#Saudi Arabia 🇸�� | Royal Clock Tower

[wgm-beautiful-world]

SAUDI ARABIA

[xtruss]

The World's Tallest Building, The Burj Khalifa, Dubai , UAE. Image: Stéphane Compoint

Inside The Supertall Building Boom

What Skyscrapers Reveal About The Countries That Build Them

— September 20th 2024

A skyscraper is a statement of ambition. No surprise, then, that Saudi Arabia wants to build the world’s tallest. Construction on the Jeddah Tower stopped in 2018 but will restart soon; when completed, it will be the first building ever to rise to a dizzying 1,000 metres. The Jeddah Tower’s nearly 170 storeys will house the usual combination of luxury flats, hotel rooms and offices. On one side visitors will be able to gaze on a new financial district; on another, across the Red Sea.

The building may cost around $1.2bn, but that is a trifling sum given the more than $1trn that Saudi Arabia is spending on developing infrastructure, luring tourists and repositioning itself on the global stage. Leaders see the tower, which resembles a jagged splinter of glass, as a symbol of the kingdom’s power. It “sends a financial and economic message that should not be ignored”, Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, who is overseeing the project, has said.

If that is the case, other places are sending out similar steely messages. There are 236 “supertall” buildings across the world—a label given to anything bigger than 300 metres—and 160 of them have been erected since 2014, according to the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH), a research group. Another 96 are under way. These hulking piles reshape skylines and cities. And, as well as reaching skyward, they point towards geopolitical and cultural trends. Which countries are building supertalls, and why?

Midtown Manhattan in 1955, looking downtown towards the Empire State Building, then the tallest building in the world Image: Getty Images

The Middle East is home to 20% of all supertalls. The United Arab Emirates, like Saudi Arabia, is showing off its oil wealth and status as one of the region’s fastest-growing economies. It has 35 supertalls; Dubai alone boasts 31, more than any other city. Its behemoth is the Burj Khalifa, which, at 828 metres, has been the world’s tallest tower since opening in 2010. (Reportedly only 71% of the Burj Khalifa is usable space; the rest is “vanity height”.)

Asia has a great love of heights, too, having built more than two-thirds of all supertalls in the past decade. A recent addition is Merdeka 118 in Kuala Lumpur, which was completed last year. At 679 metres tall, it pushed its way into second place. China, which had barely any skyscrapers before 1980, now has five of the ten tallest. The country is home to more skyscrapers per person than America. Some 70% of the supertalls under construction are going up in China. Twenty-five of them, if completed, will rank among the world’s top 100 tallest buildings.

China’s upward trajectory has practical causes. Until recently, the country’s population was surging, rising from 980m in 1980 to 1.4bn today. And those seeking work are still moving from the countryside to the cities, where 66% of people live. Height also helps with urban density, making commuting distances shorter.

But politics provides additional mo­tivation for city planners to think big. “Officials in small cities are particularly prone to build tall,” says Jason Barr, an economist and the author of the book “Cities in the Sky: The Quest to Build the World’s Tallest Skyscrapers”. Strivers in the Communist Party see supertalls as a way to put their lower-tier cities on the map—and perhaps gain attention from central-government bigwigs.

Only 10% of supertalls built in the past decade have sprung up in America, the ancestral home of the skyscraper. (The first were built in New York and Chicago in the late 1880s.) New York, a city known for its gigantic buildings, has gained a few, including super-thin towers south of Central Park in a cluster nicknamed “Billionaires’ Row”. There are still many economic incentives to go high, particularly in New York: land is expensive, and its population is among the most concentrated of any American city. But gaining approval for new buildings is a complex process, thanks to 3,300 pages of zoning regulations.

The number of storeys may be soaring, but some countries nevertheless prefer to stay closer to the ground. In the European Union only Poland has a supertall building (Britain, an ex-member, has one too: the Shard). Skyscrapers are often regarded as “gauche” on the continent, says Daniel Safarik of CTBUH. In London and Rome new edifices are not allowed to block views of certain landmarks, making it hard to build upwards. Paris has banned construction of new tall buildings in response to “ugly” skyscrapers. On X one French person called the Montparnasse Tower, a Brutalist building from 1973, the greatest affront to Paris since the Nazi occupation.

When designing a supertall, architects must not have their heads in the clouds. The first serious order of business is to make sure the building does not get buffeted or blown over. “Wind is the governing factor” of supertall design, says Gordon Gill, who co-designed the Jeddah Tower. As buildings go up and up, so do wind forces. Engineers calculated that the Burj Khalifa, for instance, needed to be able to stand tall amid winds of 150mph (240kph), equivalent to a strong tornado.

The proposed Xi’an Greenland Tower in Xi'an, China, draws inspiration from the detailed armour of terracotta soldiers from the Qin dynasty Image: Adrian Smith, Gordon Gill Architecture

To avoid a statement of grandeur becoming a parable of ineptitude, architects have to “confuse” the wind using diff­erent shapes. Thinness, tapering, twisting, round edges and cut-outs at the top of the building all help, and there are interior as well as exterior solutions. At 432 Park Avenue in New York, five double-floors are left empty to let the wind pass through. Taipei 101 in Taiwan features a steel pendulum, weighing some 728 tonnes, that swings to counteract wind-induced movement.

Given the role of skyscrapers as symbols, architects must also pay close attention to what they look like. Note that the Woolworth Building in New York, the tallest in the world from 1913-30, has a copper roof and gargoyles to reflect its status as a “cathedral of commerce”. Today those commissioning supertalls, particularly in Asia and the Middle East, want the building to stand for cultural confidence as well as a specific sense of place.

Top: 432 Park Avenue in New York and Taipei 101, Taiwan (Bottom) Image: Getty Images, Bridgeman, Alamy

Mr Gill says he consults historians to learn about relevant symbolism: for the façade of the proposed Greenland Tower in Xi’an, he evoked the armour of the terracotta soldiers of the ancient Qin dynasty. The spiral shape of Israel’s first supertall, currently under construction in Tel Aviv, recalls a biblical scroll. Merdeka 118 looks rather like a syringe, but its design was supposedly inspired by the shape of Tunku Abdul Rahman’s hand, evoking the statesman who proclaimed Malaysian independence in 1957.

