity and find your tribe, find those people that lift you up, because everybody else is just in your way.”
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Price: Dh4,699 for 128GB, Dh5,099 for 256GB, Dh5,499 for 512GB; 1TB unavailable in the UAE
THE SPECS
Engine: 6.75-litre twin-turbocharged V12 petrol engine
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Transmission: 8-speed automatic
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Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
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Company profile
Company name: Suraasa
Started: 2018
Founders: Rishabh Khanna, Ankit Khanna and Sahil Makker
Based: India, UAE and the UK
Industry: EdTech
Initial investment: More than $200,000 in seed funding
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The Bio
Hometown: Bogota, Colombia
Favourite place to relax in UAE: the desert around Al Mleiha in Sharjah or the eastern mangroves in Abu Dhabi
The one book everyone should read: 100 Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. It will make your mind fly
Favourite documentary: Chasing Coral by Jeff Orlowski. It's a good reality check about one of the most valued ecosystems for humanity
Results
5pm: Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 1,400m; Winner: Faiza, Sandro Paiva (jockey), Ali Rashid Al Raihe (trainer).
5.30pm: Handicap (TB) Dh90,000 1,400m; Winner: Greeley, Connor Beasley, Helal Al Alawi.
6pm: Emirates Fillies Classic Prestige (PA) Dh100,000 1,600m; Winner: Marzaga, Jim Crowley, Ana Mendez.
6.30pm: Emirates Colts Classic Prestige (PA) Dh100,000 1,600m; Winner: Jawaal, Jim Crowley, Majed Al Jahouri.
7pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 1,600m; Winner: AF Ashras, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel.
7.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 2,200m; Winner: Somoud, Richard Mullen, Ahmed Al Mehairbi.
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Results
5pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (Turf) 2,200m; Winner: Gurm, Antonio Fresu (jockey), Eric Lemartinel (trainer)
5.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: Al Nafece, Al Muatasm Al Balushi, Mohammed Ramadan
6pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 (T) 1,200m; Winner: Ashton Tourettes, Adrie de Vries, Ibrahim Aseel
6.30pm: Arabian Triple Crown – Group 3 (PA) Dh300,000 (T) 2,200m; Winner: Ottoman, Adrie de Vries, Abdallah Al Hammadi
7pm: Liwa Oasis – Group 2 (PA) 300,000 (T) 1,400m; Winner: Hakeemat Muscat, Szczepan Mazur, Ibrahim Al Hadhrami
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Evacuations to France hit by controversy
- Over 500 Gazans have been evacuated to France since November 2023
- Evacuations were paused after a student already in France posted anti-Semitic content and was subsequently expelled to Qatar
- The Foreign Ministry launched a review to determine how authorities failed to detect the posts before her entry
- Artists and researchers fall under a programme called Pause that began in 2017
- It has benefited more than 700 people from 44 countries, including Syria, Turkey, Iran, and Sudan
- Since the start of the Gaza war, it has also included 45 Gazan beneficiaries
- Unlike students, they are allowed to bring their families to France
Founders: Abdulmajeed Alsukhan, Turki Bin Zarah and Abdulmohsen Albabtain.
Based: Riyadh
Offices: UAE, Vietnam and Germany
Founded: September, 2020
Number of employees: 70
Sector: FinTech, online payment solutions
Funding to date: $116m in two funding rounds
Investors: Checkout.com, Impact46, Vision Ventures, Wealth Well, Seedra, Khwarizmi, Hala Ventures, Nama Ventures and family offices
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