Luxury timeshares on offer at Islam's
Luxury timeshares on offer at Islam's >holiest pilgrimage site > > > >Riazat Butt > >Tuesday November 14, 2006 > >The >Guardian > > > >It is the holiest site in Islam, the birthplace of the >prophet Muhammad and the place the world's Muslim population turns and >prays to >five times a day. > >Millions of people make a pilgrimage to Mecca every year to wash away their >sins, but >muddying the waters of this spiritual experience is a $390m (£205m) luxury >timeshare development looming over the House of Allah. > > > >Timeshare, a concept more usually associated with >Torremolinos and the Algarve, >has spread to Mecca >and divided opinion in the Muslim world. Built by the Binladin Group, the >construction firm founded by Mohammed bin Laden, the father of Osama, the >ZamZam tower offers five-star accommodation, a shopping centre, restaurants >and >a car park. > > > > > >Opponents say the skyscraper and its >money-spinning potential goes against the spirit of hajj, a pilgrimage >founded >on purity, equality and simplicity. > > > > > >Saudi authorities will use the initial revenue to >maintain the holy site, but there is nothing to stop homeowners from >selling or >subleasing their timeshare for inflated prices. Irfan Ahmed al-Alawi, a >historian and co-chair of the Islamic Heritage Foundation, set up to >protect >sites of cultural and historical interest in Mecca, said: "This timeshare >is the >exploitation and commercialisation of a holy city. > > > > > >"The excuse given by the Saudi government is that >there's not enough accommodation, but do you really need to be so close to >the >Grand Mosque and the House of Allah? ZamZam has facilities that are >irrelevant. >You don't need a shopping centre and restaurants when you're doing hajj. >Marble >flooring and five-star accommodation will not enhance your pilgrimage or >make >you a better Muslim. The idea that you can make a profit is especially >offensive. Such desecration and disrespect would have been unthinkable 30 >years >ago." > > > > > >A week's lease on a 33 sq metre studio with city views costs >£3,600 in low season. A studio with views of the House of Allah, the >Ka'bah, >costs £93,500 to lease during the month of hajj. The Saudi government >allowed >the towers' construction to cater for Mecca's >growing popularity as a year-round destination. Around 4 million people >visit >during hajj and 3 million visitors during Ramadan, but many Muslims visit >at >other, quieter times of the year. The Saudi government does not object to >expanding facilities in Mecca. > > > > > > >A diplomatic source said: "People want to shop, >somewhere to eat, they have the right to do these things. It is not haraam > and we cannot stop them from wanting to do these things. People >don't just do hajj and leave any more. For many it may be their only chance >to >visit so they want to be here as long as they can. They are getting quality >accommodation and amenities. We need somewhere to put pilgrims because >there >are so many coming here. Besides, there are already five-star hotels in >Mecca." > > > > > >ZamZam is part of the Abraj al-Bait complex, one of the >largest construction projects in the world, measuring 1.4m square metres. >The >480m-high complex will include six other towers besides the ZamZam, two >helipads and a four-storey shopping mall. It will be the tallest building >in Saudi Arabia >and, once completed, one of the tallest in the world. According to the >Riyadh chamber of commerce and industry, Mecca has become a property >hotspot. Investment >during the last three decades has totalled £57bn and land in Mecca >can cost up to £50,000 a square metre - more expensive than Manhattan >or Mayfair. > > > > > >Talal Mahmood Malik is chief executive of Alpha1Estates, >which is selling timeshares for the 1,240 suites to Muslims in the UK and >Europe. >In the company brochure, prospective buyers are told they can expect an >average >rental return of between 10% and 15% a year. > > > > > >He says: "You could see it as a financial investment >and there will be cowboys interested in making a quick buck. But most >people >see it as a spiritual investment. There is a massive modernisation and >regeneration programme in Mecca >but non-Muslims won't be interested in investing. There's nothing to do >there >except pray and if you're non-Muslim you can't get into Mecca anyway." > > > > > >He said that business had been a bit slow at first because >the timeshare concept was "alien" to Muslims, but trade had picked up >during Ramadan. He added: "We've been surprised by the number of young >people buying timeshares, but there have been more sales to older Muslims, >who >want to retire there." > > > > > >One timeshare owner, who did not wish to be named, said: >"I have a large family and we go to Mecca >every few years. It will provide an incentive for me to go there more >often. I >could make money from renting it out but, for me, it's not about that." > > > > > >The Mecca >goldrush has come at a price, says Dr Alawi, with many historic sites wiped >off >the map. He claims there are now fewer than 20 structures remaining in >Mecca dating back to the >time of Muhammad 1,400 years ago. > > > > > >He adds: "The sad thing is that as Mecca becomes more commercialised its >spiritual side will fade, but I don't hear Muslims complaining."