MECCA | Abraj Al-Bait | 601m | 1972ft | 95 fl | T/O

[AuxTown]

I watched a really great review of the actual process pilgrims go through at Mecca on The Vice Guide to Travel called "Mecca Diaries". I think it sheds some light on an otherwise very mysterious ritual for most Christian Westerners like myself. There were a couple of shots that showed this beast of a building as well.

• Video Link

[Roukaya19]

Great video! Thanks for sharing

[Roukaya19]

Originally Posted by Lecom

Wow. That Zamzam Tower base looks great. Any pics of the main entrance to the complex? Also, any of the street conditions at the back of the complex? Lastly, did they demolish that little tower in front of the complex yet?

Main Entrance


Abraj Al Bait Gate par Raimy Sofyan, sur Flickr


http://www.flickr.com/photos/kennyir...n/photostream/


Makkah Towers( The entrance) par N.A.N photography, sur Flickr


26 March 2011 ...the old building is mostly gone


مكة والحرم هذا اليوم par Abdulaziz Alshaker, sur Flickr

[Roukaya19]

ZamZam Tower par Ammar Meer Al Amir, sur Flickr


Ring Road Makkah - Panorama par Ammar Meer Al Amir, sur Flickr


Mount Thor par Abdullah Alshehri, sur Flickr

[Roukaya19]

Beautiful pics!

26 March 2011


تناقض par Majed Al Manea, sur Flickr


خيال par Majed Al Manea, sur Flickr


قمم par Majed Al Manea, sur Flickr

28 March


في مواجة الوقت par Majed Al Manea, sur Flickr


بعد المغيب نظرة للحرم par Majed Al Manea, sur Flickr


منظر لمنطقة الحرم بتقنية hdr تجربة اولى par Majed Al Manea, sur Flickr


لدينا الآن أكبر ساعة في العالم فهل سنكون أكثر شعب يهتم بالوقت ؟ par Majed Al Manea, sur Flickr

[JDRCRASH]

All these pictures of the rising density along hillsides in Mecca almost kind of remind me of Hong Kong.

[Aleks]

ok this has GOT to be one of the coolest freaking structures of recent times. yeah there's the over engineered, the classy and modern but this is just out there in it's own little world. damn, hard to believe that those "small" towers are 7 and 800 footers!

and i may take some bullets for saying this, but the main tower sort of, kind of has a similarity to the empire state. imo, more so than it does with big ben.

and that clock is gorgeous, 100x better than i imagined! i still dislike (a lot) some of the color options of the upper parts of the main tower, but as more gets finished it actually looks okay.

[UrbanImpressionist]

Originally Posted by Roukaya19

Beautiful pics!

منظر لمنطقة الحرم بتقنية hdr تجربة اولى par Majed Al Manea, sur Flickr

^ Wow! A masterpiece of photography right there. No doubt about it! That's a one in a trillion shot.

Just a gorgeous example of tonalism. Whistler and Adams would be proud!

[unusualfire]

This building is dominating.

[Traynor]

Is it an optical illusion or are the clock faces on the sides not true circles, but instead elongated ellipsoids? I realize the side faces are not bracketed by the same wide pillars as the front and back, but the clock faces on the sides never look like pure circles to me. They look squished ever so slightly width-wise.

I was wondering if this was true and done in order to make the four faces the same height but the narrower sides forced this compromise?

(From the ground, the foreshortening of perspective would negate this narrowing of the side faces, to the viewer anyway.)

[MolsonExport]

The sheer size staggers the mind.

[MolsonExport]

Originally Posted by O-Town Hockey

I watched a really great review of the actual process pilgrims go through at Mecca on The Vice Guide to Travel called "Mecca Diaries". I think it sheds some light on an otherwise very mysterious ritual for most Christian Westerners like myself. There were a couple of shots that showed this beast of a building as well.

• Video Link

Thanks so much for that. Very very interesting, and quite moving.

[Roukaya19]

برج زمزم par Hamed Bin Muklis, sur Flickr

[Aleks]

Originally Posted by Traynor

Is it an optical illusion or are the clock faces on the sides not true circles, but instead elongated ellipsoids? I realize the side faces are not bracketed by the same wide pillars as the front and back, but the clock faces on the sides never look like pure circles to me. They look squished ever so slightly width-wise.

