As luxury travel evolves into the 21st century, the glamour of ostentatious art deco-inspired monoliths or massive resort complexes wanes in the face of a more thoughtful look at luxury living.
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This applies even to the somewhat-maximalist sensibilities apparent in Middle Eastern tourism, which is now, more than ever, taking a nature-focused look at extravagance.

Desert Rock is a futuristic luxury resort set under the Arabian skies.
The simply-named Desert Rock, in all its 48-villa and 12-suite glory, will be nestled within the crook of a mountain in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The project – already underway since July – is fronted by The Red Sea Development Company, a company funded by Saudi Arabia in the hopes of developing the western coast of the country into a tourist destination at once sustainable and worth visiting.
Ahead, a lowdown on this architecture icon in-the-making.