A New Alternative for GMT
Arguably, Saudi Arabia’s most iconic example of a hotel build around the cultural and religious needs of its guests is the Fairmont Makkah Clock Royal Tower, which opened in November last year.
This architectural triumph from Dar Al-Handasah (Shair and Partners) epitomises KSA’s thirst for luxury, cutting-edge design, religious tourism and a desire to make architectural statements.
The 76-story luxury hotel is the focal point of the Abraj Al Bait Complex and features a 40-metre clock tower, visible from 17 kilometres away, to announce daily prayers to the Muslim world.
| Advertisement |
Located adjacent to the Masjid al Haram in Makkah, the tower will draw pilgrims from all over the world, but the architecture employed denotes more than its immediate religious significance.
It is designed to be a symbol of the Arab world, leading one commentator to describe the Makkah Clock Royal Tower as “a new alternative for GMT,” the time standard that conveniently places London at the centre of the modern world.
Its potency as an architectural statement can perhaps be measured in the reaction of the British press, when The Telegraph reported, “bearing a striking resemblance to both St. Stephen’s Tower, which houses the bell of Big Ben, and the Empire State Building, this Saudi upstart aims to outdo its revered British rival in every way.”
In designing the new hotel, Fairmont had to balance the religious significance of Makkah with the core brand values.
“First and foremost, we are trying to preserve the Makkah theme and heritage, as are all the hotels in the central district around the holy Mosque,” said Fairmont group director of communications and business development, Khaled Yamak. “We wanted to capture the Islamic theme as much as possible and blend it into our hotel’s corporate theme.
“It was therefore essential that our architects really understood the market we are in and worked with sensitivity from an Islamic point of view. After all, we are here to serve Muslims and pilgrims from around the world.”
With more than 850 rooms, access between the hotel and the holy Masjid al Haram at prayer times was a key challenge. To facilitate the incredibly high volume of traffic at these times, 76 elevators were installed to shuttle pilgrims to-and-fro during Azan.
Search our database of more than 2,700 industry companies
