Makkah Time a new alternative for GMT

[Bas_tum_Pak]

JEDDAH: The giant clock of Makkah is all set to tick home a new time standard, as some scholars believe that it will be an ideal alternative to the Greenwich Mean Time (GMT).

Many scholars are of the opinion that Makkah Time can provide the world an alternative to the GMT. These people have scientific arguments to back their contention, as Makkah is situated in the center of the world.

At a conference in Doha in 2008, Muslim clerics and scholars presented “scientific” arguments that Makkah time is the true global meridian. They said that Makkah is the center of the world.

“Putting Makkah time in the face of Greenwich Mean Time, this is the goal,” said Mohammed Al-Arkubi, general manager of Royal Makkah Tower Hotel.

The Royal Clock is sitting atop the central tower in the Abraj Al-Bait Project, 50 meters opposite the Grand Mosque in Makkah. The clock will be visible from 17 km away at night and 11 to 12 km away during the day. A German-owned company, Premiere Composite Technologies, has designed the clock.

Sources said that the world’s largest clock — six times larger than London’s Big Ben — will be launched in the first week of Ramadan but no date has yet been fixed. The trial run would be conducted on the clock facing Jeddah that is to be inaugurated first.

The tower featuring the world’s largest clock also includes a Lunar Observation Center and an Islamic Museum. While the Royal Clock will announce daily prayers, the Lunar Observation Center and Islamic Museum will serve to protect the heritage for future generations. The observatory will also be used to sight the moon during the holy months. On special occasions, 16 bands of vertical lights will shoot some 10 km up into the sky.


Arab News -

 

[scrumpy]

How do you find determine the centre on the surface of an Oblate Spheroid?

 

[linkinpark]

Almost 60% disagree 'Makkah Time' will become standard

Almost 60 percent of people who took part in the latest Arabian Business poll disagree that ‘Makkah Time’ will eventually replace Greenwich Mean Time (GMT).

According to the online poll, 57.7 percent of respondents said GMT was the tried and tested international standard and would not be replaced.

Saudi Arabia has ambitions that its new clock tower in Makkah could establish the city as an alternative to GMT for the world’s Muslims.

The clock, which sits more than 400m over the Holy Haram courtyard of Islams holiest cities, was unveiled last week at the start of Ramadan. It has four faces, each more than 46m across, and sits on the world’s second highest building.

Almost 60% disagree 'Makkah Time' will become standard - Culture & Society - ArabianBusiness.com

 

[Shattered]

I don't thing that there is a need for an Alternative to GMT tbh also tbh i lol'd at video and the article.

 

[Luftwaffe]

I would not be surprised if whole of Arab nations, Indonesia, Pakistan, Malaysia.. switch to Makkah time over a certain period of time moving away from gmt.
I see polls as useless. I do see Muslim nations switching to new time in coming years.

 

[linkinpark]

How do you find determine the centre on the surface of an Oblate Spheroid?

If you go by sunrise and sunset and define the east and west side of the globe, then the place which differs by 12 hours to the eastern most point of globe, that is the center of the globe. And incidentally that falls in the western european region (Britain, Spain etc) represented by greenwich mean time (GMT) or co-ordinated universal time (UTC) or Standard Time against which all times in the world are defined. Mecca doesn't fall in that region, so it cannot be a standard time.

 

[Luftwaffe]

linkinpark...I've to do bigger LOL @ westerners.

reminds me of this:

And the first people who drew the world map, were the Muslims – and when the Muslims drew the world map, they drew with the South pole on top, and North pole down – and Kabah was in the center. The Westerners came and they turned the map upside down – North pole on top, South pole down. Alhamdulillah, yet the Kabah is in the center – Mecca is in the center.

 

[linkinpark]

First of all time is not measured on the basis of north-south pole but based on east-west sunrise sunset.

 

[Luftwaffe]

scruby, You are reported.

 

[scrumpy]

If you go by sunrise and sunset and define the east and west side of the globe, then the place which differs by 12 hours to the eastern most point of globe, that is the center of the globe. And incidentally that falls in the western european region (Britain, Spain etc) represented by greenwich mean time (GMT) or co-ordinated universal time (UTC) or Standard Time against which all times in the world are defined. Mecca doesn't fall in that region, so it cannot be a standard time.

That makes sense when choosing a central longitude for time since the edge which was finally chosen passes through the least populated areas. Ofcourse, it is not the perfect location since the date line has to be moved left or right to avoid populated areas.

 

[scrumpy]

Since my post which I found on google about the science behind choosing was considered not suitable for this forum. Can someone with more sympathies for this project post an article which explains the science behind choosing Mecca as the centre of earth.

 

[Speaker]

I don't understand the fuss - for or against this change. You are talking of changing only a reference. Surely no one is suggesting changing their time to Mecca time. Absolute time is what matters, and that stays as it is.

 

[ARSENAL6]

WHy does it look like big ben ?

I agree for Makkah time

 

[Peregrine]

it's quite beautiful

 

[mikkix]

thats gr8 news for all of us..