One of the largest shopping malls in the region is set to take shape this year close to the the waters of the Arabian Gulf in front of the King Fahad Causeway in the Eastern Province.

Known as the Al Shobily Grand Mall, the SR1 billion ($266 million) commercial complex has been touted as a “floating mall” as it appears to be floating on a waterway, surrounded on three sides by water. In fact, the fourth side too overlooks a large fountain area.
Work on the mall is expected to start in the next two months, according to a spokesman for the developer Khalid Al Shobily Group Real Estate Investment.
“This will be the first floating mall of its kind in the Middle East in terms of the concept and design as well as its operation and management style,” Khalid Shobily, chairman of the real estate group.
The project is expected to attract major international textile and retail business firms and companies into the region, he adds.
The project is earmarked for a prominent 231,000 sq m site close to Al Khobar, adjoining the group’s Al Shobily high-rise and aims at being “one of its kind”, accommodating everything under one roof.
“The mall offers a total shopping experience in a highly picturesque setting,” according to the spokesman.
The mall has been designed in the Spanish architectural style and is set in a landscape reminiscent of  the Italian city of Venice. Among the most attractive features of the mall will be two water canals flowing from the Arabian Gulf. There will be a recreational facility underwater which is accessed via a glass tunnel. Venice-style restaurants will be linked with a harbour and several recreational facilities and entertainment parks.
Tiled roofs interspersed with barrel vaults and glass domes are a dominant feature of the complex which will be richly embellished with decorative arches. Within its expansive built-up area of 150,000 sq m, the mall will accommodate a department store and a diverse range of showrooms and retail outlets grouped into specific zones including commercial, administrative and automotive areas, among others.
The commercial area is the hub of the complex and will house a large variety of shops featuring jewellery, watches, gift items, men’s women’s and children’s wear, shoes, bookshops, household items, perfumes and cosmetics, and accessories.
The ‘administrative’ sector will accommodate travel agencies, banks, telecommunication offices, cars rental facilities, estate agencies and public services.
The automotive area will be leased out to dealers in the latest cars and motorcycles.
Besides these dedicated sectors, the complex will also enfold a builders’ mart and a myriad of areas categorised as furniture and household appliances, business and support services, training and marketing, telecommunications and computers, plant and pets, foodstuff and consumer products and carpets and antiques.
A large hall, which is designed to be an international exhibitions area, has also been planned for the site. 
Other facilities that the mall will offer include a food-court, restaurants and coffee shops; entertainment and recreation areas; a function hall; an indoor playground and outdoor trading areas.
The project is slated for completion within 30 months from the launch of works, says the spokesman. It will raise the real estate development group’s total investments in Al Khobar to SR2.7 billion.