The proposed 1 Park Avenue in the port city of Dubai, UAE (top) was designed to symbolise the motion of water. The Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (bottom left), were meant to evoke the Islamic architecture of South Asia like the Qutb Minar, an 800-year-old minaret in Delhi, India (bottom right). Image: Alamy, Getty Images, Adrian Smith, Gordon Gill Architecture

The sky is not the only limit for supertalls. Enterprising countries all want spectacular buildings, at least until they decide they have had enough. China’s officials are clamping down on “weird” buildings. Edifices that look like “giant trousers”—the nickname given to a building in Beijing designed by Rem Koolhaas—are now verboten. In 2021 the government imposed a height cap of 500 metres and banned cities with fewer than 3m residents from building above 250 metres. (It is thought that safety problems, an oversupply of commercial offices and lots of vacant residential buildings motivated this policy.)

More engineering breakthroughs are needed, too, if buildings are to go higher. It was elevator innovations that helped set off skyscrapers in the late 1800s. But Adrian Smith, one of the architects on the Burj Khalifa, says that lift technology has long been a limiting factor. Existing steel cables have a travel distance of around 500 metres, meaning that it is not possible to get a single lift to the top of many supertalls. (Wind also puts extra strain on the cables.) Yet multiple banks of lifts are difficult to fit into tall, thin buildings. The Jeddah Tower will instead use carbon-fibre, a lighter material that can take lifts higher.

If and when it is possible for buildings to rise higher, no doubt some tycoon or tyrant will want to start a mile-high club. Supertall buildings are monuments to human ingenuity and modernity. But most of all, as Mason Cooley, an American humorist, put it, “A skyscraper is a boast in glass and steel.”

The Burj Al Arab in Dubai, UAE, which recalls the sail of a Dhow, a Common Arab Sailing Vessel Image: Getty Images

— This Article Appeared in the Culture Section of the Print Edition Under the Headline “The Edifice Complex".

[lordgolem]

The Makkah Clock Royal Tower, built ten years ago in Mecca, Saudi Arabia

[world-traveller]

Marvelous Skyscrapers: 10 Best Tallest Buildings in the World

Our planet reflects the creativity and innovation of humans. From being hunter-gatherers living in tribes to creating a civilized society and living in luxurious, metropolitan cities, we have come a long way. The world is filled with structures, innovations, and findings that prove that human beings are truly geniuses. From times immemorial, we have been known for our architectural structures. All around the world, there are architectural structures known for their grandness, advanced technology, and intricate details. In the modern world, our architectural work has gained a new genre: tall buildings or skyscrapers. The first skyscraper was built in 1885 in Chicago. Since then, numerous tall buildings have been introduced all over the world, most of them seemingly defining gravity. Here we present the top 10 tallest buildings in the world right now.

1. Burj Khalifa, Dubai, UAE

Dubai is home to Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world. It stands at a height of 2717 feet. So tall is the building that the Burj Khalifa towers all other l, and there is no denying the fact that the city has many. The work on the building started in 2004, and it took six years to complete it. The Burj Khalifa was open to the public in 2010. This tall building with its 162 floors has a luxury hotel, several fine dining restaurants, a residential complex, retail stores, and even corporate offices. The highlight of the place is the observation deck on the 124th and 148th floors that provide an uninterrupted view of the entire Dubai. Burj Khalifa is one of the best places to visit in Dubai for free, only if you want to admire the building from the outside. If you want to visit one of the observation decks, you need an entry ticket. You must also visit the museum on the ground level to know about Burj Khalifa history.

Interesting Fact: Apart from being the world’s tallest building, Burj Khalifa holds many other world records. It is the world’s tallest free-standing structure and has the highest outdoor observation deck, highest number of stories, highest restaurant, highest occupied floor, longest traveling elevator, and tallest service elevator.

2. Merdeka 118, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Image Credit: thebeat.asia

Merdeka 118 in Kuala Lumpur is a recent addition to the list of tallest buildings in the world. And it entered the second position on the list as soon as it entered. This building measures 2227 feet and is in the former Merdeka Park. The name Merdeka means “freedom” in Malay. The building with 118 floors was inaugurated in November 2023, although the work for it had begun in 2016. The facade of the building is made of glass and tones of window frame extrusions. This building has luxury hotels, offices, a sky lobby, and an observation deck. The place is also set to open a shopping mall that is spread around seven floors in 2024.

Interesting Fact: Merdeka 118 has two observation decks, one inside the building and one in its spire. The observatory in the spire stands at the height of 1857 feet.

3. Shanghai Tower, Shanghai, China

The Shanghai Tower in the capital city of China stands at the height of 2073 feet. The third tallest building in the world was inaugurated in February 2015. It is in the financial center of the city and stands out for its height and unique design. What makes Shanghai tower stand out amongst all the tallest buildings in the world is that 9 buildings are present within the single structure, enclosed by a glass structure. Each of the buildings has an atrium, gardens, retail stores, and cafes. There is also an observation deck on the 121st floor that gives you a bird’s eye view of the city.

Interesting Fact: Although Shanghai Tower is the third tallest building in the world, it has the greatest number of useable floors than the top two.

4. Makkah Royal Clock Tower, Mecca, Saudi Arabia

The fourth on the list is the Makkah Royal Clock Tower in the Islamic holy city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia. It is the world’s tallest clock tower, located next to the holy site of Makkah. The height of this building is 1972 feet. What makes it unique is that this clock tower houses a luxury hotel with 76 floors. Another highlight of this clock tower is that its face is the largest in the world. It has four clocks on all the sides, each of them measuring 43 meters in size. The size of the clock makes it possible for people to read the time even at 17 km distance. The clock is adorned with two million LED lights, which makes it possible to see the time even after sunset. Along with an observation deck, the clock tower also a lunar observation center, a prayer hall that can hold 1000 people, and an Islamic Museum.

