Mecca, Saudi Arabia
The Makkah Royal Clock Tower looms over Mecca, a city of 1.7 million, in western Saudi Arabia that is the holiest place in the Islamic World and the destination for more than 3 million pilgrims during the annual Hajj. The tower, which stands 601 meters / 1,972 feet to the tip of the crescent spire, is the centerpiece of the Abraj Al Bait Complex of seven luxury hotels which overlook the Kaaba and Holy Mosque, the focus of pilgrims performing Umrah and Hajj.
The Makkah Clock Tower was a separate commission from the high-rise hotel below that was already under construction. The German engineers SL Rasch began their work 347 meters. above the ground with a structure of steel weighing 12,000 tons. The world’s largest clock is the host of Makkah Time, a signal spread worldwide unifying the Islamic faith. Within the spire, there is an astrological observatory, an exhibition space, and an observation deck. The golden crescent contains a prayer room for the royal family and dignitaries and is the highest occupied man-made space in the world.