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The King Abdullah International Gardens (KAIG) in Riyadh, set to become the world’s largest temperature-controlled gardens, is nearing completion and promises to showcase 400 million years of plant evolution. Newsweek has reached out to KAIG for comment.
[Image: View of Riyadh city center from the Al Faisaliah Tower terrace]
The project exemplifies Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 ambitions, with the government framing it as a commitment to a greener, knowledge-driven future. Like other large-scale desert developments—such as Neom, the world’s largest construction site—it seeks to attract tourists with iconic landmarks, boost the economy, and foster social and cultural engagement.
Situated in Saudi Arabia’s central desert, the project aims to rival global icons such as the U.K.’s Kew Gardens and Singapore’s Gardens by the Bay. Its centerpiece is a 90,000-sqm paleobotanical biome shaped as two interlocking crescents, housing gardens that trace 400 million years of plant evolution.
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The gardens form a timeline guiding visitors through botanical epochs from the Devonian and Carboniferous to the Jurassic, Cretaceous, and Cenozoic periods. They host more than 700,000 trees and shrubs, including seven indoor biomes within the Twin Crescents and eight outdoor gardens.
According to KAIG’s website, the project covers a vast area of over 2 million square meters, showcasing various plant species in an engaging manner for visitors and residents of Riyadh. The Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s ambitious projects have faced scrutiny due to their high costs, tight deadlines, environmental impact, and sustainability concerns.
The gardens are scheduled to open this fall, according to Construction Week.
[Timelapse video showing the desert blooming with temperature-controlled gardens]
