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Saudi Arabia suspends work on massive Mukaab megaproject, sources say

The Public Investment Fund is reassessing the Mukaab project amid an $8 billion writedown and shifting focus to projects with nearer-term returns, delaying construction beyond initial groundwork.

  • On Jan 27, Saudi Arabia suspended planned construction of the Mukaab to reassess financing and feasibility, with work beyond soil excavation and pilings halted, three people familiar with the matter said.
  • Amid mounting fiscal pressures, the kingdom is scaling back Vision 2030 spending as Saudi's $925 billion sovereign wealth fund reprioritizes projects due to oil price pressures.
  • Planned as a 400-metre cube, the Mukaab featured an AI-powered dome, over 300-metre ziggurat, 104,000 residential units, and Knight Frank estimated New Murabba would cost about $50 billion.
  • Surrounding real-estate work will continue as New Murabba development proceeds, while Saudi Arabia postponed the 2029 Asian Winter Games at Trojena indefinitely.
  • The kingdom is pivoting away from futuristic megaprojects as the PIF's $180 billion writedown increased pressure to review projects, CEO Michael Dyke said `When you enter Mukaab, you enter another world`.
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Gulf Business broke the news in on Tuesday, January 27, 2026.
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