The Makkah Clock Tower (Makkah Royal Clock Tower) has 120 floors above ground and 3 basement floors, and stands 601 metres (1,972 feet) tall to the tip of its golden crescent. Completed in 2012 next to the Grand Mosque, it is the tallest building in Saudi Arabia, the fourth tallest in the world and the tallest clock tower ever built.
| Makkah Clock Tower | Facts |
|---|---|
| Floors | 120 above ground + 3 basements (123 in total) |
| Height | 601 m (1,972 ft) to the tip |
| Highest occupied floor | About 494 m |
| Clock faces | 4 faces, each 43 m across, the largest in the world |
| World ranking | 4th tallest completed building (CTBUH, October 2026) |
| Completed | 2012 (construction began in 2002) |
| Built by | Saudi Binladin Group, for the King Abdulaziz Endowment |
| Lifts | 96 |
Figures are from the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH), the official register of the world’s tallest buildings, and Guinness World Records.
How Many Floors Does the Makkah Clock Tower Have?
The official count is 120 floors above ground. Add the 3 basement levels and the total is 123. You may see other numbers online, and each has a simple explanation:
- 76 floors: the number of floors used by the Fairmont hotel, not the whole tower. Early announcements before 2012 also described the tower as 76 storeys.
- 60 floors: an old figure shown on some hotel booking sites.
- 123 floors: the 120 floors above ground plus the 3 basements.
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How Tall Is the Makkah Clock Tower?
The tower is 601 metres tall, and the CTBUH counts the spire and crescent in its height, so the architectural height and the height to the tip are the same. The highest occupied floor is at 494.4 m and the observatory level at 484.4 m.
The four clock faces sit more than 400 metres above the Grand Mosque and are each 43 metres in diameter. Around 2 million LEDs light the clock, and about 21,000 white and green lights flash at prayer times. On top sits a golden crescent about 23 metres tall, weighing 35 tonnes, which contains a small prayer room.
What Is on Each Floor of the Clock Tower?
Official sources describe the tower in sections rather than floor by floor:
| Level | What is there |
|---|---|
| 3 basements | Below ground |
| First 7 floors (podium) | Clock Towers Shopping Center: about 625 shops, restaurants and a BinDawood supermarket. Hotel guests pass through the mall to reach the lobbies. |
| Hotel floors | Fairmont Makkah Clock Royal Tower: 76 floors with 1,662 rooms and suites, including rooms facing the Kaaba. |
| Levels 30 to 41 | Emaar Residences: 316 serviced apartments run by Fairmont. |
| Clock section | The four 43 m clock faces, more than 400 m above the Haram. |
| Top of the tower | Clock Tower Museum (4 floors) with a viewing terrace, and the Centre for Cosmology and Crescent Observation. |
| Spire | Golden crescent at 601 m. |
The exact floor numbers of the hotel, the museum and the viewing terrace are not published, so be careful with websites that name a specific floor.
BinDawood Supermarket in the Clock Tower
BinDawood has a supermarket, listed as BinDawood Abraj, inside the Clock Towers Shopping Center at the base of the complex. BinDawood lists it as open from 5 am to 2 am, and its customer number is 800 244 2226. Neither BinDawood nor the mall publishes the floor number, so check the mall directory screens when you arrive.
Clock Tower Museum: Tickets and Timings
The Clock Tower Museum is the part of the tower open to visitors. Its four floors cover the universe, the sun, earth and moon, how time is measured, and the story of the Makkah clock, and the visit ends on a terrace with views over the Grand Mosque and the Kaaba.
- Opening hours: daily from 9 am to 11:30 pm; on Fridays from 2 pm (Visit Saudi, August 2026). Hours can change during Ramadan and Hajj.
- Tickets: from 150 SAR per person, booked on the official site ctm.elm.sa.
- Getting in: dedicated lifts from the ground floor of the tower.
Remember that only Muslims may enter the city of Makkah. Planning a visit around Umrah? See the best times to perform Umrah and other places to visit in Makkah.
Makkah Clock Tower vs the World’s Tallest Buildings
| Building | City | Height | Floors |
|---|---|---|---|
| Burj Khalifa | Dubai | 828 m | 163 |
| Merdeka 118 | Kuala Lumpur | 679 m | 118 |
| Shanghai Tower | Shanghai | 632 m | 128 |
| Makkah Royal Clock Tower | Makkah | 601 m | 120 |
| Taipei 101 | Taipei | 508 m | 101 |
The Clock Tower was the world’s second tallest building when it was completed in 2012. Shanghai Tower (2015) and Merdeka 118 (2023) have since passed it. Jeddah Tower, about 430 metres tall in August 2026 and due for completion in late 2028, is planned to take the title of Saudi Arabia’s tallest building.
History and Facts
- The foundation stone of the Abraj Al Bait complex, now called The Clock Towers, was laid in 2002. The clock first ran on the first day of Ramadan 1431 (August 2010), and the tower was completed in 2012.
- The complex has seven towers and hotels including the Fairmont, Raffles, Swissôtel, Mövenpick and Pullman.
- Guinness World Records estimates the cost of the whole complex at about US$16 billion.
- The crescent observatory at the top has been an official moon-sighting centre since Ramadan 1441 (2020).
Frequently Asked Questions
How many floors are in the Makkah Clock Tower?
The Makkah Royal Clock Tower has 120 floors above ground and 3 basement floors, 123 in total, according to the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH).
How tall is the Makkah Clock Tower?
It is 601 metres (1,972 feet) tall to the tip of the crescent. Its highest occupied floor is at about 494 metres.
Can visitors go to the top of the Makkah Clock Tower?
Yes. The Clock Tower Museum near the top of the tower ends at a terrace overlooking the Grand Mosque and the Kaaba. Tickets start at 150 SAR and are booked online at ctm.elm.sa.
How many floors is the Fairmont hotel in the Clock Tower?
The Fairmont Makkah Clock Royal Tower hotel occupies 76 floors and has 1,662 rooms and suites, according to Fairmont. This is why some websites give the tower fewer floors than its real total of 120.
Is the Makkah Clock Tower the tallest building in Saudi Arabia?
Yes. At 601 metres it is the tallest completed building in Saudi Arabia and the fourth tallest in the world. Jeddah Tower, still under construction, is planned to be taller.