I was wondering if this was true and done in order to make the four faces the same height but the narrower sides forced this compromise?

(From the ground, the foreshortening of perspective would negate this narrowing of the side faces, to the viewer anyway.)

I think it's because we know they're both different sizes, but from corners they're so close to size that you think one is elliptical, even though that's not the case.

I had been wondering that for the last couple days, not sure if i'm right but i don't think one is elliptical. also, i used to think the front/back clocks were bigger, but it looks like the side ones will be the bigger ones.

[Roukaya19]

Originally Posted by Traynor

Is it an optical illusion or are the clock faces on the sides not true circles, but instead elongated ellipsoids? I realize the side faces are not bracketed by the same wide pillars as the front and back, but the clock faces on the sides never look like pure circles to me. They look squished ever so slightly width-wise.

I was wondering if this was true and done in order to make the four faces the same height but the narrower sides forced this compromise?

(From the ground, the foreshortening of perspective would negate this narrowing of the side faces, to the viewer anyway.)

Imagine if it's not a circle... there will be a problem with the hands. In this video, the hands show that the clocks are a true circle. Enjoy!

Watch the hands running!

• Video Link

The only thing different is the brown ''bars'' at each corner...they are not the same size for the sides, the face is smaller and bigger in front.

[Alliance]

One thing I dislike about this tower (besides its horrendous architecture) is how its totally out of scale with itself. You have these huge entry ways and the clock face that 100s of feet high. It just does a disservice to the building by downsizing its overall appearance. Its definitely afraid of its height.

[BStyles]

Scale, scale, scale...had it been any smaller another Mecca supertall would have surpassed it and then this one would have been compared to said supertall.

Building a supertall in the middle of a metropolis is concerning, like 15 Penn next to the ESB. A lot of argument over that. But building a supertall in a lowrise city urges developers to get things going in terms of development.

Mecca is in the first few phases of a massive redevelopment which will add some backbone to Abraj Al-Bait's size. It's too early in the construction process to see that, but in a few years that should all change.

[colemonkee]

The unfinished cornice underneath the clock has been bugging me for a while now. I'm anxious to see how it looks with that gap closed in and finished off.

[Roukaya19]

about 2 weeks ago...nice pic!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/sexyinr...n/photostream/

[Roukaya19]

IPMagix delpoys HotelMagix at Abraj Al Bait

4 April 2011

IPMagix, the unified communications applications provider in the Middle East region, is glad to announce that HotelMagix 2.0 deployment was successfully completed for Fairmont and Raffles, two of the most prominent hotels among the international chains of hotels in Abraj Al-Bait Towers - Makkah, also known as Clock Royal Tower.

The project is considered one of the most strategic projects for IPMagix, as the company was able to stand out among fierce competition from various international companies. It started in 2010, with Movenpick, and was later followed by Fairmont and Raffles.

During the third quarter of 2011, IPMagix will also roll out into the fourth hotel - Swiss Hotel, making it one of the hugest ventures that IPMagix has ever indulged.

Abraj Makkah impresses its guests, with its in-room luxurious services that facilitate their stay, making it a memorable one during their hajj and umrah pilgrimages.

HotelMagix is an impeccable solution for every Hotel which aims to provide guests with an extraordinary experience during their hotel stay.

The solution delivers the optimal experience that improves guest loyalty, attracts new customers and creates an atmosphere of service and convenience that sets the hotel apart from the competition.

HotelMagix is based on a flexible IP platform where guests can use their Cisco IP Phones to set their own wakeup calls, Do Not Disturb (DND), reminders and facility reservations.

In addition, guests may be reminded of prayer times through the Salat service. Hotel management may measure guest satisfaction levels through an automated, easy-to-browse satisfaction survey.

Abraj Al-Bait Towers is a complex in Al Masjid Al Haram in Makkah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The building holds several world records, including: the tallest hotel in the world, accommodating the tallest clock tower, the world's largest building floor area, and will become the second tallest building in the world.

The complex consists of several well-known Hotel chains, among which the two Hotels where HotelMagix has been deployed: Fairmont and Raffles.

http://www.ameinfo.com/261052.html