DUBAI: Saudi Arabia's Jabal Omar Development Co plans to tap the Islamic debt markets to help finance an 11 billion riyal, or US$2.9 billion (US$1 = RM3.35) project in Mecca that will be built by developers including Binladin Group.
Jabal Omar awarded Binladin, the country's largest contractor, and Saudi Oger, owned by the family of former Lebanese prime minister Rafiq Hariri, the contract to build the project, the Saudi developer said in a statement on Monday.
"A portion of the sum will be raised organically, while a portion will come from Islamic finance and conventional methods," Jabal Omar said, without giving details.
Jabal Omar raised US$537 million by selling a 30 per cent stake in a November initial public offering (IPO) that valued the company at around US$1.79 billion.
The remaining 70 per cent of the company is held by the owners of a 23ha plot of land in Mecca near the Grand Mosque.
The cost of land in Mecca, Islam's holiest city, has surged, with land selling for as much US$50,000 per sq m, according to government statistics.
That compares with US$14,522 per sq m in London and US$24,900 per sq m in Monaco, according to the Global Property Guide.
Jabal Omar said it expected to complete construction of the development in three years.
In addition to a prayer area accommodating 65,000 people, the development will have 39 buildings including hotels, residences and retail facilities, it said.
More than 1.6 million pilgrims have come to Saudi Arabia from abroad for this month's haj pilgrimage, the largest regular religious gathering in the world.
Islamic law bans the receipt of interest and operates on the principle of sharing risk and reward among all those involved in a business venture.
By Reuters
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