King Fahd's Fountain

King Fahd's Fountain
Jeddah Fountain

The fountain illuminated at night
Year 1985 (1985)
Type Fountain
Location Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
Coordinates 21°30′56″N 39°8′42″E / 21.51556°N 39.14500°E / 21.51556; 39.14500Coordinates: 21°30′56″N 39°8′42″E / 21.51556°N 39.14500°E / 21.51556; 39.14500

King Fahd's Fountain, also known as the Jeddah Fountain, is a fountain in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, the tallest of its type in the world.[1]

Overview

The fountain was donated to the city of Jeddah by King Fahd, hence its name. It was constructed between 1980 and 1983 and was launched in 1985.[2]

Located on the west coast of Saudi Arabia, the fountain jets water to a maximum height, according to different sources, of either 853 feet (260 m)[3][4][5]or 1,024 feet (312 m)[1] above the Red Sea. (Even at the lower figure, King Fahd's Fountain would easily be the world's tallest; the second-tallest is the Gateway Geyser in East St. Louis, Illinois, US, with a water height of about 630 feet (192 m).)

The fountain is visible throughout the vicinity of Jeddah. The water it ejects can reach a speed of 375 kilometres (233 mi) per hour and its airborne mass can exceed 18 short tons (16,000 kg).[1] The fountain uses saltwater taken from the Red Sea instead of freshwater. Over 500 spotlights illuminate the fountain at night.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "King Fahd's Fountain in Saudi Arabia". Prosperity Fountain. Retrieved 11 October 2013.
  2. ↑ "World Tallest Fountain in Jeddah". Hotel Travel. Retrieved 2 October 2014.
  3. ↑ Mughai (20 June 2012). "Jeddah Fountain – King Fahd’s fountain Jeddah – Saudi Arabia". Jeddah Point. Retrieved 21 February 2014.
  4. ↑ "6/12 - King Fahd's Fountain, Jiddah". Arabic Media. Retrieved 21 February 2014.
  5. ↑ "Jiddah: King Fahd's Fountain". SAMIRAD. Retrieved 21 February 2014.
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Friday, January 29, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.