Not much chance of getting in unless you are a Muslim but you can have a peak here

Witness Mecca's Dramatic Transformation Over The Past Century In Just 14 Photos

I thought this thread was about the Bingo hall chain

I think I'd rather face ISIS than some of the old women in those Bingo clubs!

Truly distasteful urbanisation. Imagine if we decided to commercialise Stonehenge by erecting skyscrapers around it. Arabs simply making money.

the millionaires apartments overlooking it just do it for me.

I struggle to find the words to describe it, really I do.

I agree, it is pretty sad how 'commercial' it all is now. It has boiled down to, me hearing two persons talking to each other : 'Did you do the cheap Hajj or the expensive one?' The other guy proudly stating 'I went all out on this one'

Basically from what I have been told, the cheap one means that you cannot afford the ridiculously high room rates closer to the mosque so you have to take a room as far as your pocket will allow and then walk as taxis are out of the question in those days.

Yep, all about money now.

and by that alone did islam start to die

everything dies

Except viruses.

My boss recently did Hajj. It cost him around 1000USD per day with the hotels, taxis, shuttles etc.

not cheap.

Anyway - Christmas is quite a sell out event.

Christianity gave us St. Peter's and Rome.

Islam gave us Mecca?

I see.

That aside, there are beautiful historic mosques all over the greater Islamic world and it's odd that the heart of Islam is a rather ugly affair.....

Unlike its soul ?

it now resembles LAS VEGAS.

thanks to the Al Saws

Sir, you are referring to my former employers !

No it's not...some of us are quite selfless. I'm asking for: New golf clubs, so my old ones can be given to a mate, new iPhone so I can give my mrs mine and not have to buy her one and world peace.