Architecture

Surf's up in the Saudi desert: Huge water park joins Qiddiya giga-project

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Aquarabia will include the first inland surf pool in Saudi Arabia
WhiteWater
Aquarabia is already under construction and is expected to be completed in 2025
WhiteWater
Aquarabia will include the first inland surf pool in Saudi Arabia
WhiteWater
Aquarabia will feature 22 attractions, including water slides and water rafting
WhiteWater
Aquarabia is described as the largest water park in the region and 1,690 m (roughly 5,545 ft) of slide has already been installed at the desert site
WhiteWater
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If you were to think of practical places to locate a water park, the Saudi Arabian desert probably wouldn't be high on the list. However, Saudi authorities don't seem too worried about practicalities lately so Aquarabia is currently under construction, and is set to create waterslides, water-based activities, and the country's first inland surf park.

Aquarabia is part of the larger Qiddiya giga-project near the country's capital Riyadh. We've no word on the water park's exact size, but from the renders at least, this thing looks huge, and is described as the largest of its kind in the region.

Alongside family activities and restaurants, it will include 22 rides, one of the most notable of which is called Wadi Tahaddi (aka Spinning Rapids) and promises "intense centrifugal forces," so is probably one best handled on an empty stomach... Another, dubbed Hyper Viper (aka Shoot the Chute), will let visitors experience a 15 m (almost 50 ft) drop before creating the "industry's biggest splash."

Aquarabia is described as the largest water park in the region and 1,690 m (roughly 5,545 ft) of slide has already been installed at the desert site
WhiteWater

"Aquarabia is also set to make waves, quite literally, with the first inland surf pool in Saudi Arabia," explains a press release by WhiteWater, which is manufacturing the rides. "Powered by Endless Surf technology, the pool will deliver the most authentic surf experience outside of the ocean with its limitless wave customization potential and surf zones to accommodate surfers of all skill levels."

There's no getting away from the fact that building a water park in the desert is a massive waste of water resources, but the project will include recycled water systems for irrigation and cooling, while energy consumption and other water waste will be minimized where possible. Additionally, construction waste will be recycled during the build process.

Work on Aquarabia is currently well underway and is expected to be completed in 2025, though its opening date is yet to be revealed. The water park joins other Qiddiya projects including a cliff-hanging stadium and an Esports arena, while elsewhere in Saudi Arabia is the separate Neom development. Both Qiddiya and Neom form part of Saudi's overriding plan to turn its oil-based economy into one that's based on tourism.

Sources: WhiteWater, Public Investment Fund

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2 comments
Jose Gros-Aymerich
Wunderbar!
But if there is a Forecast all Paris will be under water, but the Sacre Coeur temple in Montmartre, this was before Global Warming and Sea Level rise from ice thawing was considered: What a Future all Arab Civil Engineering projectes at Sea Level have?
Answer: No Future!
Blessings +
Treon Verdery
All kinds of waterparks all over the world could have fun swimming/water play areas that use longevity peptides like AEDG epithalon, Foxo4-DRI, GHK-Cu, and other regeneration peptides, sometimes called beauty peptides at their water. They could scientifically measure the multi-digit % of heightened mouse longevity that occurs from soaking and swimming at the longevity water features.