Bin Laden Group
Encyclopedia
Construction
In the fields of architecture and civil engineering, construction is a process that consists of the building or assembling of infrastructure. Far from being a single activity, large scale construction is a feat of human multitasking...
conglomerate
Conglomerate (company)
A conglomerate is a combination of two or more corporations engaged in entirely different businesses that fall under one corporate structure , usually involving a parent company and several subsidiaries. Often, a conglomerate is a multi-industry company...
and holding company
Holding company
A holding company is a company or firm that owns other companies' outstanding stock. It usually refers to a company which does not produce goods or services itself; rather, its purpose is to own shares of other companies. Holding companies allow the reduction of risk for the owners and can allow...
for the assets owned by the bin Laden family
Bin Laden family
The bin Laden family , also spelled bin Ladin, is a wealthy family intimately connected with the innermost circles of the Saudi royal family. The family was thrown into media spotlight through the activities of one of its members, Osama bin Laden, mastermind of the 9/11 attacks...
, headquartered in Jeddah
Jeddah
Jeddah, Jiddah, Jidda, or Jedda is a city located on the coast of the Red Sea and is the major urban center of western Saudi Arabia. It is the largest city in Makkah Province, the largest sea port on the Red Sea, and the second largest city in Saudi Arabia after the capital city, Riyadh. The...
, Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...
. Considered the largest construction firm in the world Saudi Binladin Group recently signed a US$1.23 billion contract to construct the tallest building in the world, Kingdom Tower in Jeddah.
Overview
The SBG was founded in 1931 by Sheikh Mohammed bin LadenMohammed bin Laden
Sheikh Mohammed bin Awad bin Laden was a wealthy investor, businessman, and patriarch of the bin Laden family. He was a Yemeni emmigrant to Saudi Arabia, and married 22 times, fathering at least 54 children...
Sayyid, whose relationship with the country's founder, Abdel Aziz al Saud
Ibn Saud of Saudi Arabia
King Abdul-Aziz of Saudi Arabia was the first monarch of the Third Saudi State known as Saudi Arabia. He was commonly referred to as Ibn Saud....
, led to important government contracts such as refurbishing the mosques at Mecca
Mecca
Mecca is a city in the Hijaz and the capital of Makkah province in Saudi Arabia. The city is located inland from Jeddah in a narrow valley at a height of above sea level...
and Medina
Medina
Medina , or ; also transliterated as Madinah, or madinat al-nabi "the city of the prophet") is a city in the Hejaz region of western Saudi Arabia, and serves as the capital of the Al Madinah Province. It is the second holiest city in Islam, and the burial place of the Islamic Prophet Muhammad, and...
. Mohammed, who overall had 22 wives and 53 children, is also the father of Osama Bin Laden
Osama bin Laden
Osama bin Mohammed bin Awad bin Laden was the founder of the militant Islamist organization Al-Qaeda, the jihadist organization responsible for the September 11 attacks on the United States and numerous other mass-casualty attacks against civilian and military targets...
.
After the death of Sheikh Mohammed in 1968, the group was headed by Mohammed Bahareth, brother of Mohammed's first wife and uncle of his oldest children. In 1972, Sheikh Salem bin Laden
Salem bin Laden
Salem bin Mohammed bin Awad bin Laden was a Saudi Arabian investor and businessman.-Life:Considered the eldest son of Mohammed bin Laden, the founder of Saudi Binladin Group and a half-brother and cousin of the infamous terrorist...
, the eldest son, took over as his father's successor, with the assistance of several brothers. Upon Salem's death in a plane crash in 1988, the leadership of the group passed to one of his elder sons, Bakr
Bakr bin Laden
Bakr bin Laden, brother of Osama bin Laden, is the chairman of the Jeddah-based Saudi Binladin Group and the largest majority shareholder in the Group, with a 23.58% holding....
, the current chairman, along with thirteen other brothers who make up the board of the bin Laden group, the most important of these being Hassan, Yeslam
Yeslam bin Ladin
Yeslam bin Muhammad bin 'Awad bin Ladin better known as Yeslam bin Laden, also written Yeslam Binladin, as he prefers to spell it, is a Swiss businessman and the half-brother of the deceased al-Qaeda leader, Osama bin Laden....
and Yehia. By 2002, the company had 35,000 employees worldwide, and was worth US$5 billion.
Current activities
The bin Laden group is represented in most Saudi cities — RiyadhRiyadh
Riyadh is the capital and largest city of Saudi Arabia. It is also the capital of Riyadh Province, and belongs to the historical regions of Najd and Al-Yamama. It is situated in the center of the Arabian Peninsula on a large plateau, and is home to 5,254,560 people, and the urban center of a...
