The journey of Islam started from Mecca. So it is the holiest city for Muslims. The Abraj Al-Bayt Complex, the world's tallest clock tower, has transformed this city, which is associated with the memory of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). Andalib Ayan writes about this complex and its towers
Abraj al-Bayt
The Abraj Al-Bait Complex consists of seven skyscrapers in Makkah, Saudi Arabia. All of these buildings are owned by the Saudi government. The complex is a project to fulfill the dream of King Abdul Aziz, the founder of the country's Saudi monarchy. He wanted to build the holy city of Mecca as a modern city, so that the pilgrims who go there every year can complete the Hajj with ease.
Right in the middle of the seven buildings is the Mecca Royal Clock Tower. It is currently the tallest clock tower in the world. It is also the third tallest building in the world. It is the fifth highest monument in the world.
The seven-tower complex is the largest mosque in the world and a few meters away from Hategona, next to the Great Mosque of Mecca, the holiest site for Muslims. The bin Laden Group, the largest construction company in Saudi Arabia, has built this complex of huge projects. It is said to be the most expensive complex in the world. It cost about ১৫ 15 billion to build. Officially inaugurated in 2012, the total space of the different floors of the tower is 1 crore 81 lakh 50 thousand square feet.
The new complex was built by demolishing the famous Aziad fort. Once upon a time, the fort was visible on the hill from Mecca. The fort was an architectural monument of the Ottoman Empire built in the eighteenth century. When the Saudi government began demolishing the fort in 2002 to implement a new project, they came under international criticism. Turkey reacted the most to this incident.
The way this complex is unique
The tallest tower in the seven-tower complex is the tallest building in Saudi Arabia. Its height is about 601 meters or 1,972 feet. Apart from the building, the tower is currently the fifth tallest building in the world. In terms of height, the building surpasses the Ping An Finance Center in Shenzhen, China. However, it is lower in the UAE than Burj Khalifa in Dubai, Tokyo Skytree in Japan, Shanghai Tower in China and Canton Tower in Guangzhou, China. The 'Masjid al-Haram' in Makkah extends over the Piazza area south of the main entrance to the Abdul Aziz Gate. Inside the Al-Haram Mosque is the Kaaba, the holiest place for Muslims.
There are two large prayer rooms in the Abraj Al-Bait Towers for Muslims who come to perform Hajj at the Kaaba. One of these prayer rooms is reserved for men and the other for women. Collectively, these two rooms can perform 10,000 prayers together. There is also a five star hotel in the tallest building. The hotel is managed by Fairmont Hotels and Resorts. Some of the pilgrims who go to Makkah every year stay in this hotel. There is also a five-storey shopping mall in the Abraj Al-Bayt complex. This mall is known as 'The Abraj Al-Bayt Shopping Mall'. It is possible to park several thousand cars together in the car parking area of this complex. In 2007, it was initially planned that the tallest building would be 634 meters or 2,408 feet high. Although in the end the building was raised to 601 meters. After constructing the building at 1,480 feet, the remaining 492 feet were designed by German architect Mahmoud Bado Rassch and his company. In this part Premier composite technology is used. This part has a huge watch. This watch is made by the German company 'Parrot GmbH & Co.' According to the Saudi Ministry of Religion, the construction cost of the entire complex has exceeded ১৫ 15 billion.
The clock is on each side of the main hotel Tawati. So the clock will be visible from any position in that area. People live up to a maximum height of 1,210 feet in the complex. The huge clock in the tower is 141 feet in length and width on all sides. It is currently the largest clock in the world. The clock is located at a height of four hundred and fifty meters in the building. So even in terms of position, the watch is at the highest point than other watches. Combining the height of the clock, it extends up to 601 meters high. The part of the building where the clocks are located is used for exhibitions related to astronomy. From here, the moon is monitored to relate to the important days and months of Islam. There is also an automatic clock system in that part to control the clocks.
