Al-Ahsa Oasis UNESCO World Heritage Site
Interpretation Plan - Visitor Management Plan
Client: Heritage Commission
Location: Al-Ahsa, KSA
Size: 8,544 hectares
Completed: 2025
Al-Ahsa Oasis was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2018 and is the largest oasis in the world, growing more than 2,500,000 date palm trees in the Eastern Province of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and comprising multiple sites of natural and cultural heritage.
Cultural Innovations were appointed to create site-wide Interpretation and Visitor Management Plans for the World Heritage Site. We led a multidisciplinary team which assessed the cultural, historic and architectural significance of the twelve components and made specific recommendations for improving the public realm, accessibility, visitor management and visitor experience while adhering to UNESCO conservation standards and international best practice.
Interpretation Plan
The interpretation plan established messaging which focuses on connecting local people and visitors with the oasis communities of the past, with the natural resources of the landscape and with the vital trade networks that Al-Ahsa has been a part of since the Neolithic period.
Visitor Management Plan
Aligning with the Heritage Commission’s current and future strategic objectives, the visitor management plans will help to preserve, promote and celebrate the evolving cultural oasis for local communities, regional and international visitors.
Conservation Architects: Simpson & Brown
Landscape and Masterplanning: StudioPlan
Content: Cloud and Culture