Saudi Arabia’s ancient desert destination of AlUla is preparing to welcome visitors with something rarely seen anywhere in the world: a road that plays music.
The Royal Commission for AlUla has launched the AlUla Music Competition, an initiative that will transform a stretch of road at the entrance of the historic region into a functioning “musical road.” The project combines engineering, tourism and music composition in an effort to create a new sensory identity for the destination.
Unlike ordinary roads, a musical road is built with carefully spaced grooves cut into the asphalt. When vehicles drive over the surface at a specific speed, vibrations from the tires generate audible musical notes inside the car. The sequence of grooves determines the melody, effectively turning the road into a giant instrument.
The winning composition for AlUla’s road will come from within Saudi Arabia itself. The competition is open to Saudi citizens and residents, regardless of whether they are professional musicians. Organizers are asking participants to submit original musical pieces between 30 and 60 seconds long, inspired by the landscape, heritage and atmosphere of AlUla.
The selected composer will receive SAR 100,000 and work with industry professionals to develop the piece further before it is embedded into the road design. The final composition will become part of the visitor arrival experience in AlUla for years to come.
While musical roads already exist in countries such as Japan, South Korea and Denmark, the AlUla project is being presented as a cultural installation rather than a novelty attraction. Arts AlUla and AlUla Music Hub describe it as a way to merge sound, landscape and heritage into a permanent public experience.
The initiative also reflects Saudi Arabia’s wider push to position AlUla as a global cultural destination. Over the last several years, the northwestern region has become known for large-scale arts festivals, desert concerts and heritage tourism centered around sites such as Hegra, Saudi Arabia’s first UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Organizers say the road is intended to create an emotional first impression for travelers arriving in AlUla. Instead of entering through a conventional highway, visitors will experience a melody composed specifically for the landscape surrounding them.
The competition closes on May 31, with the winner expected to be announced in mid-June. Construction and musical adaptation will continue through the following months.
If completed as planned, the project could become one of the most unusual public art installations in the Middle East, where infrastructure itself becomes part of the performance.
