King Fahd's Fountain on:
[Wikipedia]
[Google]
[Amazon]
King Fahd's Fountain ( ar, نافورة الملك فهد), also known as the Jeddah Fountain, is in
The base of the fountain is in the form of a large
Jeddah
Jeddah ( ), also spelled Jedda, Jiddah or Jidda ( ; ar, , Jidda, ), is a city in the Hejaz region of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) and the country's commercial center. Established in the 6th century BC as a fishing village, Jeddah's pro ...
, Saudi Arabia. It is the tallest fountain of its type in the world.
Overview
The fountain was donated to the city of Jeddah by King Fahd, hence its name. It was constructed between 1980 and 1983 and was launched in 1985. Located on the west coast of Saudi Arabia, the fountain jets water to a maximum height of . The second-tallest is theWorld Cup Fountain
The World Cup Fountain was a fountain built to commemorate the 2002 FIFA World Cup co-hosted by South Korea and Japan. The World Cup Fountain is located in the Han River in Seoul, South Korea, between the World Cup Stadium and Seonyudo Park. The ...
in Seoul
Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the Capital city, capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the North Korea, Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea ...
, South Korea
South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...
, with a water height of .
King Fahd's Fountain is listed in Guinness World Records
''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a reference book published annually, listing world ...
as the highest water fountain in the world.
The fountain is visible throughout the vicinity of Jeddah. The water ejected can reach a speed of and its airborne mass can exceed . The fountain uses saltwater taken from the Red Sea
The Red Sea ( ar, البحر الأحمر - بحر القلزم, translit=Modern: al-Baḥr al-ʾAḥmar, Medieval: Baḥr al-Qulzum; or ; Coptic: ⲫⲓⲟⲙ ⲛ̀ϩⲁϩ ''Phiom Enhah'' or ⲫⲓⲟⲙ ⲛ̀ϣⲁⲣⲓ ''Phiom ǹšari''; ...
instead of freshwater. Over 500 LED spotlights illuminate the fountain at night.
History
The fountain was initially built between 1980 and 1983, and was inspired by the Geneva Fountain (length 140 meters, pumping speed 124 mph), but the planners were not satisfied with the height. The fountain was then operated in its current form in 1985 to pump sea water at a speed of 233 miles per hour to a height of 312 meters (1024 feet). Team Red Bull Air Force base jumper Othar Lawrence set a global record by making a historic jump along the fountain.Design
The base of the fountain is in the form of a large mabkhara
A mabkhara ( ar, مبخر or ) is a censer found across the Arab World and Turkey. The mabkhara was traditionally made from clay or soft stone. Most mabkharas (or ''mabakhir'', the Arabic plural) have a square pedestal base with inward sloping s ...
, an incense burner which symbolizes Arabian culture. Since the fountain pumps sea water, rust and corrosion were the main concerns of those who built it. Before reaching the pump, the water passes through several filters to purify it from dirt, sand and organic matter. The fountain is lit by 500 high-light LEDs designed to withstand the continuous fall of thousands of tons of water from hundreds of metres. These spotlights are installed on special islands.
See also
* * List of things named after Saudi kingsReferences
External link
* {{Authority control 1985 establishments in Saudi Arabia Buildings and structures in Jeddah Fountains in Saudi Arabia Tourist attractions in Jeddah