All future developments in Makkah will be inspired by its holiness and the special place it has in the hearts of believers, said Prince Khaled Al-Faisal, the Emir of Makkah, during the inauguration Monday of an Islamic art competition to beautify the holy city. “The strategy for development in the Makkah region has been based on the overall development plans of the Kingdom. The regional planning of Makkah revolves around the holiness of the Ka'ba, that has given the city and the Kingdom a special place in world civilization,” he said. The plans to serve Muslim pilgrims, have been boosted by a sense of responsibility of the Kingdom's custodianship of the Grand Mosque, he said. The Emir said all available resources should be used to make Makkah a gateway for modern civilization and to provide development for all Muslims and citizens. The city should not only be the direction towards which Muslims pray and a destination to visit, he said. “We have to present Makkah to the world as an example of advancement and a source for all human civilization, with excellent services for residents and visitors,” Prince Khaled said. The city should be “very organized and clean, with a beautiful face to serve as a symbol of Islamic architecture and culture,” he said. This would help package the city in the “best format” as the best city in the world, the Emir said. The competition, the first organized by the Makkah Mayoralty and entitled “In Our Love for Makkah We Meet,” is open to artists from across the world. Osama Al-Bar, Makkah's Mayor, said that the competition strives to spread an artistic culture to the world from the holy city, with the participation of a number of international artists gathering in Jeddah now. The competition has been launched to help turn the holy city of Makkah into an Islamic museum with the help of talented artists, Al-Bar added. The artists would compete to draw murals of 12 historic sites in Makkah to add color to the city's streets. Winners will be awarded cash prizes between $30.000 and $20.000. Al-Bar hoped that the competition would continue for the years to come to reach its goals and “receive the blessings of the holy city”.
