The key facts

  • Sabah Barakat has taken over New Murabba, replacing Michael Dyke, who had led it since January 2024.
  • According to Reuters, work on the Mukaab was suspended in January; in May the company reported 15 million cubic meters of excavated soil and 1,200 piles.
  • A 200-bed hospital with investments of about 1 billion Saudi riyals is planned.

Leadership change at New Murabba

The Financial Times reported at the end of August on the leadership change at New Murabba, the company implementing the project with the 400-meter Mukaab cube in Riyadh. The company's official website now lists Sabah Barakat as its head. He has taken the place of Michael Dyke, who had managed New Murabba since January 2024. According to the company, Barakat has more than 35 years of experience in real estate and large-scale urban development projects. He holds a leadership position at Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, previously served as interim head of ROSHN, and also led New Murabba during its establishment phase.

Construction progress and its suspension

In January, Reuters, citing sources, reported that work on the Mukaab, apart from earthworks and pile installation, had been suspended. According to the agency, the government is assessing the possibility of financing and implementing the project, while development of the surrounding area was expected to continue. In May, the company reported that about 15 million cubic meters of soil had been excavated and 1,200 piles installed. These results relate to foundation preparation and do not clarify when the above-ground part of the building will be constructed or when the complex will open.

The project in its current presentation

In the current New Murabba presentation, the Mukaab is still presented as a 400-meter architectural structure, inside which retail spaces, hotels, housing, panoramic observation decks, and cultural facilities are planned. The distributed images are not photographs of a finished building but computer-generated views of the future complex.

Agreement with Almana Medical Group

One of the practical agreements at the new stage of the project was a partnership with Almana Medical Group. According to an announcement on August 25, about 1 billion Saudi riyals are planned to be invested in a general hospital in the New Murabba district. The medical facility is planned to be allocated more than 16,000 square meters of land near Prince Turki ibn Abdulaziz al-Awwal Road. The hospital is designed for 200 beds; it is expected to include emergency services, traumatology, family medicine, pediatrics, neonatology, orthopedics, cardiology, and nervous system disease services. 'This investment partnership is the first of many agreements we plan to announce in the coming months,' said Sabah Barakat.