Outlining the outcomes of the meeting, Ibrahim Al-Sultan, head of the Projects and Planning Center at the High Commission for Riyadh Development (HCRD) said the meeting reviewed the updated comprehensive plan for Thumamah park and addressed the key elements of the projects.

He said the meeting approved the expansion of the King Abdulaziz Center for Arabian Horses and King Khalid Wildlife Research Center in the park.  He said the meeting agreed also to update the comprehensive development plan for Thumamah park, taking into consideration the recreational sections surrounding the natural environment.

According to him highly important environmental areas and archeological sites were excluded from any future developments, highlighting their role in providing environmental education to visitors to the park.

Discussing future facilities and services, he said the expansion would also include the creation of a natural history museum that aims to familiarize visitors with the secrets of the desert environment.

The museum will use the latest presentation methods providing information on local geology, ancient monuments and different natural formations, and will feature a reception hall, restaurant and cafe.

He said the park would host a botanical garden to be built in the south of Thumamah on an area of up to three square kilometers in the Al-Arma area, featuring local plants.

It will also include a number of facilities and services such as a plant center, central oasis, playground, research building, a place for traditional medicine plants, and a place to hold sound and light shows.

A safari park also will be built in coordination with the King Khalid Wildlife Center on an area of 30 square kilometers to house a variety of animals from the Arabian Peninsula.

The safari park will be open to the public to watch animals through private cars moving through the park and up to higher ground to enable visitors to watch the wildlife on the ground. He noted the park will include four types of rural lodges including safari chalets that are on an elevated position overlooking the safari garden. Another type is the family daily camps providing services and access to roads. There are also youth camps and communal ground camps.

Al-Sultan said HCRD has launched an ambitious project to enhance the vegetation in the park. HCRD carried out two pilot projects for forestation in the park involving 6,000 varieties of trees.

After a successful trial, HCRD introduce 80,000 seedlings.

He pointed out the park will house a visitors center in the middle of the park, consisting of an information center, a showroom and a tent for the ceremonies in addition to a mosque and a reception center for visiting dignitaries.