Tabuk on SAUDI VISION 2030 Intelligence Platform

The Howeitat: How Saudi Arabia Dismantled a Tribe to Build a City That Doesn't Exist

Sun, 05 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The Howeitat tribe displacement for NEOM is the central human-rights controversy behind Saudi Arabia’s flagship megaproject: roughly 20,000 residents were removed from ancestral lands through land acquisition, forced evictions, compensation pressure and security action. The al-Huwaitat are one of the great tribal confederations of the Arabian Peninsula, with territory spanning the mountains, wadis and coastal plains of northwestern Saudi Arabia.

In October 2017, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman announced that their ancestral lands would become NEOM, a $500 billion megaproject that would house 9 million people in a 170-kilometre mirrored city, a mountain ski resort, a floating industrial platform, and a 400-metre cube. By April 2026, the project had spent $50 billion, produced 2.4 kilometres of foundation, and suspended construction. The Howeitat had been displaced. The city had not been built. The tribe paid the price for a civilisation that exists only in architectural renderings.

Investing in Tabuk Region

Sun, 22 Feb 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Investing in Tabuk Region: NEOM and Red Sea Guide

Tabuk Region, in the far northwest of Saudi Arabia bordering Jordan and Egypt across the Gulf of Aqaba, has been transformed from a relatively remote military and agricultural zone into the epicentre of Saudi Arabia’s most ambitious Vision 2030 investments. The region hosts NEOM — the USD 500 billion giga-project that is arguably the most publicised development programme on earth — and the Red Sea luxury tourism destination.

NEOM Mega-City Project

Sun, 22 Feb 2026 00:00:00 +0000

NEOM is Saudi Arabia’s flagship mega-city project under Vision 2030, combining The Line, Oxagon, Trojena, and Sindalah across a vast development zone in Tabuk Province. This guide explains the project’s strategic logic, $500 billion scale, delivery realities, and execution risks.

The Vision Behind NEOM

NEOM stands as the most ambitious and most scrutinised giga-project within Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 portfolio. Announced in October 2017 by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, NEOM is conceived as a cognitive city spanning approximately 26,500 square kilometres of northwest Saudi Arabia in Tabuk Province, stretching along the Red Sea coast and extending into mountainous terrain that rises over 2,500 metres above sea level. The project carries an estimated investment commitment exceeding $500 billion, making it one of the largest planned urban developments in human history.

Tabuk

Sun, 22 Feb 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Tabuk Saudi Arabia 2026 Explained

Tabuk Saudi Arabia is the northwest city and region bordering Jordan and the Gulf of Aqaba that hosts the NEOM gigaproject zone. In 2026, Tabuk is being repositioned from a remote military and agricultural centre into a gateway for Red Sea tourism, technology, and regional economic development.

Overview

Tabuk Region covers approximately 139,000 square kilometres of northwest Saudi Arabia, with landscapes ranging from Red Sea coastline and coral reefs to mountainous terrain and desert plateaus. The city of Tabuk, with a population of approximately 600,000, has traditionally served as a military garrison town and agricultural centre, known for its fruit orchards and relatively cooler climate.