Timelapse: World’s Largest Temperature-Controlled Garden Rises in Desert

The King Abdullah International Gardens (KAIG) in Riyadh, poised to become the world’s largest temperature-controlled gardens, is nearing completion and promises to showcase 400 million years of plant evolution.

Newsweek has contacted KAIG for comment.

Why It Matters

The gardens exemplify Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 ambitions, with the government framing the project as a commitment to a greener, knowledge-driven future. Like other large-scale desert developments—namely Neom, the world’s largest construction site—it seeks to attract tourists with iconic landmarks, boost the economy, and foster social and cultural engagement.

Set in Saudi Arabia’s central desert, the project seeks to rival global icons such as the U.K.’s Kew Gardens and Singapore’s Gardens by the Bay.

What To Know

The project’s centerpiece is a 90,000-sqm paleobotanical biome shaped as two interlocking crescents, housing 10 hectares of gardens that trace 400 million years of plant evolution, according to a description provided by KAIG’s website.

The gardens form a timeline guiding visitors through botanical epochs, from the Devonian and Carboniferous to the Jurassic, Cretaceous, Cenozoic and later paleobotanical eras.

The gardens host more than 700,000 trees and shrubs. They also feature seven indoor biomes within the Twin Crescents, alongside eight outdoor gardens, including the Wadi and Water Gardens, according to the Saudi press agency.

The Riyadh Municipality contracted the Zaid Alhussain & Brothers Group to develop the infrastructure and construction of the King Abdullah International Gardens, with a contract valued at 1.737 billion Saudi riyals ($462 million), the company said in 2022.

The Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s ambitious projects have come under scrutiny over their high costs, tight deadlines, environmental impact and questions about long-term sustainability—though construction progress has remained steady.

What People Are Saying

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, as quoted in Arabic by the Foreign Ministry’s Facebook page in April, said: “As we enter the ninth year of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030, we take pride in the achievements of the sons and daughters of the nation. They have proven that challenges do not stand in the way of their ambitions. We have met our targets, surpassed some, and will continue steadily toward our 2030 goals. We renew our determination to double our efforts, accelerate implementation, seize every opportunity, and strengthen the Kingdom’s position as a leading global nation.”

King Abdullah International Gardens’ official website said: “The King Abdullah International Gardens have been designed to become a world-leading focus of mankind’s understanding of the process, consequence and study of Climate Change, capturing and displaying extraordinary ecotopes from history and from the present day, and presenting the choices that are available to us.”

The Riyadh Municipality’s website said: “King Abdullah Gardens are considered one of the three largest covered botanical gardens in the world. … The project combines entertainment and education by offering scientific and cultural activities aimed at raising environmental awareness among visitors.”

What Happens Next

The gardens are slated to open this fall, according to Construction Week.