The Saudis Look to Make an Addition to the Wonders of the World the Line

By NEOM. (n.m.). https://www.neom.com/. https://theconversation.com/what-is-the-line-the-170km-long-mirrored-metropolis-saudi-arabia-is-building-in-the-desert-188639

The world has a handful of wonderful structures that reflect the glorious capability of mankind.  A few that come to mind include the Great Wall of China intended to fend off invasions and raids.  Though it failed miserably with its stated objective, today it serves as an impressive 5,500-mile tourist attraction and a tangible piece of political propaganda.  Let us not forget the Incan site high in the Andes Mountains in Peru known as Machu Picchu and the Colosseum in Rome where gladiators dueled each other and animals were pitted against man in death matches. There are certainly others (i.e., the Taj Mahal and the Khaznah to name a couple) but the Saudis are looking to put their own signature project on the list with The Line.

It is a one-building megacity structure stretching more than 106 miles, house up to 9 million residents, extend 650 feet wide and reach 500 meters above sea level.  The project will cost hundreds of billions of dollars, feature a high speed train running end to end in 20 minutes and re-invent the way people live with vertically layered communities. Words can’t capture the scope of this project but this video link can, check it out.

The Saudi government may have a spotty record on a whole host of things but who am I to judge and despots are known to get stuff done.  The Line is sure to disrupt the 500 million birds that migrate across Saudi Arabia each year and be a decades long punishing slog for migrant workers (a.k.a. construction artists) who are likely to suffer ignominious living conditions and paltry wages building this giga project. That said, sacrifices need to be made and one must suffer for their art so, in the end, I am chomping at the bit to see The Line come online. 

Allan, A. (n.d.). What is The Line, the 170km-long mirrored metropolis Saudi Arabia is building in the desert? The Conversation. https://theconversation.com/what-is-the-line-the-170km-long-mirrored-metropolis-saudi-arabia-is-building-in-the-desert-188639