Photo: Abha, Saudi Arabia / Wikimedia Commons
Work has started on a new district in the middle of Abha, part of PIF's plan to make the Aseer capital a major tourist destination. The project is much bigger than the one announced three years ago.
PIF-owned developer Ardara has begun early works on the first cluster of AlWadi, according to a post on its LinkedIn page reported by Construction Week Saudi.
The team
Shibh Al Jazira Contracting Company (Sajco) is handling the sewerage works. Dar Al Riyadh is managing and supervising the infrastructure works, US engineering firm Parsons designed the infrastructure, and OBMI is handling the architecture and public spaces.
The masterplan now
AlWadi now plans about 2.02 million sq m of floor space across five districts. That includes 7,306 apartments, 90 villas and townhouses, 2,783 hotel rooms, about 154,000 sq m of shops and restaurants, and about 64,000 sq m of offices.
Then and now
When Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman launched Ardara in October 2023, AlWadi was billed as a 2.5 million sq m district with about 2,000 homes, set to add more than 19 billion Riyal to the economy by 2030. The number of homes has more than tripled since.
Private partners
In July, Ardara and Sumou Holding launched a separate project inside AlWadi worth more than four billion Riyal ($1.1 billion), on more than 300,000 sq m.
Why it matters
More homes and hotel rooms mean more construction packages, starting with roads, utilities and the valley's waterfront. For contractors outside Riyadh and Jeddah, AlWadi is one of the clearest pipelines in the south.
