The giant golden cube has the capacity of 20 buildings the size of the Empire State Building.

A new Kaaba-looking building in Saudi Arabia has sparked outrage online for its stark resemblance to the Muslim holy site in the Kingdom.

Launched by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Al Mukaab, the Arabic word for cube, was announced over the weekend as the latest futuristic project in the kingdom.

The giant golden cube, which boasts capacity of 20 buildings the size of the Empire State Building, plans to merge residential units, entertainment areas, hotels, and restaurants in the futuristic city.

The design, however, has caused uproar online mainly for its cubic shape, with many saying it is an attempt by Saudi authorities to shed focus away from the Kaaba in Mecca.

“Was their concept Al Kaaba or what?I know Saudi is going very futuristic in their new projects, but this is kinda insane!” a social media user said.

Another social media user raised the same question over the choice of design.

“An entertainment cube in Riyadh in the shape of the Kaaba…Why does it look like the Kaaba? Why ‘Downtown’?” another said.

Intercept reporter Murtaza Hussain joined in to question the choice of design, saying,“Building a new Kaaba exclusively devoted to capitalism is a little too on the nose.”

“The rulers of Saudi Arabia have raised the building near the honourable Kaaba and buried [the Kaaba] among symbols of modernity and capitalism,” one person tweeted.

The user also claimed Saudi Arabia is engaging in efforts to minimise reverence and respect of other buildings by creating such structures.

However, some have appeared to take a more light hearted approach to the new structure, saying it looks like the setting of a Marvel movie.

“Congratulations to whichever unscrupulous consulting firm will rake in beaucoup bucks next year for pitching the Saudis on The Tesseract,” journalist Gregg Carlstrom said in a Tweet.