June 21, 2014

1108 SAUDI ARABIA (Makkah) - King Fahd's Fountain and Water Tower in Jeddah


Jeddah is the largest sea port on the Red Sea, and the second-largest city in Saudi Arabia after Riyadh, with a population of 5.1 million. It is also the principal gateway to Mecca (Islam's holiest city, which able-bodied Muslims are required to visit at least once in their lifetime), and a gateway to Medina (the second holiest place in Islam). Probably the main landmark of the city is King Fahd's Fountain, built in the 1980s and listed by the Guinness World Records organization as the highest water jet in the world at 312m. The fountain was donated to the City of Jeddah by the late King Fahd bin Abdul Aziz, after whom it was named.

Jeddah Water Tower is a masterpiece of gigantic concrete monument and an evidence of the city's rapid developing and transformance from a small town into big and modern city. The capacity of the tower is about 18.000 cubic meters of water at the height of approximately 45m above ground level. The tower is a part of a new system of water distribution in Jeddah. The height of the tower is approximately 80m, and at the top of which there is a large hall for reception with a capacity of 400 visitors. It is covered with the cone shaped peak of the tower.

About the stamps
The first stamp is part of a series of 16, Mosques, issued on 2003. The second stamp, depicted Holy Kaaba and issued on 1992, is parte of a large definitive series.

References
King Fahd’s Fountain in Saudi Arabia - Prosperity Fountain
Jiddah Water Tower - Virtual Tourist

Sender: Ivy Marie Abrogena (direct swap)
sent from Dammam (Eastern Province / Saudi Arabia), on 28.05.2014

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