Saudi Binladin Group
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| Type | Private conglomerate and holding company |
|---|---|
| Industry | Construction |
| Founded | 1931 |
| Founder(s) | Sheikh Mohammed bin Laden |
| Headquarters | Jeddah, Saudi Arabia |
| Key people | Bakr bin Laden, Chairman |
| Website | www.sbg.com.sa |
The Saudi Binladin (or Binladen) Group (SBG) (Arabic: مجموعة بن لادن السعودية Maǧmūʿat Bin Lādin al-Saʿūdiyyah) is a multinational construction conglomerate and holding company for the assets owned by the bin Laden family, headquartered in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. 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.
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[edit] Overview
The SBG was founded in 1931 by Sheikh Mohammed bin Laden Sayyid, whose relationship with the country's founder, Abdel Aziz al Saud, led to important government contracts such as refurbishing the mosques at Mecca and Medina. Mohammed, who overall had 22 wives and 53 children, is also the father of Osama Bin Laden.[1][2]
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, 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, 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 and Yehia. By 2002, the company had 35,000 employees worldwide, and was worth US$5 billion. [1]
[edit] Current activities
The bin Laden group is represented in most Saudi cities — Riyadh, Dammam — and in a number of capital cities in the region (Beirut, Cairo, Amman, Dubai). According to a synopsis by the PBS news program Frontline:[3]
- 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 District within the framework of the Solidere Project 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 awarded a consortium of Saudi and Emirati companies, including the Saudi Binladin Group, a $26.6 billion contract to build King Abdullah Economic City.[4]
The Group is constructing Abraj Al Bait Towers in Mecca[5] and has been contracted by Kingdom Holding Company to build the Kingdom Tower.[6]
[edit] Saudi Arabia Projects
Royal Terminal, Jeddah
- King Abdulaziz International Airport, New Haj Terminal, Jeddah
- Al Faisaliyah Center
- Madina-Qassim Expressway
- Um Alqura University, Makkah
- Lotus Compounds, Jeddah
- Alameera Noura University
- Abraj Al Bait Towers, Makkah
- Kingdom Tower, Jeddah
- King Abdullah Economic City
- 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.
- 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.
[edit] International Projects
- Blaise Diagne International Airport, Senegal
- Kuala Lumpur International Airport, Malaysia
- Sharjah International Airport Expansion & Development, UAE
- University of Sharjah, UAE
[edit] References
- ^ a b "One Nation, Indivisible". Time. September 24, 2001. http://www.time.com/time/covers/1101010924/wosama.html. Retrieved May 23, 2010.
- ^ "Abraj Al Bait: a city within a city". Qatar Construction Sites Newspaper. http://www.qc-sites.com/read.aspx?id=162&sid=2. Retrieved 2008-04-09.[dead link]
- ^ "About the bin Laden Family". Frontline. PBS. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/binladen/who/family.html. Retrieved 2011-08-02.
- ^ "Saudi to build 26-billion-dollar new city". Breitbart.com. 2005-11-20. http://www.breitbart.com/news/2005/12/20/051220165102.rfmm4n2n.html. Retrieved 2011-08-02.
- ^ http://buildingdb.ctbuh.org/?do=building&building_id=84
- ^ "Bin Laden Group to build world's tallest tower". This Just In (news blog) (CNN). August 2, 2011. http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2011/08/02/bin-laden-group-to-build-tower/. Retrieved 2011-08-02.
[edit] External links
- Saudi Binladin Group website
- Saudi Binladin Group website in United Arab Emirates (.ae) - full version
- Bin Laden Group at Sourcewatch
