SAUDI-TRAVEL-TREASURES 

NEWS 

The largest metro station in Riyadh’s West has just opened – an architectural gem 

May 22, 2026

Since 15 May 2026, the Riyadh Metro’s Orange Line has been running a little further into the south-west of the city. The opening of Western Station (14), the largest metro station in Riyadh’s west at 24.585255, 46.615129, marks a huge step towards the completion of Riyadh’s metro system.
The Orange Line provides the east-west link in the southern part of Riyadh. Only three more metro stations need to be completed before reaching the south-western terminus on Jeddah Road, which is also part of HWY 80. Western Station is one of the metro’s four main stations. The other main stations include the King Abdullah Financial District (KAFD) metro station, the STC Al Olaya metro station and the Qasr Al Hukm metro station. The latter serves as the interchange station between the main Blue Line route and the Orange Line. In addition to fulfilling its transport function, the Western Station is another landmark – an architectural landmark. With a total area of 112,000 square metres, the station comprises retail space, a sensory garden, a mosque with capacity for 550 worshippers, and various public facilities for the residents of Riyadh. The station is designed to handle more than 60,000 rail passengers per hour and 1,300 bus passengers per hour.

A new Saudi Arabia Museum of Contemporary Art is opening in Diriyah soon

May 11, 2026

For some time now, Saudi Arabia has been catching up rapidly with its neighbours Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah through its cultural projects. This made it all the more remarkable that neither Jeddah nor Riyadh had a museum of contemporary art that reflected the country’s significance. Although an exhibition space dedicated to modern art was made available in the JAX District – see my blog post under ‘Riyadh’ – contemporary artworks were only on display there as part of temporary exhibitions. That is all set to change, and Saudi Arabia is now to gain a permanent centre for modern art.
The construction contract for a new Saudi Arabia Museum of Contemporary Art (SAMoCA) was recently awarded – and it promises to be something magnificent once again. However, it will not be built directly in the centre of Riyadh but in neighbouring Diriyah, the historic birthplace of the Kingdom – see my blog under ‘Riyadh’. Diriyah is set to be developed into a kind of cultural hub for the Kingdom.
SAMoCA aims to document, research, exhibit and promote modern and contemporary art practices in Saudi Arabia as well as to support young Saudi artists..
The aforementioned SAMoCA JAX will continue to operate as a dynamic exhibition space in the creative district there, complementing the new centre.

Construction will take a few years. But stay tuned to saudi-travel-treasures.com for the latest updates.

Boulevard Flowers Riyadh has opened

April 16, 2026

During my last visit to Riyadh in November, the site was still a huge construction zone and no taxi driver knew anything about it. Three aeroplanes were parked in the middle of the construction site – a somewhat bizarre sight. Within a few months, a completely different picture has emerged: in the Hittin district, west of the King Abdullah Financial District (KAFD) – see my blog under ‘Riyadh’ – a sprawling area has opened, featuring millions of flowers, rose sculptures and displays. It’s the Boulevard Flowers Riyadh. The site features – as reported – more than five million plants and over 180 million flowers, arranged into three-dimensional floral sculptures, rose palaces, hanging baskets, pyramids and so on. Three Boeing 777 aircraft, nestled amidst the vast flower field, offer a variety of things to explore inside.
Open until 16 June 2026, 4 p.m. – until midnight; SAR 28.75; 24.776665, 46.595132

New Black Gold Museum 

April 14, 2026

A truly fascinating museum has now opened its doors: the Black Gold Museum offers a unique artistic exploration of the history of oil and humanity’s relationship with this energy source through an immersive experience spanning four zones. However, it does not present oil in a purely historical or scientific light. Instead, the museum combines contemporary artworks that engage with this theme in the broadest sense. It is certainly a well-worth-visiting destination for visitors to Riyadh.

Open Mon-Thu 10am-10pm, Fri-Sat 4pm-10pm. King Abdullah Petroleum Studies and Research Center, 24.879414, 46.721823, close to Riyadh’s Airport