Objective	The Jabal Khandama Development Company, represented by Sheikh Abdul Rahman Abdul Qader Fakieh, is a subsidiary of the Fakieh Group, a well-known real estate developer in Saudi-Arabia and specifically in Makkah. The Group has committed itself to fulfill the prospects of developing Jabal Khandama, one of the largest urban projects in Makkah after the Haram Extension Project. Due to the constantly rising influx of pilgrims, the City of Makkah is in a dynamic state of change. The Jabal Khandama Development Project is to be seen in context of this far-reaching redevelopment of Central Makkah, which includes the expansion of the praying platform surrounding the Holy Mosque, massive infrastructure investments, and large-scale high-density development projects serving the pilgrims. The aim of Jabal Khandama Development Project is to access Khandama mountain through the engineering and construction of a new transportation network and to prepare land for building. Apart from site development, the current stage of the project entails land subdivision and master planning.
Location	The importance of the Jabal Khandama Development site arises from its prominent location on hill ranges with a direct view axis and access to the Haram and the Ka’bah – the holiest place in Islam – which is located in the Holy Mosque’s central courtyard. Competition result | view from "urban landing" to Holy Mosque and competition site
International Competition	In 2006 Jabal Khandama Development Company ran an international urban design and architecture competition managed by [phase eins]. The competition was organized as a limited, international, two-stage project competition with 10 invited participants. The competitors were asked to come up with an exceptional and high-quality urban design scheme that fulfills the uniqueness of the Holy place while complying with complex architectural, technical, economic and legal project requirements. Ateliers Lion, a renowned French urban design firm, in collaboration with Dagher & Hanna Architects and Abdul Halim Jabr (both Beirut, Lebanon) won the competition with their compelling design scheme. It will be the basis for the development of a licensable master plan.
Urban design	The urban design of Ateliers Lion is dominated by a clear horizontal structure based on a dense base and a field of towers above, 20 floors high in average. The quarter is made accessible by two main roads, an upper and lower "corniche". The scheme also provides a powerful pedestrian solution based on actual movement, merging the pedestrian flows and leading to an "urban landing", a gallery framing and at the same time enlarging the central prayer plaza, as well as overlooking the Holy Mosque. Competition result | site plan
Program	The development area will host approx. 90,000 inhabitants, about 24,000 of those are counted as permanent residents. According to its location near the Haram, this mixed-use development will – apart from permanent residences – predominantly provide accommodation and services for pilgrims, with a mixture of hotels, seasonal residences, prayer spaces and commercial areas. Competition result | interrelationship of competition site and Holy Mosque