This article is about landmark on the Jeddah?Makkah Highway. For historic gate in the north of Shiraz, see
Qur'an Gate
. For Bab Makkah gate into Al-Balad district of Jeddah, see
Jeddah
.
The
Gate of Mecca
,
Mecca Gate
or
Makkah Gate
(
Arabic
:
?????
???
Baww?b?t Makka
), also known as
Qur'an Gate
(
Arabic
:
?????
??????
Baww?b?t al-Qur??n
), is an
arch
gateway
monumental
on the
Makkah al-Mukkarramah
road of the
Jeddah?Makkah Highway
. It is the entrance to
Mecca
, the birthplace of the Islamic prophet
Muhammad
and signifies the boundary of the
haram
area of the city of Mecca, where non-Muslims are prohibited to enter.
History
[
edit
]
The Gate was built in 1979. Design was done by Dia Aziz Dia, and architect was Samir Elabd.
Mecca Mayor, Osama bin Fadl al-Bar, acts as Bawabat Makkah Co. Board of Directors Chairman.
[1]
Complex Bawabat Makkah consists of 5 types of currently developing projects: Governmental Projects, Special Development Projects, Investment Projects, Non-profit Projects, and Funding Projects.
[2]
Description
[
edit
]
The gateway is built as an arch over the road, and consists of three main parts:
- two
premises
each 30 m × 48 m (98 ft × 157 ft) wide and about 3 m (10 ft) tall, and located at sides of the road; act as support blocks for
wings
(make arch)
- two
wings
each about 80 m (262 ft) long, 48?18 m (157?59 ft) wide and 20 m (66 ft) tall, and stretching-up from
premises
to merge about 23 m (75 ft) above the road; act as support foundation for
book
(its stand)
- open
book
with two pages about 16.5 m (54 ft) long and 26 m (85 ft) wide each, and spanning 23?31 m (75?102 ft) above the road; acts as main symbol for arch
The main part is structure of
Islam
's
Holy Book
?
Qur'an
, sitting on a
rehal
(book stand).
[3]
[4]
Reinforced concrete
was used as primary building material;
plastic
,
glass
,
wood
and other materials are also present (e.g.
Islamic
luminous
mosaics/vitrails
beneath arches, arched entrances into premises etc.). Whole structure is decorated with various patterns and can get illuminated at night in many different ways.
Under structure there are
palm trees
planted in line along
divide-island
, as well as other lower
trees
and ornamental
bushes
growing on
island
around palms and at free land space beside four-laned
parkway
(divided highway). On its sides there is fine-cut
boxwood
inside tidy
gardens
, with shaped and perimeter fences, small
parking lots
and other auxiliary facilities extending into a big complex.
See also
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
External links
[
edit
]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to
Mecca Gate
.
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