The video presenting the designs for The Line, a proposed new city in north-western Saudi Arabia, could be the opening scene of a straight-to-TV sci-fi film, seconds before the zombies clamber over each other and overrun the desperate defenders. The designs show a city built between two straight walls perfectly parallel to one another, reaching 500 metres into the sky and stretching 170 kilometres. The walls are clad on the outside in a mirrored façade which reflects the surrounding desert. The Saudi government appears serious about pressing ahead with the all-too-real project, which was first announced last year.
The Line – a personal project of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman (MBS), the pro-women’s rights reformer who approved the 2018 killing of the journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul – will supposedly be home to nine million people when it is completed. The two ends of the urban quadrilateral are to be connected by a rail line running at over 500km/hr, much faster than the best high-speed rail systems currently available.
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