r/Damnthatsinteresting • u/hipatyhopity • 14d ago

Image Mecca in 1953 and 2025

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u/shorelined 14d ago edited 13d ago

I assume those buildings around the outside host some very expensive hotel rooms. Can any Muslims tell us the general feeling around what appears to be commercialisation of the hajj?

Edit: got some great context and explanations cheers!

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u/HealthyDurian8207 13d ago edited 13d ago

My brother, check pictures from the opposite angle. Now THAT'S a hotel. Holy motherfucker it's big.

https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/an-aerial-view-shows-the-abraj-al-bait-towers-also-known-as-news-photo/154832531

Now that's where the real pricey rooms are at.

It's taller than One World Trade Center.

60 meters taller than the tallest in the US.

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u/An0therParacIete 13d ago

Now that's where the real pricey rooms are at.

Yeah, like $200-$250/night.

Source: Stayed there a few months ago. I've seen it dip as low as $120 in the off-season a few years ago.

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u/HealthyDurian8207 13d ago

High floor with a good view for that price?

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u/An0therParacIete 13d ago

Yup. I just checked and rooms in that hotel (Swissotel Makkah) are going for $155 next week if you want to convert and book a last minute trip.

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u/HealthyDurian8207 13d ago

That's a crazy price. You get a three star shoe box for that price in my small Swedish city.

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u/An0therParacIete 13d ago

Yeah, the prices aren't bad at all. The only time they get crazy high are hajj and the last 10 days of Ramadan.

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u/nigelfitz 13d ago

Makes total sense.

That's pretty much any location.

Vegas hotels during the weekday w/o any major conferences or events are cheap af.

Weekend comes and they shoot up 3-5x.

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u/LuponV 13d ago

You don't need to convert to travel...

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u/An0therParacIete 13d ago

You do to stay at that hotel.

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u/LuponV 13d ago

Oh really? That's actually interesting, didn't know that.

Edit: I mainly wanted to point out that you didn't need to be a muslim to visit muslim places. Culture is still culture, even if it's not your own. So no harm intended with my previous comment.

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u/An0therParacIete 13d ago

lol, it’s not the hotel. You do have to be Muslim to enter this masjid. This hotel falls within the boundaries of the mosque.