The Magic of Diriyah on Founding Day

As we celebrate the week-long festivities of the Saudi Founding Day, there is one word that keeps being repeated and has become the most common and focal name when describing the occasion. This word is “Diriyah.” According to history, Imam Mohammed bin Saud ruled Diriyah and managed to transform it from a city-state to a vast state. In February 1727, he assumed power in exceptional circumstances and overcame the challenges of weakness, division and disease in the region.

Moving to the 1970s, during my childhood and without divulging my age, I visited Diriyah when its population did not exceed 10,000, with a few hundred visitors on the weekends. Not in my wildest dreams did I think that, decades later, I would be riding an electric car, made by Lucid, and taking off at the speed of 200 km per hour on the Formula E track before the official race. What a contrast!

As the fifth giga-project under the Public Investment Fund mandate, the DGDA transformation of Diriyah will include three zones. DGDA 1, a UNESCO-certified site, is planned to be the largest cultural and heritage destination. DGDA 2 will include iconic districts like the Champs Elysees Avenue of Paris and Madison Avenue of New York, with world-class media and entertainment activities. DGDA 3 will have a huge residential complex with about 17,500 units available for anyone who wants to buy or rent, as well as 38 global brands of five-star hotels and Michelin-awarded restaurants. It is worth noting that the Hanifa valley will be adjacent to and surrounding these three zones.

With an allocated budget of $63 billion, as part of the 2030 masterplan, the Diriyah Gate Development Authority aims to attract 25 to 30 million visitors annually to enjoy world-class sports, entertainment, educational and cultural activities, including music halls, galleries and museums that will offer visitors interactive and enjoyable experiences.

Diriyah is not an ordinary city, but the ‘one and only’ destination

Under the leadership of the DGDA chairman, Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman, Jerry Inzerillo is running the daily business activities as chief executive officer. In a recent interview with a TV show called “Fi Al Soorah,” which means “In The Picture,” host Abdullah Al-Mudaifer asked Inzerillo: “Why is the CEO of DGDA not Saudi but an American with Italian roots?” With his humorous and social intelligence style, his response was: “Who says I am not a Saudi? I am a Bedouin from Brooklyn.” Not only has Inzerillo had a sterling career in the hospitality and entertainment arena, but he has also been studying Diriyah since 1989..

Diriyah is not an ordinary city, but the “one and only” destination. It is a place that aims to achieve the highest degree of quality of life, offering all these world-class cultural and entertainment activities with a zero-carbon emission climate supported by thousands of trees that will be planted there. With its highly experienced leadership team, Diriyah inspires new generations of local and international entrepreneurs to participate in the development of this magical city. Imam Mohammed bin Saud would be very proud.

Basil M.K. Al-Ghalayini is the chairman and CEO of BMG Financial Group.