From authority to company
A Royal Order created the Diriyah Gate Development Authority in 2017 to plan and develop Diriyah as a tourist destination. In 2019 the foundation stone was laid under the patronage of King Salman bin Abdulaziz, opening a first phase of 86 key sites, with work beginning in Al-Bujairi district. The master plan is estimated at SAR 64 billion.
In 2022 the Public Investment Fund established Diriyah Company to develop the project, while the Authority remains the regulator. In 2023 Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman announced that Diriyah would join the Fund's giga-projects, alongside NEOM, The Red Sea, Qiddiya and ROSHN.
What is open
At-Turaif, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is open to visitors year-round, with daily self-led and guided tours. Facing it, Bujairi Terrace opened in 2022 with more than twenty restaurants and cafés. Walkways overlook Wadi Hanifah, where two square kilometres of the valley are being restored.