Asia

[Visited: October 2022]

While I had wanted to arrive before sunset, the traffic of Riyadh turned out to be much worse than in the morning. It is pitch dark when I park my car nearby the foot of the Kingdom Centre. When I walk closer, the skyscraper towers high above me. The huge opening in it reminds me of the World Financial Center in Shanghai, also known as the bottle opener. According to my navigation app, the Sky Bridge is closed, but I enter the posh shopping centre anyway. I find access to the tower on the first floor, and fortunately, my phone is wrong. While waiting for my turn to pay, I read the instructions. No photographing of any kind, and in case of emergency: don't panic. It doesn't, however, say what to do instead. An elevator whizzes me to the 77th floor, where the highest mosque in the world can be found. Well, that is, the highest mosque in a building, I suppose.
After a transfer to another elevator, I reach the 99th floor. I finally get an idea of how high I really am when I look outside through the glass panels that offer unobstructed views as they run from floor to celling. There is a violet light inside, and the ceiling has mirrors and lights, creating a special effect of reflection of the people below. I immediately notice that everyone is taking pictures with their cell phones, and take my camera out again - I had tucked it away in my bag after reading the sign. I walk the length of the Sky Bridge, stopping every few steps to press my nose against the glass. I look straight down to street level, and then my eyes wonder off into the distance. The views confirm what I already knew: the capital city of Riyadh is enormous in surface. Then again, the Saudis have abundant space to expand the city in all directions.
In fact, there are relatively few skyscrapers, even though Kingdom Centre is not the tallest building of Riyadh anymore: at 302 metres, it is number four. When it was completed in 2002, it did hold the title of tallest building in the city and the country. People pose for their pictures, framing themselves using the structural white beams of the tower with the sea of lights in the background behind. Then, someone comes to bother me, saying my camera is a "problem". I have a short discussion, and don't see why powerful phones are allowed to take pictures, while a camera is not. I soon realise the discussion is futile, and have one last walk through the Sky Bridge before I take the elevator down. I have one more good look up the enormous building from the ground before I steer my car to the airport for my flight to Jeddah.

Around the World in 80 Clicks

Personal travel impressions both in words and images from Sky Bridge (Saudi Arabia). Clicking on the pictures enlarges them and enables you to send the picture as a free e-card or download it for personal use, for instance, on your weblog. Or click on the map above to visit more places close to Sky Bridge.
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Sky Bridge > Saudi Arabia > Asia

[Visited: October 2022]

Around the World in 80 Clicks

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