The King Salman Boulevard on the outskirts of the Saudi capital, modelled on Paris' most famous avenue, was due to open late last year but is still under construction. It will be the centrepiece of one of the kingdom's urban mega-projects, featuring luxury shops and hotels and operating as a free zone for tax purposes.
Since 2022, visitors to the northwest of Riyadh have been greeted by the sight of cranes stretching across several kilometres of desert. Construction works are completely transforming the outlying district of Diriyah, the birthplace of the Al Saud dynasty and home to the UNESCO World

