A new hotel hidden within millennia-old sandstone cliffs looks like a modern-day Petra. Take a look inside.

Melissa WileyNov 11, 2020, 23:35 IST

Left: Exterior of the monastery in Petra, the ancient capital of the Nabateans located in modern-day Jordan. Right: Rendering of the exterior of the Sharaan by Jean Nouvel Resort, set to open in 2024.Nick Brundle Photography/Getty Images; Royal Commission for AlUla for Saudi Arabia

Award-winning architect Jean Nouvel has revealed designs for a hotel sculpted from ancient sandstone rock formations in Saudi Arabia.
The design is inspired by the building techniques of the Nabateans, whose capital city Petra is one of the seven wonders of the world.
New renderings show a sleek glass elevator, rooftop restaurant, and balconies that scatter light across the stone interior.
Nouvel has previously designed iconic buildings including the Louvre Abu Dhabi and the National Museum of Qatar.
The Sharaan by Jean Nouvel Resort is set to open in 2024 with 40 guest suites and is part of a 10-year tourism partnership between Saudi Arabia and France.

A new resort will let visitors spend the night in the millennia-old sandstone rock formations of the Saudi Arabian desert.

View of a Nabatean monument in AlUla, Saudi Arabia. Royal Commission for AlUla for Saudi Arabia

Designed by legendary architect Jean Nouvel, the hotel is inspired by the ancient building techniques of the Nabateans.

View of a sandstone formation in AlUla, Saudi Arabia. Faisal Al Nasser/Reuters

The Nabateans occupied the Arabian peninsula some 2,000 years ago and are best known for their capital city of Petra.

View of the monastery in Petra, Jordan. Punnawit Suwuttananun/Getty Images

Built into the rose-red cliffs of modern-day Jordan, it is one of the seven wonders of the world.

Ground-level view of the Treasury in Petra, Jordan. Gennaro Esposito / EyeEm

The Sharaan by Jean Nouvel Resort will be built in AlUla, an ancient site 350 miles south of Petra that is home to over 100 UNESCO-recognized sandstone Nabatean buildings, according to Experience AlUla.

An arrow shows the location of AlUla, Saudi Arabia. Google Maps

The Sharaan by Jean Nouvel Resort will be built in AlUla, an ancient site 350 miles south of Petra that is home to over 100 UNESCO-recognized sandstone Nabatean buildings, according to Experience AlUla.

Taking cue from the Nabateans, Nouvel will sculpt the hotel from the landscape, he said in an interview and release provided to Insider.

Royal Commission for AlUla for Saudi Arabia

"ALULa is really an open-air museum," Nouvel said. "When you stroll around, you're gobsmacked ... these particular rock formations and landscapes are actually works of art," he added. "Building here is a real responsibility."

The AlUla Balloon Festival, held as part of Winter at Tantora in Al-Ula, Saudi Arabia. Winter at Tantora

"ALULa is really an open-air museum," Nouvel said. "When you stroll around, you're gobsmacked ... these particular rock formations and landscapes are actually works of art," he added. "Building here is a real responsibility."

From a distance, the Sharaan by Jean Nouvel Resort will look like just another sandstone rock.

Royal Commission for AlUla for Saudi Arabia

But as day turns into the night, the hotel will light up the landscape.

Renderings of the Sharaan by Jean Nouvel by day and night. Royal Commission for AlUla for Saudi Arabia

Inside, it will house 40 luxury guest suites, three villas, a pool, and restaurant, among other amenities.

Royal Commission for AlUla for Saudi Arabia

A large internal patio, visible from the sky, will offer views into lobbies and rooms.

Birds-eye rendering of the Sharaan by Jean Nouvel Resort. Royal Commission for AlUla for Saudi Arabia

Nouvel will draw light into the hotel, both through natural patterns in the stone ...

Rendering of a pool area at the Sharaan by Jean Nouvel Resort. Royal Commission for AlUla for Saudi Arabia

... and modern latticework.

Rendering of the Sharaan by Jean Nouvel Resort interior. Royal Commission for AlUla for Saudi Arabia

Guest suites will feature decor inspired by the natural colors of AlUla ...

