Image illustration purposes only.

In 20 days, the largest Saudi flag will be raised over Jeddah at an altitude of 170 meters. The flagpole, which will be based at the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Square in Al-Andaluse Street, will be the tallest in the world.

The flag, which is 1,635 square meters in size and 570 kg weight, will wave over a flagpole located at the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques square. The flagpole will be surrounded by figurative houses that mimic Hijazi construction, as well as nine thousand square meters of green area. 13 special lights representing the 13 different provinces in the Kingdom will illuminate the flagpole.

Engineer Mohammed Abdul Latif Jameel, president of ALJ Social Initiatives, said work is in progress on the project, which is being implemented by ALJ group as recognition of the love that every Saudi citizen has toward his or her homeland. He said work on the project took more than 12 months and used the latest technologies in engineering.

Dr. Ibrahim Mohammed Badawoud, the CEO of ALJ Social Initiatives, said that 42 advisory and engineering companies from the United States and England took part in the completion of this massive global project.

Engineer Sharif Al-Bahar, supervisor of the project, said that multiple systems and new technologies were used, including installing a unit for controlling the rotation of the flag according the wind direction, as well as a measurement system for the direction of the wind, its speed, the degree of humidity, and the intensity of the rain. A warning lighting system for aircrafts and a system for absorbing the vibrations caused by wind speed were also installed, in addition to the adoption of an integrated lighting system for the flagpole, especially during national events.

The flagpole weighs about 500 tons, and is made ​​of 12 sections of iron, all fixed together with 1,500 nails.

The cylindrical shape of the flagpole decreases in diameter from bottom to top, with the base measuring about 200 meters in area with a thickness of 2.5 meters. The pole is fixed on a base comprising of 16 pillars with a depth of 28 meters.

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