Exclusive How Saudi Arabia’s NEOM balances futuristic vision with ancient heritage and rewilding

Saudi Arabia’s visionary mega-project NEOM, known for its futuristic plans to build a 170-kilometer glass-walled metropolis in the desert, is quietly pursuing another transformation: turning vast stretches of its red sand landscape into wildlife sanctuaries and preserving ancient heritage sites that date back thousands of years.

While NEOM has captured global attention with its ultramodern vision, its gateway tells a tale thousands of years old, where ancient trade routes meet cutting-edge conservation efforts.

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A journey back in time

On the edge of NEOM stands Jebel Safina, or Ship Rock, a 50-meter-high sandstone and limestone formation that resembles a vessel stranded in the desert. This geological landmark, located near the small town of Bajdah in NEOM, near Tabuk, serves as a testament to the region’s rich historical heritage.

A key guardian of the site is Abdulaziz al-Sanousi, a Saudi born just miles away, who is tasked with overseeing the preservation of the region’s rich heritage sites and stories for NEOM Tourism, making places accessible to all while ensuring their ongoing protection.

“I’m very proud that the name NEOM is famous,” said al-Sanousi, NEOM’ senior cultural tourism manager. His role embodies NEOM’s dual commitment to preservation and accessibility, ensuring these historical treasures remain safeguarded while being shared with the world.

The site’s significance extends beyond its striking appearance. According to al-Sanousi, Ship Rock was once a crucial station along ancient camel caravan routes, with approximately 200 rock inscriptions dating back up to 4,000 years adorning its surface.

Al-Sanousi says these etchings tell stories of travelers’ journeys and prayers, particularly those along the Damascus-Medina route that took two months to traverse.

“Most of those inscriptions talk about memories,” al-Sanousi explained, describing how travelers would leave their mark, often asking for divine protection during their arduous journeys.

The preservation of these ancient messages has required sophisticated intervention, including painstaking work with a specialized contracting team to remove graffiti spray painted over the historically important etchings and restoring them to their original state.

Next is transcribing the etchings and unpacking their meanings. Dedicated QR codes will be dotted around the site, giving tourists a chance to learn about its ancient history.

Recent archaeological excavations have unveiled evidence of prehistoric life dating back 9,000 years, according to al-Sanousi, positioning the site as a crucial crossroads of civilizations, including the historic Hajj route.

The area’s geological history reveals it was once the bottom of a lake, part of the Syrian hydro routes and a UNESCO-recognized pathway from Egypt.

But NEOM’s conservation efforts extend beyond preserving the past.

Back to nature

The Bajdah Rewilding Site represents one of the project’s most ambitious ecological initiatives. The program has already reintroduced more than 800 animals to the region, including redneck ostriches, mountain gazelles, and smaller species like hares and fine-tailed lizards.

Natasha Martin, Director of Visitor Experience at NEOM Nature Reserve, shares the project’s vision for combining conservation with tourism.

“Our whole reason to be is to connect people with nature,” she explained. “Our vision is to do conservation that includes people instead of excluding them. We believe that tourism is a tool for conservation.”

NEOM is preparing to officially launch the Nature Reserve, which will feature up to 25 new experiences designed to immerse visitors in the natural environment while promoting conservation awareness. Plans include self-drive tours, nomadic camping experiences, and a live-aboard boat program to explore the marine area.

The success of the rewilding program has exceeded expectations, with all the species introduced now thriving in their new environment.

“Every single species shows that they’re happy in their new home,” Martin says. “The numbers are growing and growing.”

This success has set the stage for an even more ambitious goal: the reintroduction of apex predators – cheetahs – by the end of the decade once a stable prey base is established.

Ahead of its grand opening, the nature reserve’s soft-launch daily tours are already consistently fully booked, primarily by local residents and NEOM employees eager to witness the return of native wildlife to their natural landscapes.

Visitor experiences are carefully crafted to maintain a connection with nature while offering diverse activities. These range from culinary experiences featuring local herbs and desert dinners to heritage hikes and mindfulness sessions. The reserve also leverages its conservation team’s expertise to provide educational experiences about tracking and wildlife observation.

James Walsh, head of regreening at NEOM, is tasked with leading ecological restoration programs across vast swathes of nature reserves at NEOM, actively replanting local native species to restore the ecology of the landscape.

So far, under his watch, the team has planted 4.77 million native trees, shrubs and grass as part of the regreening project.

“This basically is the foundation of our rewilding program as this will help the animals who will be released into the wild,” Walsh told Al Arabiya English at NEOM’s Mneifa Nature Reserve, about one hour’s drive from the Bajdah Nature Reserve.

The transformation has defied typical expectations for arid zone recovery.

“Usually, things move really slowly in arid zone. But here you can see the transformation is quite rapid,” Walsh explained, discussing a site planted in late 2023. “Some of our methodologies we’re using is really speeding up the recovery of the arid zone.”

The project employs innovative techniques to ensure plant survival.

“We enhance the soil with natural organic matter to help improve our water retention during rainfall events,” Walsh said. “We also speed up the process of the recovery through using recycled water to support the establishment of the plants.”

The ecological impact has been significant.

“We’ve seen a lot of local ecology move back into the region,” Walsh reported. “The insects and all the birds they follow the plants. If you walk through this landscape now, you’ll be able to notice bees and beetles and also birds – a lot of birds are moving back.”

“The whole system’s starting to recover,” Walsh concluded. “The ecology has moved back in with the establishment of the native plants... It’s quite amazing to see.”

Rich in nature, biodiversity

The Mneifa Nature Reserve was the first site for the rewilding program, according to Head of NEOM Nature Reserve, Dr. Paul Marshall.

“We are breeding animals that haven’t been seen in this landscape – like in the case of the oryx – for over 100 years. We are bringing them back to make this landscape thrive once more,” Marshall told Al Arabiya English.

“NEOM has a beautiful variety of habitat – and in the course of our nature reserve rewilding program we are working across all those habitats. One thing about this site is that it is the coastal area of NEOM, so it is a flat desert, and the hills behind go into the sea.”

Marshall described the importance of NEOM’s commitment to developing just five percent of the vast 26,500 square kilometer site – preserving the remaining 95 percent for nature.

“Our job is to choose the best of those areas (in that 95 percent) and bring them back to life, as a shining example of just how wonderful Saudi Arabia’s ecosystem can be.”

Part of that job also involves education about the importance of nature and conservation.

“We believe the best way (to do this) is to include people, so we have a whole program that will be activated through experiences around the nature reserve. We hope people from all around the world will come and be part of this. Starting in 2026 we will be open for business and we can’t wait to share NEOM Nature Reserve with the rest of the world,” Marshall said.

The Hisma desert, with its stunning natural beauty, adds another dimension to NEOM’s outdoor offerings, providing opportunities for desert adventures in 4x4 vehicles. NEOM’s three nature reserves, when fully operational, will be central to its tourist attractions, offering glamping, sandboarding, excursions, and wellness retreats, all while educating visitors about the region’s natural heritage.

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