Sunday Times

London, May 11: The mountain is to move for Muhammad. Norman Foster and Zaha Hadid are involved in plans to transform the landscape around Mecca, Islam’s holiest 
city, to make way for a high-rise metropolis complete with high-speed rail link for pilgrims.

Architectural designs being considered by king Abdullah of Saudi Arabia could see the mosque at the heart of the city expanded five-fold to accommodate 5m worshippers in one go.

However, much of the land around the historic site, including ancient mountains, is likely to be flattened to accommodate seven-star hotels and towering blocks of luxury flats. Critics believe the 20-year redevelopment programme will turn Mecca into a “mini Dubai”, the emirate that has become a byword for consumerism.

Hadid, who has designed the aquatics centre for the London 2012 Olympics, is believed to have submitted proposals to extend Mecca’s Haram mosque. Foster, who designed the Gherkin tower in London, has been commissioned to design four stations along a new high-speed railway line linking Mecca to Medina.

Irfan Al Alawi, founder of the London-based Islamic Heritage Research Foundation, said, “The place is being blown to pieces. They are dynamiting mountains and removing heritage buildings to make way for skyscrapers around the grand mosque.”