Interesting Fact: The Makkah Royal Clock Tower is the tallest in the world by floor area. The building floor covers an area of 1,500,000 square meters.

5. Ping An Finance Centre, Shenzhen, China

The fifth building on this list is the second tallest building in China. The Ping An Finance Center is 1966 feet tall and the tallest building in the city of Shenzen in China. This building with 115 floors was opened in 2017. The building was constructed using stainless steel and glass and towers over every other building in the city. The Ping An Finance Center houses the headquarters of Ping An Insurance, one of the biggest insurance companies in the world. Along with offices, the building also has a hotel and a shopping mall. A highlight of the place is the huge conference center that can hold around 15,500 workers and 9000 passengers. You can also visit the observation deck on the 116th floor named Free Sky.

Interesting Fact: The floor area of this building is 378,600 square meters. It also has a podium that is spread along 11 floors.

6. Lotte World Tower, Seoul, South Korea

With the height of 1819 feet, the Lotte World Tower becomes the fifth tallest building in the world. This building is a part of South Korea’s Seoul and was completed in 2017. This building has 123 floors, which includes a combination of offices, residential units, and hotels. The podium of the building is a shopping mall that takes up ten of its floors. The building also has a Korean folk museum, an outdoor park, and an indoor theme park. The last few levels of the Lotte World Tower comprise observation decks, lounges, and cafes that give you an amazing view of Seoul.

Interesting Fact: Although the work on the building began in 2010, the idea of constructing such a structure was introduced in the 1900s itself.

7. One World Trade Center, New York City, United States of America

One World Trade Center is the seventh tallest building in the world and the tallest building to exist in the Western hemisphere. The height of this building is 1776 feet. This building has 94 floors and most of them are occupied by tech and media companies. The One World Trade Center was inaugurated in 2014 and has been made using 40,000 metric tons of structural steel. One World Trade Center is a tribute to the Twin Towers which were destroyed in the 2001 terrorist attack. The Memorial for 9/11 victims has also been constructed here. Visitors can visit the observatory on floors 100-102 if they want to see the interior of the building.

Interesting Fact: One World Trade Center is also known as Freedom Tower.

8. Guangzhou CTF Finance Centre, Guangzhou, China

The eighth tallest tower in the world is the third tallest tower in China. The Guangzhou CTF Finance Centre stands tall at the height of 1739 feet in China’s Guangzhou city. The building has 111 floors, and the construction was completed in 2010. This building houses hotels, offices, residential apartments, and even a conference area. The observation deck that gives you a great view of the city is on the 111th floor of the building. The last few floors of the building are where the hotel is located, which also includes the podium.

Interesting Fact: Guangzhou CTF Finance Centre is an example of sustainable architecture, as the building is made of glazed terracotta and metal, making it corrosion-resistant and self-cleaning as well.

9. Tianjin CTF Finance Centre, Tianjin, China

Another tall building that adorns the skyline of China is Teijin CTF Finance Centre. This 1737-feet building is located in Tianjin city. The entrance of the building is through a public garden. It has 97 floors and is used for miscellaneous purposes. The building is home to offices, apartments, and even a hotel. Moreover, how can a skyscraper be complete without an observation deck? The building not only has an observation deck but also a restaurant that gives you a 360-degree view of the city.

Interesting Fact: Tianjin CTF Finance Centre, which was completed in 2019, is the only building in the top 10 buildings that has less than 100 floors in it.

10. China Zun, Beijing, China

Beijing’s China Zun is the last on our list of the top 10 tallest buildings in the world. China Zun is the nickname given to CITIC (China International Trust Investment Corporation) Tower. The building also houses the headquarters of the company. Along with the office complex, China Zun also has residential complexes as well as a luxury hotel. This building is 1731 feet tall and has 109 floors. Although construction on the building began in 2011, it was completely only in 2018.

Interesting Fact: The building is nicknamed China Zun because zun means the container that was traditionally used to store wine, and the building has the shape of the same vessel.

All the buildings mentioned here are true architectural marvels. They may be replaced by buildings taller than them in the future. But these will always be remembered to have broken records for their ability to go against the law of earth’s gravitational force and the sheer brilliance of the human brain.

[o-craven-canto]

The Clock Towers (Arabic: أبراج الساعة, romanized: Abrāj al-Sāʿa, lit. 'Towers of the Clock', formerly known as Abraj Al Bait), is a government-owned complex of seven skyscraper hotels in Mecca, Saudi Arabia... The total height of the clock is 57 m (187 ft), just below the media displays under the clock faces. At 43 m × 43 m (141 ft × 141 ft), these are the largest in the world. The roof of the clock is 450 m (1,480 ft) above the ground, making it the world's most elevated architectural clock. A spire has been added on top of the clock giving it a total height of 601 m (1,972 ft).

The complex was built after the demolition of the Ajyad Fortress, the 18th-century Ottoman citadel on top of a hill overlooking the Grand Mosque.

(The clock face, comparison with other famous clock towers, from Wikipedia. The one at top right is London's Big Ben, at the same scale.)

The Palace of the Parliament (Romanian: Palatul Parlamentului), also known as the House of the Republic (Casa Republicii) or People's House/People's Palace (Casa Poporului), is the seat of the Parliament of Romania, located atop Dealul Spirii in Bucharest, the national capital. The Palace reaches a height of 84 m (276 ft), has a floor area of 365,000 m2 (3,930,000 sq ft) and a volume of 2,550,000 m3 (90,000,000 cu ft). The Palace of the Parliament is one of the heaviest buildings in the world, weighing about 4,098,500,000 kilograms (9.04 billion pounds; 4.10 million tonnes), also being the second largest administrative building in the world. (The Great Pyramid of Giza at about 5.75 million tons is about 40% heavier)... The Palace was ordered by Nicolae Ceaușescu (1918–1989), the president of Communist Romania... Approximately 7 km2 (2.7 sq mi) of the old city centre were demolished, with 40,000 people being relocated from the area. The works were carried out with forced labour in addition to soldiers, minimizing costs.

