AlUla — AlUla Governorate has long served as a crossroads of civilizations along ancient trade routes that connected the Arabian Peninsula to the wider world, a historic role now renewed through a growing Saudi-French partnership spanning archaeology, arts, education, tourism and sustainability.
The partnership was formalized through a joint intergovernmental agreement signed in Paris on April 10, 2018, in the presence of His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, and French President Emmanuel Macron, establishing a long-term framework for collaboration in cultural, environmental, tourism, economic, human and heritage development in AlUla. Under the agreement, the French Agency for AlUla Development (Afalula) was established to collaborate with the Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU) and attract French expertise, with more than 80 French companies participating in AlUla-linked projects since 2018 and, by 2026, more than 170 contracts signed with French firms worth over $200 million.
Archaeological cooperation across more than 20 years has produced significant results, with 14 research projects launched since 2019, culminating in the exhibition “Illuminating Discoveries: Uncovering the Layers of Dadan’s History.” The partnership has also extended to education, with 106 young people from AlUla receiving scholarships to study in France, supporting knowledge exchange and national capability building in heritage preservation.
In the arts, cooperation with the Centre Pompidou supported the development of the AlUla Contemporary Art Museum, officially named at the opening of the 2026 “Arduna” exhibition, which featured more than 80 works by Saudi, regional and international artists and ran from Feb. 1 to April 15 as part of the fifth AlUla Arts Festival. The show, co-curated by the AlUla museum and the Centre Pompidou with support from Afalula, explored humanity’s evolving relationship with nature and land, drawing on collections from the Royal Commission for AlUla and the Musée National d’Art Moderne, including works by Pablo Picasso and Wassily Kandinsky.
Villa Hegra, a dedicated Saudi-French cultural institution, provides spaces for visual arts, design, performance and artistic residencies, fostering dialogue and creative exchange between artists from Saudi Arabia, France and around the world. In 2026, Villa Hegra expanded its programming with new residencies in scriptwriting and tableware design, including a national cycle for Saudi and MENA-based filmmakers and a first tableware collection developed with six Saudi female designers in Burgundy.
Areas of cooperation continue to expand across infrastructure, sustainability and tourism, reflecting an approach that leverages international expertise while safeguarding AlUla’s identity and heritage. Recent projects include the Sharaan Resort, designed by French architect Jean Nouvel, and the AlUla Tram, alongside investments in renewable energy, water and transportation that support Saudi Vision 2030 goals to attract 1 million visitors and international investment to AlUla.
