Morocco to Construct Record-breaking Skyscraper

King Mohmmed VI at the launching ceremony of the tower, in Sale, near Rabat. MAP
King Mohmmed VI at the launching ceremony of the tower, in Sale, near Rabat. MAP
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Morocco to Construct Record-breaking Skyscraper

King Mohmmed VI at the launching ceremony of the tower, in Sale, near Rabat. MAP
King Mohmmed VI at the launching ceremony of the tower, in Sale, near Rabat. MAP

The construction process of Morocco's tallest skyscraper on the banks of the Bouregreg river in Sale near the capital Rabat, has been launched, the country announced this week.

The Bank of Africa tower will stand at 250 meters tall and rise to 55 floors in a project that would cost around 4 billion Moroccan dirham (around $400 million).

The skyscraper is being built by Belgian construction firm BESIX Group, which has worked on the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, and Morocco’s Travaux Generaux de Construction de Casablanca (TGCC). The building process will also be supported by China Railway Construction Corporation International.

Johan Beerlandt, Chairman of BESIX, spoke about his company’s international expertise in tower construction.

Beerlandt said at the ceremony attended by King Mohammed VI on Thursday that BESIX respects all safety, quality and environmental standards in its projects.

The tower, which will be named after the King, will host a luxury hotel, apartments, office space and a viewing terrace at the top. It is due to be completed on May 30, 2022.

It is at the center of a wider Bouregreg Valley Development project, part of Rabat's modernization program called Rabat Ville Lumière, Capitale Marocaine de la Culture (Rabat, City of Light, Moroccan Capital of Culture).

This includes other major urban developments, including the Maison des Arts et de la Culture (House of Arts and Culture) and Le Grand Théâtre de Rabat.



Syria Seeks EU Help to Battle Massive Wildfires

FILE : A fire burns at a forest in Latakia province, Syria in this handout released by SANA on October 9, 2020. SANA/Handout via REUTERS
FILE : A fire burns at a forest in Latakia province, Syria in this handout released by SANA on October 9, 2020. SANA/Handout via REUTERS
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Syria Seeks EU Help to Battle Massive Wildfires

FILE : A fire burns at a forest in Latakia province, Syria in this handout released by SANA on October 9, 2020. SANA/Handout via REUTERS
FILE : A fire burns at a forest in Latakia province, Syria in this handout released by SANA on October 9, 2020. SANA/Handout via REUTERS

Syria’s minister of emergencies and disaster management on Tuesday requested support from the European Union to battle wildfires that have swept through a vast stretch of forested land.

The fires have been burning for six days, with Syrian emergency crews struggling to bring them under control amid strong winds and severe drought.

Neighboring countries Jordan, Lebanon and Türkiye have already dispatched firefighting teams to assist in the response.

“We asked the European Union for help in extinguishing the fires,” minister Raed al-Saleh said on X, adding Cyprus was expected to send aid on Tuesday, AFP reported.

“Fear of the fires spreading due to strong winds last night prompted us to evacuate 25 families to ensure their safety without any human casualties,” he added.

According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) office in Syria, the fires impacted “some 5,000 persons, including displacements, across 60 communities.”

An estimated 100 square kilometers (40 square miles) of forest and farmland -- more than three percent of Syria’s forest cover -- have burned, OCHA told AFP.

At least seven towns in Latakia province have been evacuated as a precaution.

Efforts to extinguish the fires have been hindered by “rugged terrain, the absence of firebreaks, strong winds, and the presence of mines and unexploded ordnance”, Saleh said.

With man-made climate change increasing the likelihood and intensity of droughts and wildfires worldwide, Syria has also been battered by heatwaves and low rainfall.

In June, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization said Syria had “not seen such bad climate conditions in 60 years.”