King Abdullah gardens project starts in Riyadh

Work on phase two of the massive King Abdullah International Gardens project has started in Riyadh, which includes plant and animal sections, and a water park.
Prince Mansour bin Miteb, minister of municipal and rural affairs, formally launched the second phase last Thursday. He also toured the Prince Salman bin Abdul Aziz Wild Park in Banban, which Riyadh Municipality is overseeing.
The first phase of the King Abdullah gardens project included the preparation and fencing of the site. The total area of the site, located on the Riyadh-Jeddah road, is nearly 2.5 million square meters.
The project includes several botanical gardens, divided into two sections. One section is fully covered and is five times the size of the famous Eden Dome project in Britain. This covered section will display the evolution of plant life in the Arabian Peninsula over the centuries. The area will be developed as a museum of plants and animals.
The other open-air section will contain various local plants, a rock garden, desert park, and an international section with different styles of gardens from continents across the world.
It will also include a water section complete with a snow park, fish section, waterfalls and several parks for children where they can discover and understand environmental ecosystems.
The project also includes the development of a flower garden, a physics garden, geological park, and separate sections for birds, butterflies and reptiles.
Visitors will have access to a gift market, open theater, camping areas, restaurants, cafes, mosques, open seating areas, and large parking lots.
The most important feature of the project is the use of renewable solar and wind energy for the irrigation of plants and green spaces.
The Prince Salman Wild Park in Banban consists of a natural wild garden, chalet area, game park, safari park, and camping areas for families.
The park is located in a unique environment north of the capital near King Khaled International Airport. It is one of the largest parks being built by the region’s secretariat. The project aims to promote the concept of desert parks and boost tourism.