Saudi Arabia's Kingdom Holding has hired Saudi Bin Laden Group to build the world's tallest skyscraper in Jeddah, Gulfnews.com reports.
Jeddah Tower will be 1,000 meters (3,281 feet) tall and will contain a Four Seasons luxury hotel, apartments, condominiums and offices that overlook the Red Sea, Financial Times reported.
Kingdom Holding is paying Bin Laden Group, one of the world's largest construction companies, about $1.2 billion to take on the five-year project, according to Financial Times.
Saudi Bin Laden Group was founded in 1931 by Muhammad Awad bin Laden, the billionaire father of terrorist Osama bin Laden. It built much of Saudi Arabia's highways and infrastructure, as well as entire districts and cities.
The company constructed additions to the Muslim nation's two holiest mosques in Mecca and Medina. It operates throughout the Middle East and was chosen in 1964 to reclad the golden Dome of the Rock mosque in Jerusalem.
Over the years, Saudi Bin Laden Group has expanded into a conglomerate that includes engineering, manufacturing and telecommunications, according to business analysis site Hoovers.com.
Osama bin Laden, the 17th of 52 children, inherited part of his father's fortune, but his radical activities led the family to disown him in 1994.
Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Bin Abdulaziz Alsaud, a nephew of Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah, announced the tower building contract Tuesday. He owns 95% of Kingdom Holding, according to Financial Times.
When completed, Jeddah Tower will easily surpass Dubai's 828-meter (2,717-foot) Burj Khalifa as the world's tallest building.
The Chicago firm Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture designed the project and will oversee its development, Gulfnews.com reported. Adrian Smith was one of Burj Khalifa's designers when he was with Skidmore Owings and Merrill.
The height of the tower is to compensate for another short-coming.
Let's fly a plane into it.
Let's fly a couple of 737's into it and see how *they* like it.
Kind of hard to hear about that after seeing pictures of starving children in Somalia.
what's the point, you cannot get a glass of wine in the restaurant, who would stay?
No need to worry. Obama got Osama. And George W. Bush the war criminal should be next.
These idiots will knock down their own tower without our help. Total shmucks.
Our money went to buy their oil and is now being used to modernize their country.
Wassup? Upset they are going to beat your new tower? Same company that built the Twin towers anyway or part of the company nonetheless!!!
What are they thinking? I believe they are setting themselves up for some of their own homegrown terrorists to start attacking this place. They are turning out to be more materialistic than the US. Maybe this will take some heat off of us. Not likely I suppose since the extremists don't use any logic in their thinking. Islamic Extremists are hypocrits too...
I couldn't agree more. This is a slap to the face for the United States. Shame on CNN for even giving it attention or the headline it did. Pigs
WoW!
When completed, Jeddah Tower will easily surpass Dubai's 828-meter (2,717-foot) Burj Khalifa as the world's tallest building, and will probably be completed before the Freedom Tower, or whatever we're currently calling the replacement for what was taken down 10 years ago.
very intelligent response... So, I suppose it would be ok with you if the Native Americans launched a biological warfare effort upon the rest of America? I mean, using your logic, it is only fair.
Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Bin Abdulaziz Alsaud ?! I would love to see a saudi arabian phone book.
Is it just me or is this a good time to plate a million tons on C4 in the building and wait 5 years till it's a big American attraction and blow it up when 30,000 Americans are inside sleeping...????
Maybe it's just me.....
I meant to say the Saudi Bin Laden Group will plate this inside without us knowing.
$100 for the 1st person to fly a remote control airplane into it...
christards