RESIDENTS and tourists in Madinah will soon be able to find their way around the ancient Saudi holy city with ease, thanks to a ‘wayfinding’ masterplan developed by Limah Design Consultants.

The new system will include street and district names, better signage, maps and even public art to make the complex city easy to navigate for the millions of visitors it receives each year.

“Madinah itself has undergone massive changes over the past few years by re-developing the central area of the city into a tourist and Islamic heritage destination,” said Jason Lewis, founder and managing director of the leading international design consultancy firm.

“Our approach is to simplify the wayfinding process that will take into account needs of all users – drivers to pedestrians, residents to tourists, and police and fire services. We will develop a proper street address system and building numbers with street names, which is something new in most Gulf countries.

“In order to ease access in around the city, we will be dividing the city into neighbourhoods using the ancient and original area names along with distinct colours to help guide visitors and residents, alike,” he added.

The project is to be completed by late 2013, he said.