Riyadh: The world's tallest clock tower will be opened in the vicinity of the holiest shrine in Islam in the third quarter of this year.
The Royal Clock Tower is the central tower in the Abraj Al Bait Project, 50 metres opposite the Haram Mosque in Makkah.
The project will allow Muslims to buy apartments on 24-year leases as part of a government-based religious endowment.
The tower will be the world's fifth tallest tower with 76 storeys reaching 577 metres high.
Its unique and distinctive features will be visible 17 kilometres away.
It will be more than five times larger than Big Ben in London.
Daily prayers
The Makkah clock will announce daily prayers to the Muslim world, and the Lunar Observation Centre and Islamic Museum will serve to protect heritage for future generations.
Speaking to Gulf News, Makkah Mayor Dr Osama Al Bar said that there would be four clocks visible from all four directions.
Two of the clocks will be 80 metres high, 65 metres wide and have a radius of 39 metres.
The remaining two clocks will be 65 metres high, 34 metres wide, with a radius of 25 metres.
The project is being implemented over 1.4 million square metres.
The complex includes seven towers with a floor space equal to 15.6 million square feet.
It contains 6,000 housing units with investments worth more than six billion Saudi riyals (Dh5.82 billion).
The project is being developed by Saudi Binladin Company, one of the largest development and construction firms in the Arab world.