Due to its impressive characteristics, events organized by state institutions and international bodies such as conferences and symposia take place there, but despite this about 70% of the building remains empty... The cost of heating, electricity, and lighting alone exceeds $6 million per year.

Only two large meeting rooms and 400 others have been finished or are even being used, out of a total of 1,100. The building has eight underground levels, the deepest housing a nuclear bunker, linked to main state institutions by 20 km (12.4 mi) of tunnels... The Palace of the Parliament sinks 6 mm (0.24 in) each year due to its weight.

The Volkshalle ("People's Hall"), also called Große Halle ("Great Hall") or Ruhmeshalle ("Hall of Glory"), was a proposal for a monumental, domed building to be built in a reconstituted Berlin (renamed as Germania) in Nazi Germany. The project was conceived by Adolf Hitler and designed by his architect Albert Speer. No part of the building was ever constructed.

Speer's Monster-Building (German: Monsterbau) was to be the capital's most important and impressive building in terms of its size and symbolism... The oculus of the building's dome, 46 metres (151 ft) in diameter, would have accommodated the entire rotunda of Hadrian's Pantheon and the dome of St. Peter's Basilica. The dome of the Volkshalle was to rise from a massive granite podium 315 by 315 metres (1,033 ft × 1,033 ft) and 74 metres (243 ft) high, to a total inclusive height of 290 metres (950 ft). The diameter of the dome, 250 metres (820 ft), was to be exceeded, much to Speer's annoyance, by the diameter of Giesler's new domed railway station at the east end of Munich's east-west axis.

(Berlin's Royal Palace shown for comparison)

... the building would indeed have had its own "weather", with the breathing and perspiration of 150,000 occupants precipitating in the high dome; but rather than considering this a problem, Nazi propaganda would boast of it.

The Palace of the Soviets (Russian: Дворец Советов, Dvorets Sovetov) was a project to construct a political convention center in Moscow on the site of the demolished Cathedral of Christ the Saviour. The main function of the palace was to house sessions of the Supreme Soviet in its 130-metre (430 ft) wide and 100-metre (330 ft) tall grand hall seating over 20,000 people. If built, the 416-metre (1,365 ft) tall palace would have become the world's tallest structure, with an internal volume surpassing the combined volumes of the six tallest American skyscrapers... Work on the site commenced in 1933; the foundation was completed in January 1939. The German invasion in June 1941 ended the project.

The statue of Lenin, weighing around 6,000 tons, was to be built around its own steel frame, and clad in monel sheeting with an estimated lifetime of two thousand years.

The outline of the palace was so omnipresent in Soviet media that, according to Sheila Fitzpatrick, it became more familiar to the average citizen than any existing building. The palace appeared on postcards, stationery and candy wrappers. Filmmakers routinely used special effects to blend the model of the palace into live-action street scenes, as if the structure actually existed.

when buildings in architectural projects are so enormous they make you hyperventilate and have an anxiety attack. thats the shit.

[newmic]

Situé à la Mecque en Arabie Saoudite, le Makkah Clock Royal Tower se compose principalement d’un un hôtel de luxe qui compte plus de 1 000 chambres et suites réparties sur 76 étages. Le bâtiment surmonté d’une horloge géante de 43 mètres de diamètre, qui est considérée comme l’une des plus grandes du monde.

Located in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Makkah Clock Royal Tower consists mainly of a luxury hotel with more than 1,000 rooms and suites spread over 76 floors. The building topped by a giant clock 43 meters in diameter, which is considered one of the largest in the world.

[saudivisa]

Saudi Arabia Visa for United States of America Citizens

As of now, the Saudi government offers electronic visas to foreigners, which allows them to stay for a short period in the kingdom. However, this facility is limited to a few countries. The United States is included in this list. All the information you need about the Saudi Arabia e-visa is available on this page if you are a US passport holder.

#Makkah Royal Clock Tower

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Photo credit: @torki.photo

[kuroko99]

You said special interest i said HELL YES.

My biggest special interest is the biggest buildings in the world! Right now, I'm going to talk about the Makkah Royal Clock Tower in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. This thing is FOURTH largest in the world. And it's BEAUTIFUL.

Look at this shit.

It's is SO PRETTY. and it is also so large.

From foundation to tips of the crescent it is 601 meters or 1,972 feet tall. Most buildings of this height are only made as towers. This is a complex of 7 bonkers tall skyscrapers. To show you how tall this is...

(can you spot the two busses under the right side crane??)

(some of these buildings above are projected and planned heights; the main clock tower building is 4th tallest freestanding structure in the world as of end of 2024) It is so tall that anything above this height is now considered a Megatall skyscraper instead of just Supertall. They had to re-categorize the scale because of buildings this big.

The towers hold significance to the Islamic religion and loom above the Sacred Mosque of Mecca. For the record I am not the best or most knowledgeable on religion so any Islamic followers that would like to talk about this site please do. I'm just here for the really pretty big buildings.

I am also here for clocks! So the clock: it holds the record for the largest and highest clock of its kind. The clock face is illuminated at night by 1 million LEDs. Also,

Behind the clock faces, there is an astronomy exhibition. In the spire base and the iron-covered floors (The Jewel) there is a scientific center that is used to sight the moon at the beginning of the Islamic months, and to operate an atomic clock that controls the tower clock faces.

So all of that sounds cool, right? I'm going to look at atomic clocks specifically. Atomic clocks measure a different time than civil time, Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). International Atomic Time (TAI) is based on the resonant frequency of atoms. I won't drag on the chemistry and physics but the accuracy of atomic clocks can be down to an uncertainty of shifting 1 second every 300 million years. These clocks are used for positional accuracy of satellites and the ISS! Because a deviation in timing could mean an incorrect shift of one satellite into another.

Listen at this point i have run out of steam but i also wanted to talk about the 10,000 clock, a project for this weird organization called the Long Now so here's the link to that.

And uhhhh idk just think about big buildings and cool clocks. im sleepy.bye!

