MAKKAH, 20 April 2008 — The SR11.4 billion Jabal Omar project with a targeted capacity to provide residential facilities to 45,000 pilgrims close to the Grand Mosque in Makkah will start construction of buildings early next month, according to Nassir Al-Salloum, secretary general of the Higher Commission for the Development of Makkah, Madinah and the Holy Sites.
“The construction will not be confined only to the Central Zone but to all the areas in Makkah so that Makkah will emerge as the best city in the world,” Al-Salloum said while making an inspection visit to Jabal Omar and other construction sites in Makkah yesterday.
“The Jabal Omar Project will be completed over three years and will provide residential facilities for 45,000 pilgrims besides prayer space for 150,000 pilgrims and a parking lot for 9,000 cars,” Abdul Rahman Faqeeh, chairman of the board of directors of the project, who accompanied the higher commissions’ secretary general, said.
The Saudi Binladin Group and Saudi Oger are constructing the project that covers an area of 1.8 million square meters, Faqeeh said. It will include 39 high-rise buildings of between 20 and 48 stories, the chairman said. The architectural style of the new buildings will be a blend of Makkan and modern styles, Faqeeh said.
“With the intention of adopting an ideal design, the company invited international bids for the best architectural designs for the buildings. Eight internationally reputed architectural firms and five Saudi universities sent in their designs. The selection of the best design was made by a special committee,” he said. The towers are designed in such a way that all the residents will get an unobstructed view of the Grand Mosque, he said. The largest hotel in the project will consist of two towers connected at their tops like the Petronas twin towers in Kuala Lumpur.
Salloum also visited the 60-hectare Jabal Khandama project close to the eastern side of the Grand Mosque.
The project will have hotels and residential towers to accommodate several thousands with direct access to the Grand Mosque.
Salloum said the proposed Makkah-Madinah railway project was also a key component in the rapid development of the two holy cities. Railway stations will be constructed at locations close to the Grand Mosque in Makkah and the Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah, he said.
