Saudi Arabia is trying to keep the White Walkers out

Summer nights gather, and now the watch project begins.

Saudi Arabia recently unveiled plans to build the largest modern structure in the world: two 1,600-foot tall buildings that run parallel for 75 miles, connected throughout via walkways (and feasibly manned by the Night’s Watch).

🏗 More deets… Called the Mirror Line, the project is expected to cost up to $1 trillion and will house some five million people when fully completed, multiple sources told the WSJ.

Among other things, it’ll feature:

• A high-speed rail system,
• Vertically-integrated farming,
• A marina for yachts,
• And (our favorite) a sports stadium located 1,000 feet off the ground.

The project faces a 2030 completion deadline under Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s national transformation plan – but urban planners say it's unclear if they can complete the first-of-its-kind structure by then.

🇸🇦📸 The big picture: This is just one of a series of ambitious projects comprising Neom, a futuristic eco-city the size of Massachusetts conceived by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in a bid to attract foreign investment and diversify the kingdom’s economy from its reliance on oil. But getting significant buy-in has been… difficult so far.

• Many Western countries and companies cut ties with Saudi Arabia over its record on human rights after the 2018 killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

+Closer to home: Last year, former Walmart exec and billionaire Marc Lore announced plans to build a futuristic 234-square-mile city called Telosa (planned pop. 5 million) in a yet-to-be-determined US state.