The giant clock
The world's largest clock faces.
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A complex of seven hotel towers on the south side of the Grand Mosque, now called the Clock Towers. At its centre stands the Makkah Royal Clock Tower, 601 metres tall, the tallest building in Saudi Arabia, and according to Guinness World Records its clock is the tallest clock tower in the world, with the largest clock faces. The complex was built as part of the King Abdulaziz Endowment Project to develop Mecca for its pilgrims and was completed in 2012. It holds hotels, a five-storey shopping centre and parking for over a thousand cars. The four clock faces can be seen from across Mecca and are lit at night. The top four floors of the tower house the Clock Tower Museum. A visit starts with a short introduction in Arabic and ends on a viewing deck near the top of the tower, looking down on the Grand Mosque, the Kaaba and the city. A standard museum ticket costs 150 SAR according to its official site, and a fast-track ticket with no queuing 300 SAR, sold at the museum desk on the ground floor of the shopping centre. Opening times shift around prayer times and the seasons, so check before you go.
The world's largest clock faces.
Looking down on the Grand Mosque.
Five floors beside the mosque.
Opposite King Abdulaziz Gate, south of the Grand Mosque, Mecca
150 SAR for a standard ticket and 300 SAR for a fast-track ticket, per the museum's official site, sold on the ground floor of the shopping centre.
