Mukaab

Mukaab
المكعّب
A conceptual render of the proposed Mukaab
General information
StatusUnder construction
Architectural style
Modern Najdi
LocationRiyadh, Saudi Arabia
Coordinates24°48′29″N 46°34′09″E / 24.808118°N 46.569226°E / 24.808118; 46.569226
Construction started
2024
Estimated completion
2040
OwnerNew Murabba Development Company
Height
Height400 m (1,300 ft)
Technical details
Floor count70
Design and construction
ArchitectAtkinsRéalis
Website
www.newmurabba.com Edit this at Wikidata

The Mukaab (Arabic: المكعّب, romanized: mukaʻʻab, lit. 'cube', [mukaʕʕab]) was a planned 400-meter (1,300 ft) tall cube-shaped skyscraper in the al-Qirawan district of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, one of the five neighborhoods of the planned real estate development of New Murabba. Launched in February 2023, its cuboidal layout and design were inspired by the Murabba Palace. If completed, the Mukaab would have been the world’s largest building by volume. In January 2026, construction of the Mukaab was suspended.

Background

The Mukaab was announced by the Kingdom's ruler Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on February 16, 2023, and is part of the Saudi Vision 2030 project.

The Mukaab was planned to be the centerpiece of a giant new downtown built within the Saudi capital city of Riyadh called New Murabba. It would have been the world's largest single-built structure with around 2 million square metres (22 million square feet) of interior floor space.

The project was to have been undertaken by the New Murabba Development Company of which Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is the President.

Architecture

The cube was intended to be 400 meters (1,300 ft) tall and 400 meters (1,300 ft) wide on each of its four sides.

The design had been the subject of criticism for its similarity to the Kaaba at the Masjid al-Haram mosque in Mecca, Islam's holiest site. There have also been warnings from experts that the structure would collapse under its own weight.

The building's design was inspired by the modern Najdi architectural style.

The Mukaab's interior was to have featured a swirling tower for observation decks and restaurants.

The Mukaab was planned to feature a rooftop garden.

History

In October 2024, the New Murabba Development Company stated that the site's groundwork was 86% complete.

In January 2026, amid a Saudi review of several Vision 2030 megaprojects, Reuters reported that work on the project—beyond soil excavation and pilings—was suspended. The Mukaab would be the first megaproject in Riyadh to be reassessed for feasibility. Nearby real estate development was set to continue.

See also

References

  1. ↑ من المربع القديم للجديد.. الـ"داون تاون" الأحدث عالمياً. Al Riyadh (in Arabic). February 18, 2023. Archived from the original on March 31, 2023. Retrieved March 31, 2023.
  2. ↑ «المربع» بين زمنين في تاريخ العاصمة السعودية. الشرق الأوسط (in Arabic). Archived from the original on April 7, 2023. Retrieved March 31, 2023.
  3. ↑ العبوش, قحطان (February 18, 2023). السعودية.. قصر المربع الطيني القديم يكتسب شهرة عالمية عبر مشروع جديد. إرم نيوز (in Arabic). Archived from the original on March 31, 2023. Retrieved March 31, 2023.
  4. ↑ Rane, Aditi (April 3, 2025). "World's 'biggest building' will fit 20 Empire State Buildings and cost £400bn to build". express.co.uk. Daily Express. Retrieved April 4, 2025.
  5. 1 2 Azhari, Timour; Al Sayegh, Hadeel; Maccioni, Federico (January 27, 2026). "Exclusive: Saudi Arabia suspends work on massive Mukaab megaproject, sources say". Reuters. Retrieved January 27, 2026.
  6. ↑ Mangioni, Sam (March 1, 2023). "Saudi Arabia to Construct a Colossal Cube-Shaped Skyscraper the Size of 20 Empire State Buildings". Man of Many. Archived from the original on March 6, 2023. Retrieved March 5, 2023.
  7. 1 2 Paul, Trinetra (March 2, 2023). "The Mukaab: Saudi Arabia's New Project Is A Huge Cube-shaped Structure". Travel + Leisure Asia. Archived from the original on May 20, 2023. Retrieved March 5, 2023.
  8. ↑ "Saudi Arabia Announces Massive Cube Megabuilding in Riyadh". Surf the Sand. March 6, 2023. Archived from the original on March 8, 2023. Retrieved March 6, 2023.
  9. ↑ Dobson, Amy Rose (February 24, 2023). "Large Enough To Fit 20 Empire State Buildings, An Immersive City Of The Future Unveils Its Plans". Forbes. Archived from the original on March 20, 2023. Retrieved March 5, 2023.
  10. ↑ Abraham, Roshan (February 21, 2023). "Saudi Arabia's Latest Sci-Fi Project Is a Cube the Size of 20 Empire State Buildings". Vice Media. Archived from the original on May 4, 2023. Retrieved March 5, 2023.
  11. ↑ Florian, Maria-Cristina (February 24, 2023). "Saudi Arabia Unveils Design for the Mukaab, a Large-Scale Cube-Shaped Skyscraper in Riyadh". ArchDaily. Archived from the original on March 7, 2023. Retrieved March 7, 2023.
  12. ↑ Benjamin, Sharon (February 23, 2023). "New Saudi megaproject: What we know about New Murabba, the world's largest downtown". ArabianBusiness. Archived from the original on March 8, 2023. Retrieved March 7, 2023.
  13. ↑ "Saudi Arabia: New Murabba Development Co. To Transform Downtown Riyadh". Eurasia Review. Arab News. February 16, 2023. Archived from the original on March 6, 2023. Retrieved March 6, 2023.
  14. ↑ Fatima, Sakina (February 24, 2023). "Saudi's cube-shaped project lands in controversy over 'replicating Kaaba'". The Siasat Daily. Archived from the original on March 5, 2023. Retrieved March 5, 2023.
  15. ↑ "Why Saudis feel squeezed even as the economy booms". The Economist. February 10, 2026. Retrieved February 14, 2026.
  16. ↑ Gerrard, Neil (February 20, 2023). "The Mukaab: Huge cube city planned in Saudi Arabia". International Construction. Archived from the original on March 7, 2023. Retrieved March 7, 2023.
  17. ↑ "Saudi Arabia Reveals "Mukaab," a Massive New Cube-Shaped Skyscraper to Enclose Riyadh's Downtown". Arch2O. February 20, 2023. Archived from the original on May 11, 2023. Retrieved March 6, 2023.
  18. ↑ Williams, Adam (February 20, 2023). "Huge cuboid skyscraper 'big enough to hold 20 Empire State Buildings'". New Atlas. Archived from the original on March 31, 2023. Retrieved March 7, 2023.
  19. ↑ Ravenscroft, Tom (October 22, 2024). "Construction starts on world's largest building in Saudi Arabia". Dezeen. Retrieved January 27, 2026.