A set of aerial images has revealed work progressing on The Line megacity, Oxagon port and Sindalah resort, which are being built as part of Neom in Saudi Arabia.
The images, shared by The Line’s chief operating officer Giles Pendleton on LinkedIn, show construction underway on the controversial project.
Pendleton’s images include aerial photos, that appear to be taken from a helicopter, of the excavations for The Line, which is planned to stretch 170 kilometres across the country.
He also shared aerial shots of hotels under construction at the Sindalah island resort and preparation works at Oxagon development.
According to Pendleton, the images, which were published in a post titled “Neom is real”, prove that the project was moving forward.
“How to answer the naysayers about the incredible work being done in Neom?” he wrote.
“Show a cross-section of the world’s largest building site from the mountains to the sea,” he continued.
“Massive excavations on The Line, the future of island resorts on Sindalah and the next generation of ports and logistics at Oxagon.”
While the images of The Line show excavations and groundworks, construction of the Sindalah resort appears much more advanced with the structure of the majority of hotel buildings complete.
Designed by Italian studio Luca Dini Design and Architecture, the luxury island resort in the Red Sea is planned as the first of Neom’s regions to be completed.
According to Neom, it will begin welcoming guests in early 2024.
The images of The Line site show the groundwork stretching across the desert as well as some of the structures that have been built to house people working on the project.
His picture of Oxagon, which is being designed by Danish studio BIG, captures work progressing to develop the existing port on the Red Sea.
Neom is one of the world’s largest and most controversial developments. Alongside The Line, Sindalah and Oxagon, it will contain 10 regions including a ski resort named Trojena and a series of tourist resorts on the Gulf of Aqaba.
The project has been criticised on human rights grounds, including by human rights organisation ALQST, which reported that three men were sentenced to death after being “forcibly evicted” from the Neom site.
Last year experts from the UN Human Rights Council expressed “alarm” over the imminent executions. Saudi Arabia responded to the UN by denying abuses had taken place.
The photography is by Giles Pendleton.