Talked to my therapist and came to the conclusion that I want to focus on community and joy so, heres an interaction thing!

Hopeful Lighthouse Poll

I just really want there to be spaces away from negativity, and places to foster community. So. Here is a little bastion of hope in the ocean.

(Yes, the horrors exist and persist, we're not ignoring them. Hope is a lighthouse that orients us through the fog. Take care of yourself!)

[PPS, feel free to rb without adding! That helps spread it >:3]

[islamic-art-and-quotes]

Aerial Photo of Masjid al-Haram

Originally found on: drali

[sandeshblogger]

Top 10 tallest buildings in the world

Rising upward more than a century now, skyscrapers have emerged to become the symbol of urban style and might. And what started in the late 1800s continues dynamically into the 21st century as we build higher and higher.

Why do we do it? Professor Valery Augustin of the USC School of Architecture and principal at DNA Architecture + Design says it could come down to one word: "Ego."

"Skyscrapers are aspirational," Augustin told CNN. "Humans have always been fascinated by height. Whether it be Icarus or the Wright Brothers, we have always sought to escape the bonds of the gravity. Skyscrapers let us fly if only briefly."

And then there are the less lofty reasons for going taller -- such as maximizing land value and ever-improving technology and engineering capabilities, Augustin said.

But have we reached the limits of how high we can build? Augustin doesn't think so.

"Engineers and architects are only now beginning to experiment with superlight, superstrong materials composites, graphene come to mind) that may allow us to keep pushing the envelope."

While we wait for the next record-breaker to come along, these are the 10 tallest completed buildings in the world by height of their architectural tops, which includes spires but not structures such as antennae or flagpoles:

10. Taipei 101

Location: Taipei Height: 508 meters (1,667 feet) | Floors: 101 Public observatory? Yes | Completed: 2004

Still the tallest building in Taiwan, it held the "tallest" title for the world from 2004 until 2010. While nine other skyscrapers since then have surpassed it, Taipei 101 remains a stunning spectacle.

"This building is notable because it essentially stands alone as there are no towers of similar size nearby," Augustin said.

Evoking the image of a Chinese pagoda, it's built to withstand the strong earthquakes and typhoons that can hit the island.

9. CITIC Tower

Location: Beijing Height: 527.7 meters (1,731 feet) | Floors: 109 Public observatory? Yes | Completed: 2018

Also called China Zun, the No. 9 skyscraper has a memorable form with the top and bottom of the structure wider than the middle floors. The shape is patterned after an ancient Chinese ritual vessel (the "zun").

It's the tallest building in Beijing. Dedicated to office use, it has 101 elevators.

Augustin said it was "one of the more elegant towers" of the top 10 list. "The tapered middle section evokes the appearance of a slender vase rising into the sky."

8. Tianjin CTF Finance Centre

Location: Tianjin Height: 530 meters (1,739 feet) | Floors: 96 Public observatory? No | Completed: 2019

Tianjin CTF Financial Centre outreaches its nearby capital city rival by a relatively small measure -- just a couple of meters.

The facade of the mixed-use building (office, hotel and serviced apartments) has gently undulating curves that help minimize wind force on the structure.

Asia, and most particularly China, dominates this list, with cities and buildings many in the West may know little or nothing about.

"I would offer that skyscrapers are a symbol of economic power. And as such, they represent Asia's ascendancy as a dominant force in the world economy," Augustin said.

7. Guangzhou CTF Finance Centre

Location: Guangzhou Height: 530 meters (1,739 feet) | Floors: 112 Public observatory? No | Completed: 2016

Yet another entry from dominant China, the Guangzhou CTF Finance Centre is in the bustling southern port city of Guangzhou.

Overlooking the Pearl River, the building's distinctive features include four setbacks, which allow for green sky terraces and skylights. And for now, it claims the title of having the world's fastest elevator.

Interestingly, the architectural height of the building matches its counterpart in Tianjin. But Guangzhou CTF has a higher occupied height at 495.5 meters while the CTF building in Tianjin has an occupied height of 439.4 meters.

6. One World Trade Center

Location: New York City Height: 541.3 meters (1,776 feet) | Floors: 104 Public observatory? Yes | Completed: 2014

Once the skyscraper capital of the world, New York has the lone Western Hemisphere entry on the current top 10 list.

One World Trade Center replaced the Twin Towers destroyed in the 9/11 attacks, and the footprint of its cubic base is the same of the original two towers.

For Americans, it's a soaring symbol of resilience and has sleeker design than its boxy predecessors. And its height -- 1,776 feet for the year the Declaration of Independence was signed -- is no coincidence.

5. Lotte World Tower

Location: Seoul Height: 555 meters (1,821 feet) | Floors: 123 Public observatory? Yes | Completed: 2017

China doesn't have a total lock on skyscraper superlatives in Asia, with South Korea's Lotte World Tower coming in at No. 5.

Skyscrapercenter.com notes that Lotte's design takes "inspiration from traditional Korean art forms."

Industrious Seoul has put the skyscraper to good use with retail, luxury hotel, apartment and office space. It even has a concert hall and rooftop cafe.

It's also served as the launching pad for a dramatic fireworks show.

4. Ping An Finance Center

Location: Shenzhen Height: 599.1 meters (1,965 feet) | Floors: 115 Public observatory? Yes | Completed: 2017

Shenzhen, another economic powerhouse city in southern China near Hong Kong, makes its mark with the Ping An Finance Center.

It's a very slender building (its width-to-height aspect ratio is 1:10) with a facade of stainless steel and glass, according to TheTowerInfo.com.

This is "one of the better of the bunch," Augustin said. "The exterior provides notable structural expression as it rises from base to top."

3. Makkah Royal Clock Tower

Location: Mecca Height: 601 meters (1,972 feet) | Floors: 120 Public observatory? Yes | Completed: 2012

The Makkah Royal Clock Tower is the most distinctive structure in the Top 10, and it's the first of two buildings from the Middle East in the round-up.

