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Who said living inside a mountain couldn’t be luxurious?

Developers in Saudi Arabia announced plans Wednesday for an “ultra-luxury upside-down skyscraper” wedged into the mountainside on the Gulf of Aqaba coastline that looks straight out of a science fiction movie.

The project, Aquellum, is billed as an underground city and tourist destination that “will offer guests a taste of futuristic living through its array of pioneering experiences,” according to NEOM, the same developers who proposed building a city within a 75-mile building.


  Aquellum will be wedged inside the mountainside on the Gulf of Aqaba coastline. Neom Aquellum will be wedged inside the mountainside on the Gulf of Aqaba coastline. Neom

Digital renderings of the avant-garde project show a 330-foot-tall, open-aired ecosystem brimming with luxury stores, performance shows and galleries, as well as a plethora of green plants and natural light, despite being almost completely hidden within the 1,500-foot-tall mountain range.

The exclusive destination is so well disguised that guests will need to be shipped in from a floating marina to Aquellum via an underground canal.

Once inside, visitors will be met with a “digitalized community” complete with lounging areas and innovative hubs, NEOM said.


  Aquellum will be so secluded that guests will enter via an underground canal. Neom Aquellum will be so secluded that guests will enter via an underground canal. Neom

  Developers described Aquellum as a “digitalized community.” NEOM Developers described Aquellum as a “digitalized community.” NEOM

  Aquellum “will offer guests a taste of futuristic living through its array of pioneering experiences.” NEOM Aquellum “will offer guests a taste of futuristic living through its array of pioneering experiences.” NEOM

One such area has been prematurely dubbed “The Generator,” a space comprised of various laboratories built to host scientists and researchers.

Virtual reality is a major component of Aquellum — mockups show guests donning VR glasses and watching digitized light cubes dance across the open-air ecosystem.

“Aquellum represents a futuristic ecosystem that is harmoniously integrated in the natural surroundings,” NEOM said.


  The underground city will have shopping, movie theaters, galleries and science laboratories. Neom The underground city will have shopping, movie theaters, galleries and science laboratories. Neom

Though widely innovative, the cube-shaped city is hardly the most eccentric development NEOM has revealed in recent years.

In 2022, the company revealed “The Line,” a 75-mile-long, and mirror-wrapped, landscraper city that would stand higher than New York’s Empire State Building.

The $1 trillion mega-development would include an artificial ski resort, as well as robots and AI for the project’s inhabitants.

NEOM is spearheaded by Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

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