A new residential and administrative city will be developed outside Makkah to accommodate more than 600,000 people. Makkah Gov. Prince Khaled Al-Faisal approved the master plan for the scheme, named the Makkah Gate project, on Sunday.

The new city, to be developed on the Makkah-Jeddah Highway with private sector support, will have 45 model districts, said Makkah Mayor Osama Al-Bar.

Spanning an area of 83 million square meters, the project will include educational institutions, government offices, shopping centers, housing units and a national park, said the mayor.

Prince Khaled reviewed the project’s plan with Deputy Gov. Abdul Aziz Al-Khodary, Al-Bar and other senior officials on Sunday.