The Saudi government may be paring back spending on some megaprojects like The Line, but the ambitious expansion of Mecca is continuing, with the kingdom’s Royal Commission for Makkah City and Holy Sites awarding contracts worth 13.3 billion riyals ($3.5 billion).
The six sites, covering more than 2.7 million square meters in total, will include homes, hotels, shops, and offices in the holy city. The largest single award, worth around 6 billion riyals, went to a consortium of three local developers — Umm Al Qura, Makkah Construction and Development, and Al Rajhi United Real Estate — and covers two sites adjacent to the Masar mixed-use project, which is also underway.
The contracts are part of Saudi Arabia’s push to triple Hajj and Umrah visitor numbers to more than 30 million annually by 2030. Despite the war, the number of Hajj pilgrims was up this year. The kingdom opened its property market to foreign ownership in January, though Mecca remains subject to additional restrictions, with non-Muslims unable to own property in the holy city.