Under the guidance of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, the Saudi Government has exerted tremendous efforts to develop Makkah Al-Mukarramah and the Sacred Sites to facilitate the service of the guests of the Merciful performing Hajj and Umrah, as well as its citizens and residents. The development of the region, its mountains, dales, and valleys, has been accompanied by remarkable efforts and a massive expenditure allocation to develop road networks and construct tunnels to overcome its difficult geographical nature, and place this holy city in the front ranks of modern and advanced cities.
On his part, His Royal Highness the Prince of Makkah Region, Prince Khalid Al-Faisal, has continued to shoulder this huge responsibility since His Highness assumed power, under the guidance of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques. This was when His Highness announced that he would spare no effort to place Makkah in the front ranks of modern advanced cities through the development and improvement of its facilities.
Therefore, the establishment of Prince Khaled Al-Faisal Chair for the Development of Makkah Al-Mukarramah and the Sacred Sites came as the immediate response to this hope woven by His Royal Highness to place Makkah in the front ranks of the modern and advanced cities of the world, as it deserves. The vision of the chair is to achieve scientific leadership in the urban development of the cities, and its mission is to support the upgrading of Makkah and turn it into an important global city by harnessing scientific and research activities to achieve a comprehensive and sustainable development of the cities in line with the global drive in the field of development. Therefore, the chair, which bears his royal name and represents the scientific leadership in the field of regions development, received all the support and care of His Highness, the financial support from the Saudi Binladin Group Company, and the technical support represented by the Secretariat of the Holy Capital, the Emirate Makkah Region, and the Supreme Development Commission of Makkah Al-Mukaramah and Sacred Sites. This was as well as the great efforts extended by the University of Umm Al-Qura, represented by His Excellency the President of the University, who exerted commendable efforts to make all the activities of the chair a success.
Among the most important activities of the chair were the workshops held with the aim of organizing meetings between the parties concerned with the development of Makkah Al-Mukarramah and the Sacred Sites to identify the past and current efforts exerted to develop cities, identify and discuss the various problems faced by such cities, and accordingly determine the development requirements and priorities to ensure the integration of efforts and the realization of the desired objectives. In such a way, the urban planning competition for the development of some areas in Makkah Region will become a leading example for other parts of the Saudi Kingdom, and will be of use in conducting scientific research in two areas, one of which is academic research; two Master's degree papers on the areas in Makkah Al-Mukarramah and the Sacred Sites were selected, and the Deputy Emir of Makkah and the Secretary General of the Supreme Commission of the Development of Makkah and the Holy Sites participated in both papers. The other area is applied research; such papers were announced, and their main topics were identified within this framework.
On top of such commendable activities came the first scientific forum under the title, "Local Efforts and Global Experiences", which was held in Makkah at Umm Al-Qura University, from 27-28 Jumada Al-Thani, 1434 A.H., under the patronage of His Royal Highness Prince Khalid Al-Faisal. In this forum, local and international scientists and specialists in the field of development of cities from the Netherlands, India, Egypt, and Turkey, were attracted to analyze and compare successful global experiences in addressing the problem of areas, to discuss and review local efforts in this regard, and to develop mechanisms and solutions for the development of Makkah Al-Mukarramah and the Sacred Sites. On the second day of the forum, the specialist's insights and trends towards the development of specific areas were discussed in a specialized workshop with the participation of international and local scientists and specialists who made recommendations in this regard, outlining a roadmap to develop some areas in Makkah and integrating its development system into a comprehensive strategic plan. This matter contributes to achieving the main objective of the chair, namely, to "prioritize people in the development plan, rather than places".
The chair will continue its lauded activities by following up the planning and urban competition, continuing the scientific research, and holding the remaining workshops. This is in addition to documenting all the works that have been discussed to acquire maximum knowledge in the field of construction development and to apply it on the ground to make Makkah one of the best modern cities in the civilized world, socially and environmentally, by the grace of Allah (Exalted and Glorified) and thanks to the rulers of this country and their lauded efforts in the service of Makkah, the dearest land to Allah (Exalted and Glorified) and His Messenger (peace be upon him), the Qiblah of the Muslims in the East and the West, and the sanctuary of the hearts of the believers.