MECCA, Saudi Arabia (AP) — As a child, Osama al-Bar would walk from his home past Islam's holiest site, the Kaaba, to the market of spice and fabric merchants where his father owned a store. Next to the Kaaba soars the world's third tallest skyscraper, topped by a gigantic clock, which is splashed with colored lights at night. The past two kings — the current one, Abdullah, and his predecessor, Fahd — have adopted the further title of "custodian of the two holy mosques" to boost their status, referring to Mecca's Grand Mosque and Muhammad's mosque in nearby Medina. Mecca's planners are largely catering to wealthier pilgrims by focusing on construction of five-star hotels, surrounding the Kaaba in marble-sheathed luxury. The hill — a landmark in the city — was levelled and in its place, construction of around 40 towers is underway, mostly for luxury hotels providing some 11,000 rooms. [...] underway is the Jabal Sharashif project, in which a slum that largely houses Burmese and African migrants is to be torn down to build a new neighborhood for Saudis, along with hotels. A four-line metro system is planned for the city along with a high-speed rail line to the port city of Jiddah, where the area's airport is located, and to Medina. Mecca's planners didn't have to build so close to the Kaaba, overwhelming the simple cube-shaped structure, said Irfan al-Alawi, a Saudi who heads the London-based Islamic Heritage Research Foundation. Essam Kalthoum, managing director of the government-owned Bawabat Makkah Company, which is involved in a number of projects around the city, acknowledged that "it would be a farce" to say financial motivations are not coming into play. [...] he pointed to the Kaaba in the photograph. "Because of this place," he said, the old markets and buildings had to go.
Comment on Saudi overhaul reshapes Islam's holiest city Mecca
By AYA BATRAWY, Associated Press, San Francisco Chronicle: World
Wed, 10/01/2014 - 12:05am
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