UAQ UNVEILS “MASAR” A NEW DESTINATION IN MAKKAH

Umm Alqura for Development and Construction (UAQ) has unveiled the identity of Masar, a new destination in Makkah. King Abdulaziz Road is the core component of Masar, which expresses the comprehensive mobility concept by incorporating multiple routes, including a pedestrians route with 3,650 meters long separating the two directions of the main vehicle route with 80-meter width; thereby representing the natural extension of the Holy Mosque plazas without intersecting with the main route. The destination also includes other routes, such as the Bus Rapid Transit Network route and the Makkah Metro route.

Masar is one of the most important model development projects seeking to serve Makkah residents, visitors, and pilgrims. It also strives to fulfill the objectives of the Kingdom’s Vision to increase the number of Umra-pilgrims to 30 million by the year 2030 and improve the quality of life for Makkah residents and visitors.

On this occasion, UAQ CEO Mr. Yasser Abuateek commented: “By unveiling the identity of Masar today, we are referring to one of the largest and most significant urban development projects in the region. Its importance lies in its investment and development vision, making it a modern landmark and cultural destination with multiple features. The project is based on an integrated infrastructure system and it strives to enhance the efficiency of services on a quantitative and qualitative level, in addition to developing public and modern transport facilities and methods to develop the main western entrance of the Holy Capital.”

The importance of Masar lies in its position as it will receive 80 percent of Makkah visitors as well as more than 60 percent of vehicles arriving from Jeddah. Masar progression will witness the addition of retail, commercial, cultural, and government centers, and tens of thousands of hotel and residential units for the Holy Capital, the first batch of which will be inaugurated in 2023, including international hotels such as Kempinski, Hilton Garden Inn and Taj, which will be the first of the developments in the project.

Masar is owned and developed by Umm Alqura for Development and Construction (UAQ), a closed joint-stock company with investors from the private sector and state-owned investment funds, including Public Investment Fund (PIF), Ministry of Finance, Public Pension Agency, the General Organization for Social Insurance, and the General Authority of Awqaf.