Built in the busy center of Mecca next to the Grand Mosque, the tower offers a place for devout Muslims that make the Hajj journey.

"True to its name, four colossal clock faces are mounted near the top of the tower. These clocks hold the record for both the largest and highest in the world," according to Skyscrapercenter.com.

2. Shanghai Tower

Location: Shanghai Height: 632 meters (2,073 feet) | Floors: 126 Public observatory? Yes | Completed: 2015

While China dominates the list, no city in China itself has a monopoly. And it should probably come as no surprise that prosperous Shanghai has the tallest building in China and second tallest in the world.

The building is visually arresting with its twisting, spiral shape headed into the sky. And that look isn't just for show -- it helps the building better withstand winds than a traditional rectangular structure.

Shanghai Tower is host to retail shops, restaurants, offices and hotels.

"Architecturally, this one is the best of the bunch," Augustin said. "Elegant and inventive."

1. Burj Khalifa

Location: Dubai Height: 828 meters (2,716 feet) | Floors: 163 Public observatory? Yes | Completed: 2010

Like Dubai itself, the Burj Khalifa is setting the pace in the early part of the 21st century.

Blending Islamic influences with modern, energy-saving features, Burj Khalifa "redefined what is possible in the design and engineering of supertall buildings," according to Skyscraper.com. It also connects to Dubai's mass transit system, making it both beautiful and practical.

Augustin called it "exhilarating yet frightening at the same time. Not significant architecturally but perhaps notable as a testament to the will and ingenuity of humankind."

Towers to come

The top 10 skyscrapers might not be able to hold onto their statuses as tallest for too long.

New projects are already underway, including Jeddah Tower in Saudi Arabia, which aims for a height of 1,000 meters. Completed as planned, it would immediately claim the No. 1 spot.

And Goldin Finance 117 (another Tianjin, China, effort) is scheduled to be finished in 2020. At 596.6 meters, it would claim the No. 5 spot and knock Taipei 101 off the list.

[studio52tv-blog]

Perfect Locations to Make Corporate Videos in the Middle East

Perfect Locations to Make Corporate Videos in the Middle East

We’re living in the digital age. Because of this, online content is produced and consumed on a gigantic scale. The most-watched content is of course videos. This platform is used by many people to express their artistic side, give an important message or simply show something fun. On the other hand, this is a tool that’s been used to the fullest by many businesses. This is where corporate videos come in.

These types of videos are extremely important to communicate your brand and give the right message to your demographic. If you want your business to be known and rise tremendously, corporate videos are one of the most important checkpoints. However, they shouldn’t be simple. It shouldn’t just be a person talking to you about the company, it needs to have substance. That being said, using locations to make the video more unique and attractive it’s one of the best things you can do. So in this article, we’ll give you the best locations in the Middle East to make corporate videos so you can nurture your brand.

In Dubai: The Burj Khalifa

Sure, this is a pretty obvious choice but also one of the best. You have to pick the best locations for your corporate videos and this is the best place to start. This emblematic building is 829 meters tall, making it the world’s tallest and of course, the most important point of interest in all of Dubai. Most visitors choose to get up to the 124th floor that offers the most impressive views of the city. This is perfect for your corporate video. Night visits are pretty popular for photographers as well due to the beautiful light spectacle that the city offers at this time of day. So if you’re interested in corporate photography too (which we highly recommend as well), this is an excellent place. Learn more here: Burj Khalifa – The Skyscraper Center.

In Oman: Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque

In your corporate videos, you want to give a feeling of elegance and things done right. It is a business, after all. Well, in Oman the Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque is the perfect place to make a corporate video. On the outskirts of Muscat, Oman’s capital, you can find this gigantic and modern mosque. Its name references that the Sultan Qaboos, who’s the current sultan of the country, ordered the construction of this site. It has Carrara marble, air conditioners hidden in the walls and columns, the world’s largest carpet (4.343 square meters) and plenty more. Everything in this place is superlative and if you do a corporate video here, your production will be superlative too. It’s almost excessive, sure but it’s also elegant. Do you want to know more? Click here: Grand Mosque.

In Saudi Arabia: The Makkah Royal Clock Tower

This imposing building is the tallest skyscraper of the Abraj Al-Bait Towers building complex. It’s located in the center of Saudi Arabia’s capital. It’s also one of the biggest and tallest buildings in the world. Here’s a fun fact, the needle that crowns the tower measures at 93 meters high and in its upper part it ends with a golden half-moon of 23 meters. Inside the needle, it exists a lunar gallery, a control tower, and an observation platform. Learn more here: Makkah Royal Clock Tower.

We hope this article is of help. Now it’s time for you to make the best corporate videos. It’s just a matter of picking the right locations. We highly recommend the ones we presented above. In our blog at Studio 52, we have many more related articles, like this one: Best Places to Make Time-Lapse Video in the Middle East. At Studio 52 we offer the best in audio and video production.

[hardsadness]

Makkah Royal Clock Tower, مكة, Saudi Arabia Photo by Izuddin Helmi Adnan on Unsplash

[colorsofsaudia]

The Makkah Royal Clock Tower

The Abraj Al-Bait is a government-owned complex of seven skyscraper hotels in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. These towers are a part of the King Abdulaziz Endowment Project that aims to modernize the city in catering to its pilgrims. The central hotel tower, the Makkah Clock Royal Tower, has the world's largest clock face and is the third-tallest building and fifth-tallest freestanding structure in the world. The clock tower contains the Clock Tower Museum that occupies the top four floors of the tower. The building complex is metres away from the world's largest mosque and Islam's most sacred site, the Great Mosque of Mecca The developer and contractor of the complex is the Saudi Binladin Group, the Kingdom's largest construction company. It is the world's second most expensive building, with the total cost of construction totalling US$15 billion.

