Saudi Prince Plans Mile-High Tower In The Desert

Plans for a mile-high tower in the desert, which would be twice the height of the world's tallest building, have been unveiled by the multi-billionaire owner of the Savoy hotel in London.

The building, masterminded by British-based engineers, will be constructed in a "mini-city" near the Red Sea port of Jeddah. The project, almost seven times the height of the Canary Wharf tower, will overtake skyscrapers planned or under construction in Dubai and Kuwait. It means the Middle East has opened a strong gap over east Asia in the race for the world's tallest building.

The Mile High Tower is the brainchild of Prince al-Walid bin Talal, 51, a member of the Saudi royal family, who has a fortune estimated at £11 billion and is the world's 19th richest person, according to Forbes magazine. Al-Walid's Kingdom Holdings has appointed a joint venture set up by Hyder Consulting and Arup, the London enginerring firms, to build the £5 billion tower..

The building will be fitted with a giant computer-operated damper stretching down several floors - to counter the nausea-inducing sway caused by the wind. The building will also be stabilised by two mini-towers, flanking the building's base and attached to the main structure by arched sky-bridges.

Keep reading The Times' report

The Telegraph reports visitors will be able to see Africa from the top.

Some diagrams from the Daily Mail:

Here is the prince, far right, with President Bush:

Comments

[scoobynooby]

Well it won't be complete without a load of thermate at critical junctures in the framework and some tactical nukes properly placed in the foundations so tit can be easily "pulled" at a later date.

[TN]

Bush is a muslum, not that there's anything wrong with that. But be sure, he is closer to being one than barrack will ever be. He's got his head so far up their _ss, he can't see straight. That is a gawdy building and it is our money, excess gas profits, funding it.

[01202009]

Why?

[WIpatriot]

Because he can. Plus, it excites him like no camel can.

[Mutineer]

Your oil dollars at work.

[Grannysue]

So I guess all that hand holding with the prince and Cheney's fishing trip off the Sultans yacht has paid off. Do they get rooms in the "mile high club"?

[Wulfstan]

A mighty Phallic symbol arises in the desert as a monument to Exxon, Greed and Vanity

[wmbear]

MINE IS LONGER THAN YOURS, SEE? That's about what a project like this amounts to. What a waste....

[wmbear]

ACTUALLY, IT"S NOT A "MILE-HIGH" TOWER, it's an "almost mile-high tower." A mile is 5,280 feet (a fact I was forced to memorize in school). The Saudi tower is a "mere' 5,250 feet high, according to the story. Close but no cigar.

[ErnestineBass]

Not to worry. Once they stick a couple of 60 ft. "call to worship" speaker towers on top of it...

[Voodude]

Mile high tower eh? Anyone for a little payback?

[wmbear]

Don't go there.

[ErnestineBass]

Best to leave that up to "homeboy", OBL.

[confuciussay]

Well at least we know where American dollars are going , thanks to Bush.
This is the most transparent aspect of his presidency.

Support alternative energy !

[SadButWiser]

Get your facts right, for every dollar an America spends on Saudi oil, the Saudis spend USD1000 on American weapons.

[mtaylor90028]

The republicans won't fly planes into it like the WTC because the Saudis are their boys. Also Saudi Arabia doesn't need to trigger a war like the US, they just do what they want or they get their big brother, Washington to handle any problems. They don't need people's approval. Even if they did want to trigger a reaction, they wouldn't blow up a new building, maybe an old one that needed to go. Even a car bomb would do for riling up religious freak arab types.

[mtaylor90028]

The republicans won't fly planes into it like the WTC because the Saudis are their boys.
Planes won't fly into because:

Also Saudi Arabia doesn't need to trigger a war like the US, they just do what they want or they get their big brother, Washington to handle any problems. Even if they did want to trigger a reaction, they wouldn't blow up a new building, maybe an old one that needed to go. Even a car bomb would do for riling up religious freak arab types.

[josephjsalas]

Aint these the folks who supposedly backed bin-ladden in the first place? I guess it's good to
be PUPPET!

[OpusIsUnderTheBed]

Some billionaires stay busy. Some have too much time on their hands.

[fearwig]

In before Bible-thumper Babel reference.

[googlymoogly]

Why was my comment removed? What happend to free speech?