The Lowdown
Madinah Development Authority is a governmental body in Saudi Arabia, tasked with overseeing and managing the urban development and infrastructure projects in the city of Madinah. Its mission is to enhance the city’s environment, improve quality of life for residents and visitors, and preserve the historical and cultural heritage of the region. Sunio One provides city-level governments and Commercial Real Estate sector stakeholders with digital transformation & ESG advice, and strategies to evolve analogue businesses, buildings, and cities into smart entities.
The City Living Museum (CLM) aims to transform Madinah into an immersive city-wide museum experience. This unique project integrates historical sites, existing museums, events, and commercial opportunities to allow visitors to engage deeply with the city’s rich history, culture, and modern life. The digital pilot includes an app and website designed to offer interactive guided tours and storytelling around key historical sites.
The Problem
Madinah is home to over 200 documented historical sites, yet most visitors and residents are familiar with only a handful. This lack of awareness and limited engagement with the broader historical narrative of the city presented a significant challenge. The Quba Pilot seeks to address this by making more sites known and accessible, ultimately enriching visitors’ experiences and fostering local economic growth.
The Solution
To tackle the project, the approach was to intertwine cutting-edge technological solutions with rigorous historical research to create engaging, immersive narratives that connect visitors with the ancient stories of Madinah. We consulted in various aspects beyond our remit and helped steer the overall direction of the project. We built the App in Flutter to ensure cross platform efficiency and a seamless user experience. The application aimed to guide visitors using interactive storytelling techniques enhanced by AR and location-based services, making the ancient stories of Madinah more accessible and engaging.
Strapi was selected as the headless CMS due to its high level of customisation and adaptability, and wide range of hosting and management options which was an essential point for the project being based in UAE. This also enabled us to easily manage the multilingual requirements for the app and website. This bespoke CMS solution allowed the client to manage the app, website, and various other aspects of the project such as asset management for Kiosks, and QR code management for the wider loyalty piece.
The Product
We created a comprehensive mobile app, website, and CMS called “Madinah Moments,” that transforms Madinah into an interactive, living museum experience as part of the broader City Living Museum concept.
It features GPS-enabled tours, audio narrations, and interactive content, enabling users to explore themes like peace and spirituality. The app also includes a loyalty and rewards programme, encouraging repeat visits and fostering community connections. Key functionalities were prioritised based on user feedback, ensuring a user-centric design that remains intuitive and accessible.
The pilot has demonstrated the potential for broader economic impacts through enhanced local tourism. As the project expands, it aims to set a new standard in cultural tourism by integrating digital experiences with historical exploration.
In summary, the City Living Museum project not only aims to expand cultural engagement in Madinah but also supports economic growth by promoting local businesses and enriching visitor experiences through innovative technology.
“They don’t just code — they take a big-picture view and work as partners to create new opportunities for innovation.”
Operations Manager, Sunio One