, Dammam
Dammam
Dammam is the capital of the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia, the most oil-rich region in the world. The judicial and administrative bodies of the province and several government departments are located in the city. Dammam is the largest city in the Eastern Province and third largest in Saudi...
— and in a number of capital cities in the region (Beirut
Beirut
Beirut is the capital and largest city of Lebanon, with a population ranging from 1 million to more than 2 million . Located on a peninsula at the midpoint of Lebanon's Mediterranean coastline, it serves as the country's largest and main seaport, and also forms the Beirut Metropolitan...
, Cairo
Cairo
Cairo , is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life...
, Amman
Amman
Amman is the capital of Jordan. It is the country's political, cultural and commercial centre and one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. The Greater Amman area has a population of 2,842,629 as of 2010. The population of Amman is expected to jump from 2.8 million to almost...
, Dubai
Dubai
Dubai is a city and emirate in the United Arab Emirates . The emirate is located south of the Persian Gulf on the Arabian Peninsula and has the largest population with the second-largest land territory by area of all the emirates, after Abu Dhabi...
). According to a synopsis by the PBS
Public Broadcasting Service
The Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia....
news program Frontline:
- in Egypt the SBG is headed by Abdul Aziz bin Laden, and represents that country's largest foreign-owned private equity group, with over 40,000 employees.
- in Lebanon the SBG, represented by Yehia bin Laden, has been (before the July War) holding negotiations with the local authorities for a $50 million share in the project to rebuild the Beirut Central DistrictBeirut Central DistrictThe Beirut Central District or Centre Ville is the name given to Beirut’s historical and geographical core, the “vibrant financial, commercial, and administrative hub of the country.” At the heart of Lebanon’s capital, Beirut Central District is an area thousands of years old, traditionally a...
within the framework of the Solidere ProjectSolidereSolidere s.a.l. is a Lebanese joint-stock company in charge of planning and redeveloping Beirut Central District following the conclusion, in 1990, of the country’s devastating civil war...
and in conjunction with the al Baraka Group and the bin Mahfouz Group. - in London the SBG set up a representative firm called Binexport in November 1990.
On December 20, 2005, the government of Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...
awarded a consortium
Consortium
A consortium is an association of two or more individuals, companies, organizations or governments with the objective of participating in a common activity or pooling their resources for achieving a common goal....
of Saudi and Emirati
United Arab Emirates
The United Arab Emirates, abbreviated as the UAE, or shortened to "the Emirates", is a state situated in the southeast of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia on the Persian Gulf, bordering Oman, and Saudi Arabia, and sharing sea borders with Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, and Iran.The UAE is a...
companies, including the Saudi Binladin Group, a $26.6 billion contract to build King Abdullah Economic City
King Abdullah Economic City
King Abdullah Economic City is a megaproject announced in 2005 by Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, the king of Saudi Arabia.-Overview:...
.
The Group is constructing Abraj Al Bait Towers
Abraj Al Bait Towers
The Abraj Al-Bait Towers, also known as the Mecca Royal Hotel Clock Tower, is a building complex in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. The complex holds several world records, including the tallest hotel in the world, the tallest clock tower in the world, the world's largest clock face, and the world's largest...
in Mecca and has been contracted by Kingdom Holding Company
Kingdom Holding Company
Kingdom Holding Company is a public holding company headquartered in Kingdom Centre in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and is the largest company in Saudi Arabia. It is controlled by Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Bin Abdulaziz, and is headquartered in the city of Riyadh...
to build the Kingdom Tower.
Saudi Arabia Projects
Royal Terminal, JeddahJeddah
Jeddah, Jiddah, Jidda, or Jedda is a city located on the coast of the Red Sea and is the major urban center of western Saudi Arabia. It is the largest city in Makkah Province, the largest sea port on the Red Sea, and the second largest city in Saudi Arabia after the capital city, Riyadh. The...
- King Abdulaziz International AirportKing Abdulaziz International AirportKing Abdulaziz International Airport is an aviation facility located 19 km to the north of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Named after King Abdulaziz Al Saud, the airport is Saudi Arabia's third largest air facility and busiest airport by passenger. The airport occupies an area of 15 square kilometers...
, New Haj Terminal, JeddahJeddahJeddah, Jiddah, Jidda, or Jedda is a city located on the coast of the Red Sea and is the major urban center of western Saudi Arabia. It is the largest city in Makkah Province, the largest sea port on the Red Sea, and the second largest city in Saudi Arabia after the capital city, Riyadh. The... - Al Faisaliyah CenterAl Faisaliyah CenterThe Al Faisaliyah Center is a commercial skyscraper located in the business district of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. It is the second tallest building in Saudi Arabia after the Kingdom Centre. Immediately below it an outside viewing deck; at ground level, there is a shopping center with major world brands...
