The All-Inclusive Hajj
The city of Mecca is usually associated with solely religious topics; and in this day and age it very often refers to numerous news reports on the annual pilgrimage and the outstanding number of disciples. Thus, it is all the more strange to relate it to the latest highrise construction activity. However, it is not absurd but a real combination of ambition, financial capacity and religious aspirations. The high-rise hotel building that was erected in close proximity to the main Muslim sanctuary demonstrates a new approach to the realization for one of the main goals of every true follower of Islamic guidance – the Hajj.
Mecca is located in a desolate rocky terrain that is surrounded by mountains on all sides. The nearest major city of Jeddah is located 72 kilometers farther to the east, and Medina is even farther - 485 kilometers to the south. The Red Sea which is another important milestone is also over 70 kilometers far away from the city. Historically Mecca is the ancient Muslim sanctuary. It has been known since the 4th century AD. During that time it was a thriving trading center that attracted caravans from different parts of the Arabian Peninsula and Mesopotamia. But in the following centuries when Islam started spreading all over, it became the main religious center for disciples from all over the world.
Today the annual pilgrimage has gradually become extremely strong, which does not only refer to the religious matters but also a whole set of issues of a purely humanitarian nature and, as a result, economic and logistical issues as well. Therefore, there have recently been implemented pretentious large-scale plans to expand the urban region and to introduce new constructions (high-risers among them) that can accommodate the increasing number of disciples who arrive during the annual Hajj. Due to the ongoing alterations Mecca gradually moves from a solely religious center to a cosmopolitan city for the rich; and the loss of some important historical sites causes more concern in the Islamic world. One of the great projects of this kind that was finalized last year was the high-rise complex of the Abraj Al Bait Towers. Its construction caused a lot of dispute and a mixed reaction from the world cultural community since in order to build this large-scale complex, they had had to demolish the old Ottoman citadel of the 18th as well as to remove the hill that used to host it.
The new hotel and residential complex consists of seven towers, each of which is named after the various people, places and terms of the Islamic history. The tallest Makkah Royal Clock Tower (601 m with a spire) closes the central line of the composition; aside the tower there are the twin Hajar and ZamZam towers (either being 260 meters tall) and the four far lower Qiblah, Sarah, Marwah and Safa towers (each of them being 240 meters tall). The design of this unprecedented in its scale and location project was carried out by the local architectural firm Dar Al-Handasah Architects; and the main contractor was the largest Saudi-Arabian corporation - the Saudi Binladin Group. The actual construction took place from 2004 to 2012.
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MARIANNA SMIRNOVA