It’s been a big few years for astrotourism, with the solar maximum bringing the strongest northern lights shows in a decade and the Artemis II mission filling a new generation with space-related wonder.
It shows no signs of slowing down, either, with an eclipse across Greenland, Iceland and Spain this August and the ‘eclipse of the century’ coming up in 2027.
Now, there’s a new astrotourism centre to look forward to that’s set to open in the desert near Saudi Arabia’s AlUla.
While AlUla is perhaps best known for the UNESCO-listed archaeological site Hegra, the area is also home to one of the first Dark Sky Parks in the region.
Located around 70 kilometres north of the city, AlUla Manara will be part visitor centre and part research hub. Featuring a main telescope with a diameter of four metres, and two further telescopes of two metres each, it will be among the largest observatories in the world.
The wider masterplan for the area around AlUla Manara includes on-site accommodation and a stargazing lodge. The Arabic word manara means “lighthouse”.
Inside AlUla Manara
Designed by Heatherwick Studio, AlUla Manara’s shape takes its cue from the spiralling forms observed in space, like galaxies and planetary rings, as well as the same mathematical patterns that are found on Earth in plants, fossils and shells.
The main visitor centre will feature a number of exhibition spaces, a planetarium, a restaurant and a rooftop observation deck.
“Space observatories are often remote, sterile places – technical outposts that feel distant from the public,” Stuart Wood, executive partner and group leader at Heatherwick Studio, said.
“We saw an opportunity to dissolve those barriers and create a place where visitors can step inside the wonder of the cosmos: an environment that is both immersive and inspiring, standing alongside the most advanced science of our time.”
There are currently no direct flights to AlUla International Airport from Europe, but you can fly domestically from Jeddah and Riyadh, or from other Gulf hubs including Doha and Dubai.
No opening date has been announced for AlUla Manara.