By Mohammed Mirza
Standing right next to Islam’s holiest site, the awe-inspiring 76-storey hotel rises like a beacon from the mountainous Holy city. Towering over Makkah, the Royal Clock Tower is full of superlatives and there are many interesting facts about it that you probably didn’t know about, here are 10 of Makkah royal clock tower facts .
Makkah royal clock tower height
Boasting a height of 601 meters (1,972 feet), the clock tower building is the 3rd tallest building in the world.
It is also the world’s fourth tallest freestanding structure.
cost of the entire tower
The cost of the entire project is believed to stand at around a whopping $15 billion.
The project also includes 6 other buildings which house an array of luxury hotels and apartments, perched above a multi-storey slab of shopping malls.
tallest clock tower
The Makkah clock tower is the tallest clock tower in the world.
The time from which can apparently be read over 17 kilometers away.
Makkah royal clock tower facts| Tower floor area
The soaring tower is also the largest building by floor area on the planet.
Covering a colossal area of 1,500,000 m2 .
Read More Explore Makkah & Madinah
construction time
For a building of gargantuan proportions it was constructed in record time.
In just 6 years from start to finish.
largest clock face in the world
The dial, which is on all 4 sides of this thrusting pastiche, is the largest clock face in the world measuring 43 meters in size.
The minute hand alone measures 23 meters in length.
clock face of tower
The clock face of this towering giant is 35 times larger than the legendary Big Ben.
The 4 clock faces combined are illuminated by around two million LED lights.
Read more A First-Timers Guide To Makkah
Tower adornation | Makkah royal clock tower facts
The complex is adorned with over 98 million glass mosaic tiles with 24-carat gold leaves.
And the 23m crescent mounted on top of the tower, is made of fiberglass-backed mosaic gold.
The pinnacle of the mega structure
The pinnacle of the mega structure is adorned with 26 searchlights capable of shooting 10km into the skies.
During special occasions the bands of vertical searchlights shoot up, sparkling the Makkan night sky.
Read more We Bet You Don’t Know These 14 Facts About Makkah
Makkah royal clock tower facts | superstructure
10. The skyscraper houses Saudi Arabia’s highest observation deck at 558 meters above ground level.
Along with it the superstructure also houses an Islamic Museum, a Lunar Observation Centre and a large prayer room with a capacity for more than 10,000 people.