Rendering of a guest suite at the Sharaan by Jean Nouvel Resort. Royal Commission for AlUla for Saudi Arabia

... and open up to patios that look out over the landscape.

Rendering of a guest suite balcony at the Sharaan by Jean Nouvel Resort. Royal Commission for AlUla for Saudi Arabia

A glass elevator will take guests through the heart of the hotel ...

Rendering of the glass elevator at the Sharaan by Jean Nouvel Resort. Royal Commission for AlUla for Saudi Arabia

... and an open-air restaurant will be located at the top of the 262-foot structure, renderings show.

Royal Commission for AlUla for Saudi Arabia

The hotel will also be dedicated to operating sustainably and draw on emission-free power.

Royal Commission for AlUla for Saudi Arabia

Nouvel calls the future resort space "metaphysical" and "poetic."

Royal Commission for AlUla for Saudi Arabia

"We don't often get conditions like these," he said of AlUla's towering sandstone rock formations. "It definitely creates something completely unique."

Rendering of light filtering through a balcony at the Sharaan by Jean Nouvel Resort. Royal Commission for AlUla for Saudi Arabia

The hotel is set to open in 2024 and is part of a 10-year agreement between France and Saudi Arabia signed in 2018 to develop AlUla into a cultural tourism destination.

Rendering of a balcony view at the Sharaan by Jean Nouvel Resort. Royal Commission for AlUla for Saudi Arabia

"This project aims to open the Kingdom to the world while still respecting Saudi's historic and cultural roots," the Royal Commission for AlUla writes of the partnership on its website.

Royal Commission for AlUla for Saudi Arabia

"This project aims to open the Kingdom to the world while still respecting Saudi's historic and cultural roots," the Royal Commission for AlUla writes of the partnership on its website.

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A new hotel hidden within millennia-old sandstone cliffs looks like a modern-day Petra. Take a look inside.

A new resort will let visitors spend the night in the millennia-old sandstone rock formations of the Saudi Arabian desert.

Designed by legendary architect Jean Nouvel, the hotel is inspired by the ancient building techniques of the Nabateans.

The Nabateans occupied the Arabian peninsula some 2,000 years ago and are best known for their capital city of Petra.

Built into the rose-red cliffs of modern-day Jordan, it is one of the seven wonders of the world.

The Sharaan by Jean Nouvel Resort will be built in AlUla, an ancient site 350 miles south of Petra that is home to over 100 UNESCO-recognized sandstone Nabatean buildings, according to Experience AlUla.

Taking cue from the Nabateans, Nouvel will sculpt the hotel from the landscape, he said in an interview and release provided to Insider.

"ALULa is really an open-air museum," Nouvel said. "When you stroll around, you're gobsmacked ... these particular rock formations and landscapes are actually works of art," he added. "Building here is a real responsibility."

From a distance, the Sharaan by Jean Nouvel Resort will look like just another sandstone rock.

But as day turns into the night, the hotel will light up the landscape.

Inside, it will house 40 luxury guest suites, three villas, a pool, and restaurant, among other amenities.

A large internal patio, visible from the sky, will offer views into lobbies and rooms.

Nouvel will draw light into the hotel, both through natural patterns in the stone ...

... and modern latticework.

Guest suites will feature decor inspired by the natural colors of AlUla ...

... and open up to patios that look out over the landscape.

A glass elevator will take guests through the heart of the hotel ...

... and an open-air restaurant will be located at the top of the 262-foot structure, renderings show.

The hotel will also be dedicated to operating sustainably and draw on emission-free power.

Nouvel calls the future resort space "metaphysical" and "poetic."

"We don't often get conditions like these," he said of AlUla's towering sandstone rock formations. "It definitely creates something completely unique."

The hotel is set to open in 2024 and is part of a 10-year agreement between France and Saudi Arabia signed in 2018 to develop AlUla into a cultural tourism destination.

"This project aims to open the Kingdom to the world while still respecting Saudi's historic and cultural roots," the Royal Commission for AlUla writes of the partnership on its website.