A MEMORANDUM of understanding (MoU) has been signed to complete technical and economic feasibility studies for implementing the first cultural and entertainment project as part of the giant Makkah Gate scheme in Makkah, Saudi Arabia.

The project will be implemented on an area covering 800,000 sq m outside the haram area, which is restricted to pilgrims.

Makkah Gate Company (MGC) and Ruay National Company signed the deal recently in the presence of Makkah governor Prince Khaled Al Faisal.

The Makkah Gate scheme “is designed to accommodate 600,000 people and will be a natural extension of Makkah,” said Makkah mayor Osama Al Bar, who is also chairman of MGC.

The scheme includes a university, medical centres, a national park and a comprehensive entertainment and educational complex in addition to cultural facilities, museums and heritage centres, according to the governor.

The foundation stone for the western suburbs of the Makkah Gate project along the Jeddah-Makkah Expressway, was laid by the governor on June 1. The project – MGC’s first – will cover an area of 1.5 million sq m in Shumaisy, as part of a comprehensive strategy to develop the region.