Features of the towers
The four clocks around the main building of the Abraj al-Bayt complex are so huge that the clock can be seen from a distance of at least 25 kilometers on each side. These watches are also the largest in the world in size. Earlier, the clock at the Shevier Mall in Istanbul, Turkey was the largest in terms of size. Each of the clocks in the Abraj al-Bayt complex is 141 feet in diameter. And about 2 million small LED lights have been used to brighten and decorate them. Just above the clock on the north side of the tower is written in Arabic letters 'Allah is great'. On the clock on the other three sides is written in Arabic - "Kalema Tayyiba" "There is no god but Allah." Muhammad is his messenger. '
There are four golden domes on the pillars around the clock. The clock uses green and white light. The flag of Saudi Arabia also has these two colors. In addition, the lights were turned on five times to signal the five daily prayers. Seeing this light, Muslims can perform prayers from a distance of 30 km.
On special days like New Year, 16 bands are illuminated vertically from the tower, whose light lines extend up to 10 km in the sky. The watches are covered with about 98 million pieces of glass mosaic. In the middle of the clocks are two swords with the Saudi symbol of gold in horizontal color. The minute hand of each watch is about 75 feet long. The bell is 56 feet long.
There is also an observation deck at 1,631 feet above the ground. There is also an observation deck at an altitude of 1,290 feet. This deck is intended for general tourists. It was initially thought that the clocks would show the local time of Mecca. But in the end these are set to prove the time of the Arabs.
At the top of the tower is a narrow golden minaret. This part has eight floors. Where a scientific center has been set up and an exhibition has been arranged. At the top of it is a curved chad. The prayer room of the tower is about 1,580 feet above. The top floor of the tower is called the control tower floor. This floor is used to control traffic in the sky of Mecca. Generally, no helicopters or planes are allowed to fly in the skies of Mecca. Also the lights, sound and a few other parts are controlled through the upper floors. Even the curved moon has two floors. The moon was created by Premier Composite Technologies in 2011 in Dubai. This moon is gold mosaic on fiberglass. It weighs about 35 tons.
Peugeot Joseph, an official at Premier Composite Technologies, said five engineers and hundreds of workers have made the moon a reality. It cost about 90 million UAE dirhams to build. And it took about 3 months to build. The moon was divided into 10 tin pieces to bring from Dubai to Mecca. The pieces of the moon are attached to the basement of the clock. On July 6, 2011, work began on placing it at the top of the tower.
Loudspeakers are attached throughout the minaret, through which the call to prayer is made. Its sound can be heard from a distance of about 6 km. From this part, on the first day of the two Eids and the Hijri year, 16 rays of light are thrown towards the sky. And the green and white lights that adorn the clock are primarily for the deaf in Mecca and its surrounding cities. So that even if they cannot hear, they can see the light and catch the right time of prayers.
Construction accident
There have been at least two fire accidents while constructing the Abraj Al-Bait complex. The first accident took place on October 26, 2006 at the Hajar Tower in the complex. It took about 400 hours for about 400 firefighters to bring the blaze under control. According to eyewitnesses, a fire broke out in the tower after midnight. And this fire was spreading fast. Because a lot of wood was used in the construction. Soon the whole tower was covered in smoke. Extra precautions are taken in hospitals. However, no casualties were reported in the blaze. According to the fire brigade, the fire started on the 32nd floor of Hajar Tower.
During construction, a fire broke out for the second time on May 1, 2009 at the Safa Tower in the complex. No casualties were reported in the blaze. The fire brigade was able to bring the fire under control very quickly. According to eyewitnesses, the fire started after the Asr prayers. The fire broke out while some workers were doing iron welding work in the building. A large part of the tower was damaged in the fire.
Maj. Gen. Adel Jamjami, head of the Saudi security agency and director of the security department in Makkah province, said the fire broke out for the second time on the 14th floor of the Safa Tower. However, the fire spread to the 20th floor of the tower.
The construction of this huge complex also sparked some controversy at that time. The demolition of the eighteenth-century Ottoman fortress of Aziad is one of the reasons for this controversy. However, according to the Saudi plan, the holy city of Mecca will be developed as a fully modern city. The country earns about ৬ 6 billion annually from Hajj and tourism. Therefore, in order to make the birthplace of Islam more tourist-friendly, all modern luxurious installations are being built. A picture of Mecca in the 1950s shows that it is very common for Muslims to perform the Hajj. But now a multi-storied mosque has been built around the holy Kaaba. That is why many ancient installations have already been demolished. The Saudi government has plans to make it bigger by 2040. Now, where 3 million people can pray together, the Saudi authorities are thinking of arranging for 7 million people to pray together.