The tallest tower in the complex is the tallest building in Saudi Arabia, with a height of 601 metres (1,972 feet). Currently it is the fifth-tallest freestanding structure in the world, surpassing the Ping An Finance Centre in Shenzhen, China but shorter than the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, UAE, the Tokyo Skytree in Tokyo, Japan, the Shanghai Tower in Shanghai, China, and the Canton Tower in Guangzhou, China.The site of the complex is located across the piazza to the south from the main entrance (King Abdul-Aziz Gate) to the Masjid al Haram mosque, which houses the Kaaba. To accommodate worshippers visiting the Kaaba, the Abraj Al-Bait Towers has two large prayer rooms (one for men, one for women) capable of holding more than 10,000 people. The tallest tower in the complex also contains a five-star hotel, operated by Fairmont Hotels and Resorts, to help provide lodging for the millions of pilgrims that travel to Mecca annually to participate in the Hajj.

In addition, the Abraj Al-Bait Towers has a five-story shopping mall (the Abraj Al Bait Mall) and a parking garage capable of holding over a thousand vehicles. The building was planned to be 734 m (2,408 ft) tall in 2006. In 2009, it was published that the final height would be 601 m (1,972 ft). The complex was built by the Saudi Binladin Group, Saudi Arabia's largest construction company. The tallest building in the complex (from a height of 450 m (1,480 ft) up until the tip) was designed by the German architect Mahmoud Bodo Rasch and his firm SL Rasch GmbH.[9] The façade was constructed by Premiere Composite Technologies, the clock by German tower clock manufacturer PERROT GmbH & Co. KG Turmuhren und Läuteanlagen. According to the Saudi Ministry of Religious Endowments, the project cost US$15 billion. 

The project uses clock faces for each side of the main hotel tower. The highest residential floor stands at 370 m (1,210 ft), just below the media displays under the clock faces. At 43 m × 43 m (141 ft × 141 ft), these are the largest in the world. The roof of the clocks is 450 m (1,480 ft) above the ground, making them the world's most elevated architectural clocks. A 151-metre-tall (495 ft) spire has been added on top of the clock giving it a total height of 601 m (1,972 ft). Behind the clock faces there is an astronomy exhibition. In the spire base and the glass-covered floors (The Jewel) there is a scientific center which is used to sight the moon in the beginnings of the Islamic months, and to operate an atomic clock which controls the tower clocks.

[shofwankarim]

Laporan Perjalanan Umrah 2014

Menjaga Tauhid, Renovasi dan Perluasan Al-Haram

4 Februari 2014 pukul 10.35

Menjaga Tauhid, Renovasi dan Perluasan Al-Haram

http://hariansinggalang.co.id/menjaga-tauhid-renovasi-dan-perluasan-al-haram/

Setelah 12 Tahun ke Mekkah (9):

Shofwan Karim Bin Abdul Karim Husein

— Muhammad Ibnu Abd al-Wahhâb (1115 – 1206 H/1701 – 1793 M ) berkolaborasi dengan Ibnu Saud, melakukan reformasi total kehidupan beragama di Jazirah Arabia pada ujung abad ke-18. Mereka menamakan gerakannya salafiyun (gerakan awal) yaitu kembali menerapkan agama Islam yang murni seperti yang diajarkan Rasulullah saw dengan menegakkan akidah Tauhid yang murni.

Meng-Esakan Allah tanpa reserve dengan tidak tedeng aling-aling. Mereka menyebut gerakan al-Muwahhidun. Prinsip teologi yang semata-mata mengiukuti al-Quran dan Hadist-Sunnah al-Shahihah.

Sebagian ahli menyebut bahwa mereka dalam teologi menggunakan pemikiran Ibn Taymiyah dan pemikiran Fikih, bermazhab Hanbali.

Oleh pihak Barat, mengikuti cara pikir para ahli Orientalis (ahli ketimuran) , mereka menyebut gerakan Wahabi.

Persiapan Thawaf, Saa'i dan Tahallul

Oleh karena bersandarkan kepada seorang tokoh sentral yaitu Muhammad ibnu ‘Abd al-Wahab . Hal itu merupakan metoda Barat dalam setiap menamakan gerakan, pikiran, dan gagasan yang selalu bersandarkan kepada tokoh sentral setiap gagasan itu.

Maka dulu, oleh para Orientalis masa awal, agama Islam disebut mereka sebagai Mohammadanisme atau paham Muhammad. Agak aneh terasa, sebagian besar umat Islam sekarang menisbahkan pula pemurnian Islam di Saudi itu sebagai Wahabisme atau paham Wahabi.

Muhammad Ibn Abdul Wahab, mengikat perjanjian dengan Muhammad Ibnu Saud, seorang pemimpin suku di wilayah Najd. Sesuai kesepakatan, Ibnu Saud ditunjuk sebagai pelaksana administrasi pemerintah atau bahasa populernya mengurus hal-hal yang bersifat politik.

Sementara Muhammad bin Abd al-Wahhâb menjadi pemimpin syariah, pengawal akidah dan kehidupan spiritualitas. Sampai saat ini, gelar Malik atau Raja dan “keluarga kerajaan” negara Arab Saudi dipegang oleh keluarga Saud. Namun Mufti Umum Kerajaan, tidak selalu dari keluarga Muhammad bin Abd al-Wahhâb misalnya Syaikh ‘Abdul ‘Aziz Ibn Abdullah Ali Ibn Baz (1909-1999).

Dalam kajian sejarah, kolaborasi Ibnu Saud dan Ibnu Abdul Wahab itu, telah mengalami pasang naik dan surut dari akhir abad ke-18 sampai awal abad ke-20.

Pada tanggal 23 September 1932, Abdul Aziz bin Abdurrahman Al-Sa’ud mem proklamasikan berdirinya Kerajaan Arab Saudi atau Saudi Arabia (Al-Mamlakah Al-’Arabiyah Al-Su’udiyah) dengan menyatukan wilayah Riyadh, Najd (Nejed), Ha-a, Asir, dan Hijaz. Abdul Aziz kemudian menjadi raja pertama pada kerajaan tersebut. Dengan demikian dapat dipahami, nama Saudi berasal dari kata nama keluarga Raja Abdul Aziz Al-Sa’ud. Pada waktu, Negara kerajaan ini beum makmur. Tetapi setelah minyak bumi ditemukan sebe lumnya serta dieksplorasi 1938, kerajaan ini menjadi kaya raya.

