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A building intended to loom over a new district in Riyadh was envisioned as a futuristic new form of skyscraper, but there has been a major development
10:27, Wed, Feb 4, 2026 Updated: 10:27, Wed, Feb 4, 2026
A vast cube was intended to loom over a new district in the Saudi Arabian capital of Riyadh (Image: New Murabba/PIF/SWNS)
A major update has been issued on what was tipped to be the world's biggest building, one so large it could reportedly house 20 Empire State Buildings. A colossal cube intended to loom over a new district in the Saudi Arabian capital of Riyadh, the Mukaab project was envisoned as a futuristic new form of skyscraper, but any hope of it coming to fruition may now have been dashed.
It was set to measure 400 metres high and on each side and feature a floor space of two million square metres. Indeed, the Mukaab cube project was tipped to be so vast, in fact, that it would be able to house the equivalent of 20 Empire State Buildings - a 381m skyscraper in New York.
It was due to be the centrepiece in a lavish new district that would serve as home for 400,000 people, but the mammoth construction project has reportedly been suspended and may not ever be completed.
The Mukaab was tipped to be so vast that it would be able to house 20 Empire State Buildings (Image: New Murabba/PIF/SWNS)
The $925bn (£674bn) Saudi sovereign wealth fund appears to be cutting back on its real estate endeavours and wants to allocate its spending more effectively, according to Reuters, suggesting it will impact the nation's Saudi Vision 2030 initiative.
It wouldn't be the first urban megaproject explored by the kingdom, with the most memorable perhaps being The Line, a revolutionary linear city that Prince Mohammed bin Salman claimed would have "no roads and zero carbon emissions".
Such projects have yet to be finished, however, with the Mukaab seemingly in a state of limbo while authorities reevaluate both the financing and the practicalities of the megaproject.
In terms of construction, the Mukaab is said to require massive excavations for the purposes of housing the structure's foundations, and it was due to contain a 300-metre tower and commercial and hotel complexes.
The Saudi sovereign wealth fund appears to be cutting back on its real estate endeavours (Image: Getty)
As for now, the completion date for the neighbourhood set to house the Mukaab, the $50bn (£36bn) New Murabba, has been delayed until 2040, reports 7sur7.
Speaking at a conference in Riyadh in December last year, Michael Dyke, the CEO of real estate firm New Murabba, said: "When you enter Mukaab, you enter another world. Trying to create something that doesn't yet exist is a real challenge."
Meanwhile, the Saudi government is believed to be shifting its attention to areas such as cryptocurrencies, mining, and artificial intelligence (AI), having initially focused on the luxury tourism sector.
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Saudi Arabia reportedly also conceded that, although not all real estate projects have been halted, they will all have to be reviewed. Faisal al-Ibrahim, the kingdom's economy minister, said: "We are completely transparent. We will not hesitate to say that we have had to modify, postpone or redefine this or that project."
However, it was also noted that he did not reveal which developments would remain and which would be scrapped.
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