Saudi City Medina Launches Contest To Develop Area Around Prophet’s Mosque

The municipality of the Saudi city Medina has launched a competition to design a development plan for the area in the Al-Usayfirin district around the Prophet’s Mosque, or Al-Masjid An-Nabawi, built by the Muslim Prophet Muhammad. The site is near major city landmarks including the railway, Anbariya Mosque, and municipal headquarters. The contest asks architects, designers and engineers to provide sustainable urban design studies and solutions for the development of the area. The competition, which has been split into two categories, is open to companies and organizations, and also to students and groups. Cash prizes for the contest, which calls for the designers to develop a special architectural identity in line with the heritage and history of the Medina region, are worth about $26,600 for the “most innovative and visionary projects.”