- MadinaMadinaMadina may refer to:*Al Madinah Province and Medina -Saudi Arabia* Madina, Armenia* Madina, Ghana, a town near the capital* Madina, Mali, a commune and town...
-Qassim Expressway - Um Alqura University, Makkah
- Lotus Compounds, Jeddah
- Alameera Noura University
- Abraj Al Bait TowersAbraj Al Bait TowersThe Abraj Al-Bait Towers, also known as the Mecca Royal Hotel Clock Tower, is a building complex in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. The complex holds several world records, including the tallest hotel in the world, the tallest clock tower in the world, the world's largest clock face, and the world's largest...
, Makkah - Kingdom Tower, JeddahJeddahJeddah, Jiddah, Jidda, or Jedda is a city located on the coast of the Red Sea and is the major urban center of western Saudi Arabia. It is the largest city in Makkah Province, the largest sea port on the Red Sea, and the second largest city in Saudi Arabia after the capital city, Riyadh. The...
- King Abdullah Economic CityKing Abdullah Economic CityKing Abdullah Economic City is a megaproject announced in 2005 by Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, the king of Saudi Arabia.-Overview:...
- Al Jamara
Only special purpose structure of its kind in the world dedicated exclusively to serve millions of pilgirms once a year as part of Haj
Háj
Háj may refer to:* Háj in Turčianske Teplice District, Slovakia* Háj in Košice-okolie District, Slovakia...
.
- 5-Level bridge above ground with total area of 385,000 m2.
- 1 Underground level for services with area of 21,000 m2, and 2-tunnel connections to surrounding area with total length of 3,000 m.
- 6 Service buildings with total area of 25,000 m2.
- 2 Heliports.
- 6 Five-ton elevators.
- 11 Escalators housed in buildings with total area of 70,000 m2.
- 2 Bus stations with total area of 37,000 m2.
- Site preparation involving 2 million m3 of rock cut and other works.
International Projects
- Blaise Diagne International AirportBlaise Diagne International AirportThe Blaise Diagne International Airport is an international airport under construction near the town of Ndiass, Senegal. It will serve as a new airport for Dakar, as the old Léopold Sédar Senghor International Airport is becoming too small for future operations...
, SenegalSenegalSenegal , officially the Republic of Senegal , is a country in western Africa. It owes its name to the Sénégal River that borders it to the east and north... - Kuala Lumpur International AirportKuala Lumpur International AirportKuala Lumpur International Airport , or KLIA serves the capital city of Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, and is one of Southeast Asia's largest airports. It is also Malaysia's main international airport. It is situated in the Sepang district, in the south of the state of Selangor, about from Kuala Lumpur...
, Malaysia - Sharjah International AirportSharjah International AirportSharjah International Airport is located in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates.Sharjah Airport is the second largest Middle East Airfreight Hub in terms of cargo tonnage, according to official 2009 statistics from Airports Council International...
Expansion & Development, UAE - University of SharjahUniversity of SharjahThe University of Sharjah is a semi-governmental higher educational institution. Its founder, Supreme President and Chairman is the Ruler of Sharjah Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Mohamed Al-Qasimi himself. Founded 1997, the University of Sharjah aims to meet the Emirate of Sharjah's educational and...
, UAE
Web site
The registration for SBG's Internet domain nameDomain name
A domain name is an identification string that defines a realm of administrative autonomy, authority, or control in the Internet. Domain names are formed by the rules and procedures of the Domain Name System ....
, saudi-binladin-group.com, was registered on September 11, 2000, for one year, expiring on the same day as the September 11, 2001 attacks
September 11, 2001 attacks
The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks (also referred to as September 11, September 11th or 9/119/11 is pronounced "nine eleven". The slash is not part of the pronunciation...
. The domain was later acquired by a domain speculator. SBG currently uses sbg.com.sa, which was registered on 2000-01-11.
External links
- Saudi Binladin Group website
- Saudi Binladin Group website in United Arab Emirates (.ae) - full version
- Archived versions of www.saudi-binladin-group.com at the Internet ArchiveInternet ArchiveThe Internet Archive is a non-profit digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It offers permanent storage and access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, music, moving images, and nearly 3 million public domain books. The Internet Archive...
- Archived versions of www.saudi-binladin-group.com at the Internet Archive
- Bin Laden Group at SourcewatchSourceWatchSourceWatch is an internet wiki site that is a collaborative project of the liberal Center for Media and Democracy...