AlUla to introduce one of the world’s largest stargazing attractions

Saudi Arabia’s AlUla has unveiled plans for AlUla Manara, an astronomy attraction that will become one of the world’s largest observatories while expanding the destination’s tourism offering beyond heritage and adventure travel.

 

The development will feature a four-metre primary telescope, alongside two additional two-metre telescopes, positioning the observatory among the world’s largest. It will also include a visitor centre, observation platforms, research facilities, exhibitions and interactive experiences designed to make astronomy accessible to visitors.

 

Located more than 70 kilometres north of AlUla between the Harrat Uwayrid Reserve and Gharameel, the site was selected for its exceptionally dark skies and minimal light pollution. The Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU) also plans to introduce outdoor lighting regulations across the destination to preserve night-sky visibility and support year-round stargazing experiences.

 

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Named after the Arabic word for “lighthouse”, AlUla Manara will be developed in partnership with the Saudi Space Agency, King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology, and the US-based SETI Institute. The observatory’s design draws on AlUla’s historic links to celestial navigation and will use locally sourced sandstone to blend into the surrounding landscape.

 

The announcement comes as astro-tourism gains momentum, with Booking.com’s 2025 Travel Predictions indicating that 62% of travellers are interested in darker-sky destinations and noctourism experiences such as stargazing.

 

AlUla Manara joins a growing list of attractions in AlUla, home to Hegra, Saudi’s first Unesco World Heritage Site, as well as luxury hotels including Banyan Tree AlUla, Our Habitas AlUla and Dar Tantora The House Hotel. 

 

New attractions across the kingdom include Six Flags Qiddiya City, the first Six Flags park outside North America, and Aquarabia, Saudi’s largest water park. Other projects in the pipeline are the Dragon Ball theme park and Mercedes-AMG World of Performance at Qiddiya City.

 

For more information, visit www.experiencealula.com