NEOM

On the last day of October, nearing the  end of our tour of Saudi Arabia, we were taken to the Red Sea coast to learn about the NEOM project beginning to be developed there. To quote from the MIR daily guide: "Neom is a metropolis planned to be constructed along the Gulf of Aqaba. The name is a portmanteau of the Greek "neo" (new) and the Arabic "mustaqbal" (future), often fully capitalized as NEOM. Originally conceived of in 2017, it's intended to be a 'smart city', fueled exclusively with wind and solar power, using robotics to perform many basic tasks, and incorporating countless never-before-seen innovations. The Saudi kingdom is sparing no expense to make this vision a reality: the initial cost is $500 billion. The first section is scheduled to be completed in 2025, though construction has yet to commence."

This first set of photographs emphasizes the almost extraworldly terrain, though we are not far from the Gulf of Aqaba.