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First Makkah Clock: Historic Symbol of Saudi Care for Holy Sites

The first Makkah clock ordered by King Abdulaziz in 1933 (Darat al-Malik Abdulaziz/The King Abdulaziz Foundation for Research and Archives)
The first Makkah clock ordered by King Abdulaziz in 1933 (Darat al-Malik Abdulaziz/The King Abdulaziz Foundation for Research and Archives)
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First Makkah Clock: Historic Symbol of Saudi Care for Holy Sites

The first Makkah clock ordered by King Abdulaziz in 1933 (Darat al-Malik Abdulaziz/The King Abdulaziz Foundation for Research and Archives)
The first Makkah clock ordered by King Abdulaziz in 1933 (Darat al-Malik Abdulaziz/The King Abdulaziz Foundation for Research and Archives)

In the 1930s, as Muslims began their regular pilgrimages to the holy sanctuary in Makkah for Umrah and Hajj, signs of modernization emerged under the Saudi reign.

One significant addition was a giant clock atop Makkah’s government building, commissioned by King Abdulaziz. This clock served the worshippers’ need for accurate timing during their religious rituals and prayers in the Grand Mosque.

King Abdulaziz made caring for the holy mosques and the well-being of pilgrims a top priority for the Saudi government. He set the groundwork for future kings to improve services and make the pilgrimage experience smoother for visitors to Makkah and Medina.

From the early days of Saudi rule, King Abdulaziz showed a strong commitment to serving the holy sites and pilgrims from around the world.

He pledged to protect pilgrims and ensure their comfort and rights. In a statement published in the official newspaper before the Hajj season of 1343 AH, he expressed happiness in welcoming Muslims and making their journey to Makkah easier.

Recognizing the need for better timekeeping at the Grand Mosque, King Abdulaziz imported a large clock. Its hands were visible from far away, helping worshippers in Makkah and nearby areas keep track of prayer times.

King Abdulaziz ordered the construction of the clock in 1933, placing it atop the Hamidiyah Government Building. A tower reaching 15 meters high housed the clock, elevating it over 30 meters above street level.

The clock’s white background and black hands made it visible from afar, with electric lighting illuminating it at night. Construction began and finished in 1933.

Since then, the Two Holy Mosques have received special attention from Saudi leadership, particularly under the ambitious “Vision 2030” initiative, which has made the pilgrimage easier and enhanced the spiritual experience for millions of pilgrims.

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Iran's Vast Collection of Western Art, Much Long Hidden, Re-Emerges Despite High Tensions With US

A woman walks past a portrait of the leader of the American Indian Movement Russell Means, right, by American artist Andy Warhol, as she visits an exhibition titled Eye to Eye which showcases over 120 works by modern world artists as well as Iranian painters at Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art, in Tehran, Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)
A woman walks past a portrait of the leader of the American Indian Movement Russell Means, right, by American artist Andy Warhol, as she visits an exhibition titled Eye to Eye which showcases over 120 works by modern world artists as well as Iranian painters at Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art, in Tehran, Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)
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Iran's Vast Collection of Western Art, Much Long Hidden, Re-Emerges Despite High Tensions With US

A woman walks past a portrait of the leader of the American Indian Movement Russell Means, right, by American artist Andy Warhol, as she visits an exhibition titled Eye to Eye which showcases over 120 works by modern world artists as well as Iranian painters at Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art, in Tehran, Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)
A woman walks past a portrait of the leader of the American Indian Movement Russell Means, right, by American artist Andy Warhol, as she visits an exhibition titled Eye to Eye which showcases over 120 works by modern world artists as well as Iranian painters at Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art, in Tehran, Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

As Iran faces increasing tensions with the West and turmoil at home, a new exhibition at the Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art is displaying Western artwork including pieces not seen by the public in at least a decade.
The unveiling of the exhibition “Eye to Eye” has drawn numerous women, their hair uncovered, to the underground galleries of the museum in Tehran's Laleh Park. Their presence, while unacknowledged by authorities, shows the way life has changed inside Iran just in the last few years even as the country's theocracy presses forward with enriching uranium to near-weapons grade levels and launching attacks on Israel during the ongoing Mideast wars, The Associated Press said.
“The first feeling that came to me, and I told my parents, was that I can’t believe I’m seeing these works, which have always been kept far from our eyes,” said Aida Zarrin, a young woman at the museum.
“If such events are held here and we can see artworks like the rest of the world, it’s enough. They are really precious.”
The government of Iran’s Western-backed shah, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, and his wife, the former Empress Farah Pahlavi, built the museum and acquired the vast collection in the late 1970s, when oil boomed and Western economies stagnated. Upon opening, it showed sensational works by Pablo Picasso, Mark Rothko, Claude Monet, Jackson Pollock and other heavyweights, enhancing Iran’s cultural standing on the world stage.
But just two years later, in 1979, Shiite clerics ousted the shah and packed away the art in the museum’s vault. Some paintings — cubist, surrealist, impressionist and even pop art — sat untouched for decades to avoid offending Islamic values and the appearance of catering to Western sensibilities. Nearly everything is believed still to be there, though an Andy Warhol print of the empress was slashed during the revolution.
Today, the collection is likely worth billions of dollars. Even with Iran now cash-strapped under Western sanctions, officials with the museum have been able to advocate for keeping the collection, though there have been occasional trades in the past for items from Persian history. Those sanctions may increase under the next administration of US President-elect Donald Trump.
As Iranian politics have thawed, re-frozen and thawed again, the collection resurfaces along with those changes.
Among the over 120 works being shown are ones from Picasso, Andy Warhol and Francis Bacon, along with celebrated Iranian artists. One of the Warhols, “Jacqueline Kennedy II,” is a silkscreen double image of the former US first lady in mourning after the 1963 assassination of her husband, President John Kennedy. Another Warhol portrait of Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger also garnered attention from the cellphone photo snappers.
“A lot of these works are important works in the history of art, and that’s why this show distinguishes itself from others,” said Jamal Arabzadeh, the exhibition's curator. ”A lot of people with less exposure to art have discovered the museum for the first time. ... We are seeing a part of the community that are discovering art and the museum and see the potential of this place, and this is something to be proud of.”
The presence of Western art comes as Iran's government has long fought against items like Barbie dolls and depictions of cartoon characters from “The Simpsons.” Such Western influences have been deemed un-Islamic in the past and have been seen as part of a “soft” cultural war against Iran.
With a ticket costing the equivalent of 14 US cents, the exhibition offers a rare government-sanctioned event not involving the country's politics or Shiite religion.
Among the visitors were many women defying the country's mandatory headscarf, or hijab, law. Crackdowns over the hijab have slowed down after Iran's presidential election in July that elected reformist President Masoud Pezeshkian, though individual cases of arrest continue to draw anger.
And for many, the cost of tickets to travel abroad given Iran's collapsing rial currency keep foreign museums out of reach.
“This is very attractive for art enthusiasts because not everyone can go and see museums abroad. It’s extremely exciting to see the works here,” said a woman who only gave her last name, Dolatshahi. “I had no idea I could see works by van Gogh and Picasso here.”