religious tourism: makkah saudi arabia 2012
Jabal Omar Development is to build 40 residential towers in the holy city of Makkah to accommodate 160,000 Islamic pilgrims and a prayer area for 200,000 worshippers
JEBEL AL NOOR
Jebel Al Noor lies to the east of the Ka'aba and was mentioned in the Holy Qur'an. It is the location of the Hira cave where the Prophet is believed to have received the first calling of Jibreel. Jebel Al Noor has become an unplanned visitor attraction for hajjis and Umrah visitors alike. The Hira cave is 270 metres up the mountain and, at the height of the Hajj, up to 5,000 people a day have been counted climbing the mountain.
DJINN MOSQUE
The Djinn Mosque is believed to be the site where the Prophet recited the Qur'an to the Djinnis people and took bai'et (an oath of allegiance) from them. It is located to the northeast of Al-Haram and is known by several names including Masjid Bai'et and the Harras Mosque.
The Jannat al-Mu'alla graveyard is nearby, which is understood to house the mother, first wife and son of the Holy Prophet, along with his grandfather and great-grandfather. Applications for Hajj and Umrah must be submitted through autho- rised agencies, tourist companies, or chari- table organisations certified in the visitor's country of origin. An approval letter, issued by the Saudi Ministry of Hajj, is required to confirm that the authorised agent, tour company or Hajj group meets the neces- sary requirements regarding their pilgrims.
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SPECTACULAR BUILDS In recent years, new hotels have been constructed around Makkah to accom- modate the pilgrims entering the city during the Hajj. Among the develop- ments, Fairmont Hotels & Resorts built the Makkah Clock Royal Tower (its total height of 601 metres visible from 17 kilometres away in clear conditions) as part of its five-star, 76-storey Makkah property. A spectacular site, the Makkah Clock Royal Tower announces daily prayers to the Muslim world. Holding several world records, includ- ing the tallest hotel in the world, the tower is part of the Abraj Al-Bait Towers complex. It also holds the record for being the tallest clock tower in the world, the world's largest clock face and command- ing the world's largest building floor area. Metres away from the Masjid Al Haram, the world's largest mosque and Islam's most sacred site, the clock tower hotel stands 601 metres tall and each of the clock's faces mea- sures 46 metres in diameter. The complex also includes: a five- storey shopping mall; two heliports; and a conference centre to accommodate the business traveller. The clock tower itself also houses an Islamic museum and a Lunar Observation Centre, to be used to sight the moon during the Holy Months.
JABAL OMAR
Jabal Omar Development is to build 40 residential towers in the holy city of Makkah to accommodate 160,000 Islamic pilgrims and a prayer area for 200,000 worshippers. More than 600 properties have been ear- marked to be taken over for the project, which involves constructing two five-star hotels with 935 rooms and six three-star hotels compris- ing 1,255 rooms, across an area spanning 244,800 square metres. Residential buildings reaching 20 storeys to accommodate 100,000 people, 520 restaurants and 4,360 com- mercial and retail units are also being built. When finished, the development will have air-conditioned plazas for 100,000 worship- pers, open courtyards for 120,000 people and a car park for 10,000 vehicles.
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