ROSHN Group, backed by Saudi Arabia’s wealth fund PIF, on Tuesday announced MARAFY, a fully mixed-use development north of Jeddah that will accommodate over 130,000 residents with a manmade canal at its center.
The highlight of the project is that it will provide a new waterfront in the city and will be the first canal ever to be built in Saudi Arabia.
The 11-kilometer long and 100-meter-wide navigable canal will connect to and extend Obhur Creek and will be surrounded by multiple unique districts.
Under Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s guidance, the ROSHN Group has embraced its mandate to emerge as a multi-asset class developer, intensifying its activities and spearheading many national projects across a range of sectors in pursuit of Vision 2030’s ambitious goals.
The announcement of the giga-project MARAFY marks a major milestone for ROSHN Group.
David Grover, Group CEO of ROSHN Group, described the development as a “gamechanger.”
“MARAFY will be a gamechanger on the real estate development sector, raising the bar of development in the region, boosting the quality of life, and creating a huge impact in Jeddah,” Grover was quoted as saying in a press release.
MARAFY is one of the iconic projects that will put Jeddah on the map of the world-class destination and “one of contributors to achieving VISION 2030 goals of creating a vibrant community and a thriving economy,” he added.
Waterfront
MARAFY’s canal will provide a waterfront comparable in size to those of Chicago, Stockholm, Hamburg, and central London, bringing the marine environment into the heart of a historic city that has been welcoming traders, travelers, and pilgrims for centuries.
The project is expected to breathe new life into Jeddah, creating an urban water corridor to link homes and communities with nature, commerce, and life-enhancing amenities.
Distinct Districts
MARAFY’s layout will comprise multiple distinct districts, each with a unique character, including ROSHN’s existing integrated residential development, ALAROUS.
The facades of the project will be inspired by the historical designs of the Jeddah region, reinvented and reinterpreted in the contemporary urban context.
The diverse waterside districts will be connected to each other and the rest of Jeddah by an intermodal transport system comprising water taxis, bus lines, a dedicated Metro Red Line station, and a direct canal link to the King Abdulaziz International Airport.