AlUla Manara is a proposed new destination for the burgeoning world of Astrotourism. Located in Saudi Arabia’s AlUla region, around 1,100 km to the west of Riyadh, the 22,561km² area has a diverse landscape of lush valleys and sandstone peaks, as well as heritage sites dating back over 2,500 years to the Lihyan and Nabataean kingdoms, with the ancient city of Hegra one of many important locations.
The proposed AlUla Manara Observatory, Saudi Arabia, by Heatherwick Studio
Apart from its history and geography, AlUla is also designated as a Dark Sky Park, an officially certified area (see DarkSky.org) that receives special protection thanks a minimal approach to external lighting and development. As well as benefitting flora and fauna, the designation is a boon for sky-watchers, and Manara is designed to make the most of this remote desert site.
The proposed observatory has been designed by Heatherwick Studio, drawing on surrounding geographic and natural forms as well as the spiralling forms of distant galaxies. The structure will blossom out of the desert floor like an indigenous plant, clad with a specially textured stone that asserts its geographic place.
Looking as if it wouldn’t be out of place in the Dune universe, it’s a typically bravura piece of Heatherwick form-making, one that the region hopes will lure in tourists looking to have an otherworldly experience.
According to Stuart Wood, Executive Partner and Group Leader at Heatherwick Studio, ‘Space observatories are often remote, sterile places, technical outposts that feel distant from the public. We saw an opportunity to dissolve those barriers and create a place where visitors can step inside the wonder of the cosmos: an environment that is both immersive and inspiring, standing alongside the most advanced science of our time.’
The shell-like forms that spiral out from a central hall resemble a cluster of lenses, complete with iris diaphragm like shutters that can close off each viewing gallery. Other facilities will include gallery spaces and immersive exhibitions, as well as a planetarium and restaurant. The plan is for scientific research to also occupy the site.
AlUla Manara Observatory, Saudi Arabia
The project, located close to the Gharameel Nature Reserve and Harrat Uwayrid Reserve, is part of the Saudi Vision 2030. Phillip Jones, Chief Tourism Officer at the Royal Commission for AlUla, describes Manara as having ‘the potential to become a defining symbol of AlUla's future as a destination for exploration, learning and inspiration.’
There’s no word on start or completion date just yet.
AlUla Manara Observatory, Saudi Arabia
ExperienceAlula.com, @ExperienceAlula, RCU.gov.sa
Heatherwick.com, @OfficialHeatherwickStudio