Saudi Gazette report

MAKKAH — The Jabal Omar Development Company has completed installing the world's highest suspended prayer area between its 161 meters high twin towers overlooking overlooking the Holy Kaaba in the east and King Abdul Aziz parallel road from the west, Makkah daily said on Saturday.

It has been designed in such a way that 50 percent is allotted for prayer and the rest for services.

The execution work on the project began in October.

The prayer area was constructed using a mobile lift and four other computer-operated forklifts.

The total weight of the prayer are is 400 ton and it will soon be open for congregational prayers.

With a total area of 400 sq. meters, the suspended ‘musalla’ can accommodate over 200 worshipers.

Earlier, speaking to Al-Arabiya.net, the consultant who made the designs, the company that constructed the prayer area and Chairman of the Real Estate Committee in Makkah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MCCI) Anas Sairafi said that the suspension bridge underwent long studies to determine if it was capable of withstanding the climatic and natural phenomena.

“The studies took several years to carry out followed by a careful revision and checking to ensure that it can withstand the impacts of wind action, temperature changes, earthquakes and the difference in the settlement rates of the substrata and soil under the loads of the two towers, on the towers themselves, which are linked by the suspension bridge.

“Hence, it was decided that an iron structural framework would be the most suitable because it is lighter in weight and is more flexible at this height.”

A certain part of the area is movable to and from one of the two towers. As to the other part, it is almost fixed, except for being movable up to 20 cm.

The prayer area has an iron structure and does not contain concrete.