Quote:
Originally Posted by Starsky
Unfortunately they are so obsessed with religion over their they allow it to affect their commercial architecture.
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Of course they're "obsessed" with religion in Mecca, this is, literally, the centerfuge and capital of the second largest religion in the world. If it weren't "obsessed with religion," Mecca would be a near-forgotten dusty town in the desert because there's no other reason to develop the area except to support the the hajj. Mecca is not on any major rivers and it's not on the coast so shipping does not pass through it. They do not drill for oil there and its a long way from meaningful agriculture. There's no reason for a thriving city of 1.7 million people to be here except for the place's religious significance.
How could the tallest tower in such a city
not be dominated by an Islamic cresent? Doing otherwise would not be politically tolerable as the building is a private enterprise but encroaches very near to Islam's holiest location.
The Vatican City is all about Roman Catholocism, India builds temples that loom over everything else in the city. And while we may disagree with a devout Muslim's beleif that Islam is the single most important subject humanity witnesses, the rest of us can easily observe that religion is at least a major component of the human condition. Certainly at least 1% of cities in the world can be built on a religious theme, as religion is far more than 1% average person's life.
(Incidentally, the nation's largest city of Riyadh is not dominated by a religious symbol; the tallest structure is a TV tower and the largest structure is a stadium.)
Many cities in the world are dominated by a single theme; Las Vegas is about gambling and tourism - it's skyline is dominated by casinos. Hong Kong is a business hub of Asia and is skyline is full of corporate office towers. Mecca is all about religion and is full of religious iconography. Nothing insidious or surprising about that.