JEDDAH — The Bride of the Red Sea will enter the Guinness Book of Records after erecting the world's tallest flagpole, according to a company involved in the huge project that finished on Wednesday. Ibrahim Badawood, managing director of Abdul Latif Jameel Community Initiatives (ALJCI), said: “We are not building them for Guinness World Records. We are building them for the nation and for the people of Saudi Arabia.” The official announcement was made during a press conference on Wednesday at the project site on the intersection of Andalus Road with King Abdullah Road. Badawood said, “It is a gift from the ALJCI on the blessed return of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah after his medical treatment abroad and here today we are proud to announce the completion of the project after 12 months in cooperation with Jeddah Municipality.” Badawood said: “Jeddah residents will be sharing their pride in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia by raising the Saudi's national flag on one of the tallest poles in the world.” He announced the 170-meter high flagpole will be operating officially within one month. Sherif Al-Bahar, the project manager, noted in his speech that the flagpole is equipped with an automatic hoisting system, advanced cameras, a system for measuring wind speed and a lighting system for important occasions. “There were several challenges that this flagpole was facing, which included being situated in a seismic zone, high winds and carrying a heavy load, but with all these challenges we successfully managed to complete the project with the assistance of our 42 national and international partners,” Al-Bahar said. Mohammed Al-Yami, director of community initiatives at Jeddah Municipality, praised the project. He said: “We are very proud that Jeddah's flagpole will beat the current tallest flagpole in the world. “It's nice to see Jeddah achieving a milestone, it is a monumental landmark for the city and I hope we will bring the best of Jeddah to the world.” He added that Jeddah is developing rapidly and had taken its deserved place in the international community. The Saudi flag that is at the top of the pole weighs 570 kilograms.