Pada 26 Agustus 2011, Raja Arab Saudi (ke-VI dinobatkan 2005) yang memerintah sebagai Raja, Kepala Negara sekaligus Kepala Pemerintahan, Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz (lahir 1924) meletakkan batu pertama dimulainya proyek akbar perluasan Masjidil Haram.

Abdullah dilantik sebagai Pangeran 1985 dan setelah Raja Fahd kurang sehat maka secara defacto sebelum dilantik sebagai Raja tadi, telah bertindak sebagai Raja sejak 1995. Kemudian setelah Raja Fahd, saudara seyahnya wafat tahun 2005, Abdullah menjadi Raja sampai sekarang.

Belajar agama, seoerang anak dengan gurunya, antara zuhu dan ashar di Masjdi Nabawi Madinatyul Munawwarah

Selain perluasan Masjidil Haram, Raja Abdullah telah meresmikan berfungsinya Makkah Royal Clock Tower, yang merupakan menara jam tertinggi di dunia.

Puncak menara jam paling akbar berlapis emas itu tingginya 661 meter. Tower tempat bertenggernya jam raksasa itu, sekaligus ikon atau landmark kota Makkah. Menara ini bukan berdiri sendiri.

Melainkan hanya satu puncak tertinggi saja dari satu komplek gedung super-luas-megah, yang di situ ada 8 hotel .

Di bawahnya ada super market, mall, toko dan sekalian pusat bisnis nasional dan multi nasional. Komplek gedung dan tower ini menghadap tepat pintu satu Masjidil Haram.

Bila Matahari belum sampai ke 90 derjat, maka menara raksasa itu, tampak memberi keteduhan dibalik bayang-bayangnya kepada Ka’bah di tengah Masjidil Haram. Baik pagi atau sore hari.

Tentang renovasi dan perluasan Masjidil Haram, menurut media on-line dan dari mulut ke mulut, diperkirakan akan selesai 2018. Oleh karena itu, siang –malam, non-stop pekerjaan dikebut.

Setelah menunaikan ibadah umrah 2 kali, setelah tahwaf dan ibadah wajib dan sunat lainnya, kami menyusuri bagian kanan luar tempat Saa’i, Safa-Marwa. Tampaknya wilayah itu menjadi perluasan yang dimaksud. Dan Bukit-bukit di sekitar itu mulai diruntuhkan dan digaruk.

Bahkan dari ujung luar Marwa, tidak bisa ditembus dengan jalan kaki sekarang, alias ditutup. Maka kalau kita akan mengelilingi Masjidil Haram, harus masuk lagi ke tempat Saa’i dan keluar merencah membelah Masjid untuk keluar lagi di depan Hotel Hilton.

Di tengah renovasi bagian dalam, tampak ditata rapi, “sementara”, dengan dinding fiber-glass pada bagian-bagian yang sedang dikerjakan.

Sekaligus pengaman. Sehingga tidak mengganggu ibadah yang setiap menit sepanjang hari dilakukan jamaah.

Sebuah jalan depan Multazam, di belakang Makam (jejak) Ibrahim, merupakan lorong lebar yang di sekat kiri-kanan arah ke Bukit Safa. Dulu pada tahun 1996 di sini tempat sumur Zamzam. Sekarang tempat itu sudah rata dengan pelatran thawaf semuanya.

Artinya semua air Zamzam sudah dilalirkan ke semua titik yang sudah diatur dan dimasukkan ke tank untuk diletakkan di berbagai tempat terutama jalur jalan masuk arah ke Ka’bah. Dan kalaupun masih ada yang ingin berwuduk dengan air Zanzam, ada tempatnya dipinggir dinding belakang bagian dalam Masjidil Haram.

Termasuk di lantai 2. Dan bila ingin ke toilet dan berwuduk, maka tempat di luar Masjid di pekarangan luar sudah ditata lebih bagus dan indah lagi.

Dulu kalau mau berwuduk sekaligus harus turun ke bawah permukaan tanah atau basement yang menyatu dengan parkiran. Sekarang, kalau hanya untuk wuduk saja dan sekalian minum air Zamzam, selain dari tanki, juga ada keran yang di tata rapi merata dengan jarak tertentu di pekarangan atau halaman sekeliling Masjid. Tetapi kalau ingin ke toilet sekalian, ya tetap harus masuk ke bawah pelataran basement tadi, seperti masa lalu. (*)

[portaldaindustriaimobiliariabras]

#repost • @tayyabaidrees The Abraj Al-Bait (Translated as "The Towers of the House") is a government-ownedmegatall complex of seven skyscraper hotels in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. These towers are a part of the King Abdulaziz Endowment Project that strives to modernize the city in catering to its pilgrims. The central hotel tower, the Makkah Royal Clock Tower, A Fairmont Hotel, has the world's largest clock face and is the third tallest building and fourth tallest freestanding structure in the world. The building complex is metres away from the world's largest mosque and Islam's most sacred site, the Masjid al-Haram. The developer and contractor of the complex is the Saudi Binladin Group, the Kingdom's largest construction company.... . . . . #etribune #abrajalbait #makkahclock #tower #makkahalmukarramah #mecca #makkah #saudiarabia #globalgoals #vegan #building #architecture #sunset #clocktower #vscocam #alharam #ksa #symbol #islam #moslem #hotel #followforfollow #architecturalphotography #instagram #instalike #like4like #photography #life #architecture #architects https://www.instagram.com/p/CEE4Wj2HPSI/?igshid=1erdmi6zes57

[saudivisa]

Saudi Arabia Visa for United States of America Citizens

As of now, the Saudi government offers electronic visas to foreigners, which allows them to stay for a short period in the kingdom. However, this facility is limited to a few countries. The United States is included in this list. All the information you need about the Saudi Arabia e-visa is available on this page if you are a US passport holder.

#Makkah Royal Clock Tower

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Photo credit: @torki.photo